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Blues rules in Mervin Muniz Anstu Stables' BLUES STREET (Street Cry [Ire]) settled near the rear of Saturday's $300,000 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2) at Fair Grounds, came with a tenacious rally in the lane and got the win by 1 3/4 lengths with Javier Castellano aboard. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the six-year-old veteran ran the about 1 1/8-mile firm-turf affair in 1:50 to earn his second straight stakes and fourth straight race following a 2 1/4-length score in the Fair Grounds H. (G3) on February 20. Castellano allowed Blues Street to run just off the rail in the back while Jet Propulsion (Double Honor) moved up on a clear lead through splits of :23, :49, 1:12 4/5 and 1:37 2/5. Nearing the turn Blues Street began gaining momentum, coming wide around rivals and driving down the lane to be clear late. Sent off the 5-2 favorite in the 10-horse field, Blues Street paid $7.60, $4.40 and $3.20 while keying the $195.60 exacta and $4,085.40 trifecta. Pick Six (Dynaformer), the 30-1 eighth choice, held second by a head over 68-1 ninth pick Transduction Gold (Formal Gold), who was in turn a neck up on Jet Propulsion when crossing under the wire. Place was worth $17.80 and $12.20 while show gave back $18.40. The 8-5-11-2 superfecta returned a hefty $57,294. Yate's Black Cat (Black Minnaloushe), El Caballo (El Corredor), Feels All Right (Ire) (Danehill Dancer), Baletti (Gulch), My Happiness (Arg) (Festin [Arg]) and Pickapocket (Mecke) followed the top four home while Stones River (Monarchos), a main-track only entrant, and Red Alert Day (GB) (Diktat) were both scratched. Blues Street is a former high-price claimer who seems to have finally put it all together. In addition to his Fair Grounds H. win, the dark bay gelding also captured the 2009 Memorial Day H. and was second in the Independence Day S., both at Mountaineer Park. He ran third in his stakes debut, the 2007 Pasadena S., and now boasts a 22-8-5-3, $487,178, record. Bred in Kentucky by Harriet Finkelstein, Blues Street sold for $85,000 as a 2005 Keeneland September yearling and RNA'ed for $77,000 at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May two-year-old sale. He's the first foal to race out of Capote Blues (Capote) and has two-year-old half-sister named Henny Blues (Hennessy) and a yearling half-sister by Hard Spun. Capote Blues hails from 1994 Matron (G1) winner Stormy Blues (Cure the Blues).
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