Talent Search, Benny the Bull square off in De Francis

TALENT SEARCH (Catienus) and BENNY THE BULL (Lucky Lionel), the respective

third- and fourth-place finishers from the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), will renew

rivalry in Saturday's $250,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash S. (G1). Named

in honor of the innovative owner of the Maryland Jockey Club, the six-furlong

sprint tops Laurel's Fall Festival of Racing card, which includes two storied

stakes for juveniles.

Trained by Mark Shuman, Talent Search burst onto the sprinting radar screen

with a six-length romp in the Jim McKay Sprint S. at Pimlico in April. After

finishing a strong second in the Maryland Breeders' Cup Sprint H. (G3) on

Preakness Day, the four-year-old chestnut rolled by 6 1/4 lengths in the Teddy

Drone S. at Monmouth. Talent Search handled the hike into top company when

checking in a best-of-the-rest runner-up in the Vosburgh S. (G1), and in the

Breeders' Cup, he set the pace before winding up a slightly troubled third on

the sloppy, sealed track.

"He didn't relish the sloppy going at the Breeders' Cup, but he handled it,"

Shuman said. "I'm happy where we are. Hopefully, he runs as good as he's

training. He's a classy horse. He's a puppy dog to be around. As fast as he is

you'd think he'd be high strung, but he's really quiet, laid back. He acts like a

stable pony. When it comes to the races, he's just honest. In the Vosburgh, he

ran as hard as he could and didn't quit beating some good horses. He keeps

impressing us."

"He really proved himself in his last race," regular rider Ryan Fogelsonger

said. "He wasn't given much credit until then. He goes out there and he cruises.

Every time he breaks it's like a false start. There were plenty of horses in

that Breeders' Cup race and none of them had a chance in the early stages. He's

that fast."

On Saturday, Talent Search will break from the rail.

Benny the Bull made his stakes debut in the Iowa Sprint H. in June, rallying

from near the back of the pack to score by 1 1/2 lengths. The dark bay was then

purchased privately and transferred to Richard Dutrow. In his second start for

his new connections, he closed stoutly to finish a clear second in the Forego S.

(G1). Although he didn't threaten the winner, Midnight Lute (Real Quiet), Benny

the Bull was himself 9 1/4 lengths ahead of his nearest rival. Next time out in

the Sprint, he broke poorly, but managed to get up for fourth to Midnight Lute.

Edgar Prado picks up the mount on Benny the Bull, the 9-5 favorite on the

morning line who will break from the far outside post 8.

"I'm going to breeze him there (at Laurel) tomorrow morning," Dutrow said

Wednesday from his New York base. "I figure it's a good move to send him down

there and do it. I'm kind of pleased with him. Every time we've run him he's run

good. He didn't break so good at Monmouth and we were trying to play catch up,

but he's run good every time he's run this year. It's been fun to be around a

nice horse and he's doing really good. Every time we've run him he's come out of

his race better and trained better so we're happy with him and I like having him

around."

To assist his late kick, Benny the Bull will get the services of a pacemaker,

HOLLY TIME (Gilded Time). The second half of the coupled Dutrow entry could make

things interesting for Talent Search.

"We're going to put Holly Time on the lead," Dutrow revealed. "So if Talent

Search wants the lead he's going to have a real tough time getting it."

Shuman and Fogelsonger aren't worried about the tactical implications for

Talent Search.

"Talent Search doesn't have to be sent," Shuman said. "We did send him in the

Breeders' Cup because there was so much speed in there that it's one of those

where you have to be the speed of the speed. He's naturally that fast."

"He is ratable if we absolutely need to, but he's so quick out of there the

first jump that he's already a length in front before we come out of the gate,"

Fogelsonger noted. "If they're going to hustle to get next to me, they're going

to be dead by the time we reach the three-eighths pole. I'll be sitting in hand

waiting for someone else to try me."

Two other De Francis entrants are exiting Breeders' Cup events. Multiple

Grade 2 heroine MIRACULOUS MISS (Mr. Greeley) just missed by a half-length in

the Filly & Mare Sprint, while Tom Fool Breeders' Cup H. (G2) winner HIGH

FINANCE (Talk Is Money) will try to rebound after trailing in a remote last in

the Dirt Mile.

Two more will be making their debuts for new conditioners. Churchill Downs S.

(G2) victor SAINT ANDDAN (A.P. Indy), who finished third in the Phoenix S. (G3)

in his finale for Bobby Frankel, is now with Anthony Dutrow. True North H. (G2)

winner WILL HE SHINE (Silver Deputy), last of eight in the Vosburgh, has been

switched to Steve Asmussen and will lose the blinkers.

Talent Search, the 2-1 second choice on the morning line, will shoulder a

118-pound impost. To his outside will come HI TIME SCOTT (Regal Humor), Joe

Rocco Jr., 118, 20-1; Will He Shine, Stewart Elliott, 122, 6-1; Saint Anddan,

Ramon Dominguez, 122, 8-1; Holly Time, Eddie Castro, 118; Miraculous Miss,

Jeremy Rose, 115, 8-1; High Finance, Rosie Napravnik, 122, 5-1; and Benny the

Bull, 118.

Also on Saturday's Fall Festival of Racing program are two stakes for

juveniles, each contested at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The

$125,000 Laurel Futurity has drawn an overflow field of 15, led by ADRIANO (A.P.

Indy), who was fourth in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) last time out for Graham

Motion. Also intriguing are two recent maiden winners, the Michael Matz-trained

LAKE PLACID (Giant's Causeway) and COWBOY CAL (Giant's Causeway) from the Todd

Pletcher barn.

Thirteen two-year-old fillies are set for the $125,000

Selima S.,

with stakes winners GRACE AND POWER (More Than Ready), WIND IN MY WINGS (Sligo

Bay [Ire]), BSHARPSONATA (Pulpit) and REMARKABLE REMY (Hennessy) among the prime

contenders.