Do we have 'Dinner' reservations for Sept. 24?

A table-scrap of evidence has surfaced suggesting that a horse once on the Kentucky Derby trail, might finally be on the comeback trail.

GOURMET DINNER is among the 44 nominations received July 4 for the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby-G2, to be run at Parx Racing on Sept. 24, entered by owners Our Sugar Bear Stable and trainer Bruce R. Brown.

The bay son of Trippi-Potluck Dinner, by Pentelicus, more than earned his way into the Derby field by winning the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes as a 2-year-old. He earned some fans with his consistent performances and determined efforts in hitting the board behind Dialed In and Sweet Ducky in the Holy Bull S.-G3 and Soldat in the Fountain of Youth S.-G2 at age 3.

Then, Gourmet Dinner was whisked from the Derby's table in March, just as he was expected to be training up to the Florida Derby. His rather silent connections finally confirmed that the horse had suffered a "minor injury" and needed time off. After more than four months out of training, it is unlikely that Gourmet Dinner's connections would pay the fee to nominate him for a big race in September if the horse had no chance at all of being back in action by then.

Considering I was on this horse's bandwagon before he ever ran a race, let alone earned $989,660 -- tipping the son of as a top prospect out of the Ocala April sale, where he brought $40,000 as Hip 277 -- I was among those most eagerly awaiting another taste from a reheated Gourmet Dinner.

This week's announcement of nominations to the Pennsylvania Derby -- a list that also includes Preakness winner Shackleford, a Zayat trio of Jaycito, Joe Vann and Prayer for Relief, and Repole stablemates Stay Thirsty and Uncle Mo -- piques my appetite.

The Fed 'eases' his way into graded-placed ranks

My sales-tip Class of 2010 acquired its 17th stakes horse Saturday when The Fed Eased came home third in the Illinois Derby-G3 at Hawthorne Race Course.

The Florida-bred colt was running in second behind eventual winner Joe Vann until deep stretch, but flattened out and was caught a few yards short of the wire by a maiden, Zoebear, who has now managed to finish second four times in six starts without winning. Final time for the 9 furlongs was 1:51.91.

I recommended the son of Montbrook-Valid Invitation, by Take Me Out as Hip 7 in last year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. February auction of 2-year-olds in training, where he went unsold when the high bid of $65,000 wasn't enough to meet reserve. After running second in his debut then breaking maiden convincingly on Jan. 29 at Aqueduct, he was tossed into Grade 3 company in the Gotham Stakes, which he led until fading to fifth in the mile-and-a-sixteenth test behind eventual victor Stay Thirsty and others.

Saturday's Illinois Derby was thus just the colt's fourth lifetime start. I honestly expected him to fold in the stretch of the mile-and-an-eighth distance Saturday, but he got by on enough talent and guts to hold off all the closers but one. Still, I think The Fed Eased as a son of an accomplished sprinter (and sire almost exclusively of sprinters and milers) with a dam-side that is most recently composed of 6f-9f horses, that the colt will be at his best at a mile or perhaps shorter.

With the placing, The Fed Eased now has a 1-1-1 record from four starts, and $71,790 banked. He becomes the second blacktype-placd foal for his dam, who also produced juvenile stakes-placed Sweet Enticement (Drewman). Of note, The Fed Eased is from the same female family as another of my sales selections, OBS Sprint S. (filly division)-placed Take Me To Zuber, who is a half-sister to this colt's dam.

Follow the sales class at this link.