Arkansas native Greg Compton was born in North Little Rock, Ark., and makes no bones about his roots. “Hard workin, meat eatin, beer/bourbon drinkin horse trainer,” reads his bio on the social media site, X. “Die hard AR Razorback fan, WPS! Praying to hit the lottery, delete everything, and disappear.” Funny stuff. But Compton’s entry in the Beaumont Stakes is no joke, and Sunday, on the west side of Lexington, Ky., could mark a milestone in Compton’s training career. Compton sent out his first runner in 2006 and comes into April 0 for 4 in graded stakes starts. He’s gone 1 for 36 with Keeneland starters, but G W’s Girl rates a solid chance in the Grade 2, $400,000 Beaumont. Restricted to 3-year-old fillies, the Beaumont, contested over the Beard Course at seven furlongs, drew just six entrants, two of them trained by Brad Cox, who already has eight graded stakes wins this year. Eclatant, on paper, looks like a more serious Beaumont player than Cox’s other runner, Stunner, but Cox sees things differently. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “I have a hard time separating them, honestly,” Cox said. Eclatant, a Stonestreet homebred, debuted early at age 2, winning first out in June. In October, she won a first-level Keeneland sprint allowance, and in November, she told her connections she preferred one turn racing over two turns with a fading third in the Golden Rod at Churchill. Back in action Feb. 1 in the seven-furlong Forward Gal at Gulfstream, Eclatant turned in a sustained rally to beat Stunner by 1 1/4 lengths. At Aqueduct last fall, Stunner crushed maiden rivals in her second start, then easily won the Tempted, a one-turn mile. An odds-on favorite facing Florida-breds in a rich Florida stallion stakes, she failed to stay two turns and was nailed on the wire in November. Stunner also led the Forward Gal at the stretch call before Eclatant ran her down. “I don’t know. Maybe she just didn’t like Florida,” Cox said. Stunner should volley for the lead with Pennsylvania shipper Volleyballprincess, who went wire to wire upsetting the seven-furlong Ruthless at Aqueduct before setting the pace and fading to third there going a one-turn mile March 1 in the Busher. Verity can contend if her recent synthetic form transfers to dirt, which it might. Continuity beat lesser foes in a pair of one-turn races to start her career and last saw action finishing a tame fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Alcibiades at Keeneland. G W’s Girl also raced at Keeneland last fall, checking in fifth with a somewhat difficult trip against the boys in the Indian Summer, trying a second turf sprint after winning her debut in one at Delaware Park. Compton winters at Oaklawn, where turf’s not an option, but G W’s Girl has proven better on dirt. In the $150,000 Mockingbird on Jan. 4, she made up good ground from the three-eighths pole to the wire and won by two lengths over Shisospicy, who returned with a sharp score in Florida. In the Dixie Belle on Feb. 24, G W’s Girl showed much more early pace, racing just off the lead and staying on strongly to prevail by nearly three lengths. In both starts, the filly, by Munnings, hit the finish and galloped out like Sunday’s added distance won’t stop her. Jose Ortiz picks up the mount. Compton could pick up his first graded stakes victory. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.