E. Paul Robsham Stables’ Discreetly Mine, winner of
Fair Grounds’ Grade II Risen Star Stakes Feb. 20 as the strong second choice of
the fans; WinStar Farm’s Drosselmeyer, fourth in that same test as the
post time favorite; and Jack Hammer’s Ron the Greek, who finished sixth
as the locally-based third choice that day; are all still considered likely for
the 97th running of the Grade II Louisiana Derby now a week and a half
away on March 27.
Discreetly
Mine is trained by Todd Pletcher, Drosselmeyer is conditioned by Hall of
Fame trainer Bill Mott, and Ron the Greek is from the barn of Tom
Amoss, the only conditioner to date in Fair Grounds history who has won
nine training titles at the Crescent City oval.
Also
expected back out of the Risen Star for the Louisiana Derby are Richard,
Bertram and Elaine Klein’s Stay Put, fifth in the Risen Star as a
Steve Margolis trainee, and Bob Zollars and Mark Wagner’s Letsgetitonmon,
conditioned by Eclipse Award-winning trainer Steve Asmusssen and eighth
in that same final designed local prep for the centerpiece event of the Fair
Grounds’ season. Previously, Letsgetitonmon finished third in Fair Grounds’
Grade III Lecomte Stakes Jan. 23
According
to Fair Grounds’ stakes coordinator Scott Jones, new stakes-placed
starters expected to ship in from other venues for the Louisiana Derby include
Edward Evans’ A Little Warm, an Anthony Dutrow trainee who was
second by a neck in Gulfstream’s Grade II Hutcheson Stakes Feb. 20;
Thoroughbred Legends Racing Stable’s The Program, third in Santa Anita’s
Grade III Sham Stakes March 5 as a Bob Baffert trainee; and Twin Creeks
Racing Stable’s Mission Impazible, fourth in Oaklawn’s Grade III
Southwest Stakes Feb. 20 and, like Discreetly Mine, trained by Pletcher.
Also
now on the probable list for the Louisiana Derby – which with its new $750,000
purse will be the richest Thoroughbred race ever run in Louisiana – are Marylou
Whitney Stables’ Wow Wow Wow, a D. Wayne Lukas trainee who was
eighth in Aqueduct’s Grade III Gotham March 6 after making the pace; and
Lothenbach Stables’ Mister Marti Gras, who broke his maiden over the
Stall-Wilson turf course in his last start Feb. 10 and is trained by Neil
Pessin.
Jody
Slew Heads Probable Starters for Fair Grounds Oaks March 26
Martin
Racing Stable and Dan Morgan’s Jody Slew heads the list of probable
starters for the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks March 26, and if she
wins it, she would become the first horse in history to sweep all three legs of
the New Orleans sophomore series that began with the $75,000 Tiffany Lass on
Jan. 23 and continued with the Grade III Silverbulletday Stakes Feb. 20.
However,
sure to provide strong competition for Jody Slew once again is Mark Stanley’s Quiet
Temper, who led in all but the last jump of the Silverbulletday before
being beaten by a nose at the wire. Previously, Quiet Temper had finished fifth
in the Tiffany Lass.
Jody
Slew is trained by locally-based Bret Calhoun and Quiet Temper is
from the barn of Dale Romans.
Invading
members of the sophomore distaff set (with respective trainers in parentheses)
expected to challenge Jody Slew and Quiet Temper at this time – according to
stakes coordinator Scott Jones – include Edward Evans’ Mambo Fever (Anthony
Dutrow), third in Gulfstream’s Grade II Davona Dale Stakes Feb. 27;
Starlight Partners’ Ailalea (Todd Pletcher), sixth in
Gulfstream’s Grade II Forward Gal Jan. 31 but winner of Aqueduct’s Grade III
Tempted Stakes last November; Millennium Farms’ Camille’s Appeal (Steve
Asmussen), third in Sam Houston’s $125,000 Two Altazano Stakes Feb. 20 but
winner of Retama’s $125,000 Darby’s Daughter Texas Stallion Stakes last
September; Charles Fipke’s Seeking the Title (Dallas Stewart),
who broke her maiden by 6 1/2-lengths on Feb. 28 at Fair Grounds; and Southern
Equine Stables’ Champagne d’Oro (Eric Guillot), who broke her
maiden at last asking Feb. 20 at Fair Grounds.
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