Trainer Kenny McPeek pulled off another successful
New Orleans invasion during last Saturday’s Louisiana Derby Preview Day,
winning the Grade III Rachel Alexandra Stakes with Five D
Thoroughbreds and Wind River Stables’ Kathmanblu, the $60,000 Pan Zareta
Stakes with Peter Callahan’s Beautician, and finishing third in
the Grade II Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford with Catesby
Clay’s Rogue Romance.
“It was a good weekend,” said McPeek, speaking over the
phone from Gulfstream
Park
Monday morning during training hours. “All my horses came out of their races
well and should be arriving back at Gulfstream any minute now.”
Of course, inquiring minds wanted to know if Rogue Romance
will be coming back to Fair Grounds for the Grade II Louisiana Derby
March 26, and if Kathmanblu will be coming with him to contest the Grade
II Fair Grounds Oaks on that same afternoon.
“We are looking real seriously at bringing them both back,”
said McPeek, “but nothing has been set in stone just yet.”
In 2002, McPeek saddled Select Stable’s Repent to
win the Louisiana Derby and that same ownership’s Take Charge Lady to
win the Fair Grounds Oaks one day earlier.
JOSIE CARROLL HAPPY WITH RUNNER-UP ‘RACHEL’ RUN BY
INGLORIOUS
Trainer Josie Carroll saddled Donver Stable’s Inglorious
to finish second in Saturday’s Grade III Rachel Alexandra Stakes despite
that Hennessy filly’s layoff since Dec. 4, and was quick to express her
satisfactionHenenHen with the
runner-up run on Monday morning during training hours at Fair Grounds.
“We
were very happy with the way she ran,” said Carroll. “I thought she did very
well. She obviously hasn’t been back to the track yet, but we’re going to see
how she does over the next few days, and if all that goes well, we’re going to
seriously think about running her back in the (Grade II) Fair Grounds Oaks
(March 26).”