Mark Stanley’s Quiet Temper was kept to her task in the final strides by jockey
Robby Albarado to best front-running
Champagne d’Oro by a half-length in Friday’s 44th running of the
Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks, the main event for 3-year-old fillies each season at the Crescent City oval.
The
win gave Albarado, the only jockey who has been leading rider at Fair
Grounds seven different seasons, his first victory in the Fair Grounds
Oaks.
“It
feels great,” said Albarado. “I’ve won just about every other stakes
race here and I’ve been very lucky, but I’ve been plagued with seconds
in the Fair Grounds Oaks. I rode a great filly today and I’m proud of
her. They’ve done a great job with her.”
Trained by
Dale Romans, Quiet
Temper was allowed to settle early, angled out to rally after the
eighth pole and prevailed in the late stages. The winner paid mutuels
of $7.80, $4.80 and $3.40, toured the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:44.55
and increased her career earnings to $567,300 with her third victory in
eight lifetime starts.
Monday morning, Quiet Temper will head to
Louisville,
Ky.,
where she will attempt to become the third straight Fair Grounds Oaks
winner to also win the Kentucky Oaks. Eventual Horse of the Year Rachel
Alexandra completed the Fair Grounds-Kentucky double last year and
Proud Spell did it in 2008.
“We’re
five weeks out (from the Kentucky Oaks) and we’ll give her plenty of
time, go back to our home track, and I think she’ll come into it
perfect,” Romans said.
The
top four finishers in the Fair Grounds Oaks all indicated their intent
to try racing’s most prestigious event for sophomore fillies.
Champagne d’Oro, trained by
Eric Guillot, made the pace with early splits of 23.78 and 47.69 under jockey
John Jacinto, could not
stay with the winner in the last strides but held the place by a head
in front of the dead-heated third-place finishers
Sheer Beauty and Seeking the Title.
“She
rated pretty good and gave me all she had,” said Jacinto after the
race. “If we had been on the inside I think we win this race. I was way
outside and had to rush her a little bit just to get in a good spot.”
Guillot agreed that the outside post hindered
Champagne d’Oro’s chances: “The post
position cost us the race. I knew she was kind of a speed horse but
when you look at the statistics from the 10-hole it’s about half of
what the inside posts are. I think if she comes back good she’s
deserving of going to the Oaks.”
Champagne
d’Oro paid $11.20 and $10.60, while Sheer Beauty returned $7.80 for
third and Seeking the Title paid $2.80 in that same show position.
Mambo Fever finished fifth, well clear of morning line favorite
Ailalea.
“I had to go wide into the first turn and couldn’t save ground,” said Ailalea’s jockey,
Javier Castellano. “Down
the backside she was perfect, grabbed the bridle and was very
comfortable. Turning for home she was more kind of even. She didn’t
kick.”
Jody Slew, winner of the first two legs of Fair Grounds’ sophomore filly stakes series, never threatened
while finishing seventh.
“We
missed some training with her (after she got cast in her stall and got
bruised about a week ago) and she wasn’t quite ready today,” said
trainer Bret Calhoun.
“We just wanted to keep her on schedule and we did that today. We’ll
take a look at her for the next couple of days and hopefully continue
to move forward with her.”
The order of finish was completed by
Camille’s Appeal, Shezacrazygirl,
Visavis and The Rumor’s True.