Trainer Al Stall Jr. will saddle Adele
Dilschneider’s 3-year-old filly Aide in Tuesday’s $60,000 Mardi
Gras Stakes at Fair Grounds, and also is planning to saddle Claiborne Farm
and Adele Dilschneider’s 3-year-old colt Left in the upcoming $1
million Louisiana Derby here on March 26 as the centerpiece
event of the New Orleans winter Thoroughbred season.
Both Aide and Left were sired by Arch, as is the
now-retired Blame – also owned by Claiborne and Dilschneider and also
trained by Stall, who upset eventual Horse of the Year Zenyatta in the Grade
I Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs last Nov. 6.
Interestingly, Aurora,
the dam of Arch, died last week at Middlebrook Farm in Lexington, Kentucky,
several hours after dropping an Empire Maker filly without any apparent
complications.
“Fortunately, we still have Arch around,” said Stall Monday
morning during training hours at Fair Grounds, “so (Aurora) will still be living on in spirit for
us.”
Aurora, a daughter of Danzig
out of three-time Grade I winner and 1983 2-year-old champion filly Althea,
was a 23-year-old broodmare at the time of her death.
SPECIAL EARLY POST TIME OF 12:10 P.M. THIS SATURDAY AT
FAIR GROUNDS
Fair Grounds guests and fans of the Crescent City
oval’s simulcast signal should make note that there will be a special early
post time of 12:10 p.m. this Saturday to accommodate the 13-race
program carded for the afternoon. The racing will include the $100,000 New
Orleans Ladies for older females at 1 1/16 miles and the $60,000 Grindstone
Stakes for 3-year-olds at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf, redrawn today after being
washed out on last Saturday’s card that was cancelled following Race 2.