Fair Grounds

As former stable star and popular GISW Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike) gets his career at stud underway at WinStar Farm, a pair of flashy 3-year-old maiden winners and an emotional stakes victory have helped propel the 2021 season for veteran trainer Al Stall, Jr. "Trying to fill the shoes of horses like Blame and Tom's d'Etat are awfully tough," said Stall, who trained the former to a heart-stopping victory over Zenyatta in the 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. "When horses like that leave the barn to go to Claiborne Farm...

There's plenty to talk about in racing these days, and NTRA CEO Alex Waldrop joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning to dig into a good deal of the sport's most pressing topics. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Waldrop talked about how to capitalize and sustain the positive handle trends of the past year, how to pay for the groundbreaking Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, what movement he expects on H-2B visas with a new administration and more. "Looking back...

Turn the clock back a dozen years and recall when a fledgling filly parlayed a November win in the GII Golden Rod S. into a torrid nine-stakes win streak that culminated in Horse of the Year honors. That filly, of course, was Rachel Alexandra. Now it's 2021, and the Fair Grounds annually honors Rachel Alexandra's brief (one win, one second) tenure in New Orleans with a Grade II stakes race in mid-February. Saturday's edition just so happened to feature the one-two fillies from the Nov. 28 Golden Rod S. at...

Mandaloun added yet another feather to his superstar sire Into Mischief's cap with a victory in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds. Adding blinkers after a third-place finish in the GIII Lecomte S. last time, the Juddmonte Farms homebred was away alertly from stall 10 and rushed up to stalk from a two-wide third as Rightandjust (Awesome Again) was pressed along by Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) through early fractions of :23.65 and :48.45. Midnight Bourbon stuck hi head in front entering the bend with Mandaloun roaring up on...

Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra carried the famed burgundy and gold silks of Stonestreet Farm to six victories, four of which were Grade Is, including the GI Preakness S. and GI Woodward S. So, it was only fitting that another filly carrying the colors of Barbara Banke's operation, Clairiere (Curlin), won that Horse of the Year's namesake Grade II race at the Fair Grounds Saturday. The event, which produced GI Kentucky Oaks winners in 2018 and 2019, offered 50 points towards this year's run for the lillies. Clairiere rallied strongly...

Maxfield (Street Sense) may as well be known as the comeback kid at this point in his career, which has been plagued by injury and misfortune, but he always comes back swinging. Saturday's GIII Mineshaft S. at the Fair Grounds was no exception as the Godolphin homebred scored another good-looking win, taking his perfect record to five-for-five with his second straight win since undergoing surgery for a condylar fracture this summer. Hammered down to 3-5 favoritism against an overmatched field, Maxfield was antsy in the gate and hopped at the...

Carribean Caper (f, 3, Speightstown--Checkupfromzneckup, by Dixie Union) kicked off Saturday's loaded GII Risen Star S. card with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance in the lid lifter at Fair Grounds. The 3-1 chance broke sharply and forced the issue on the outside from second through an opening quarter in :22.24 over the "good" going. Always traveling like the winner, she poked her head in front approaching the quarter pole, and with a shake or two of the reins from Colby Hernandez, took off in a flash to win going away...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PRICEY FROSTED FILLY DEBUTS IN NOLA 3rd-FG, $60K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 2:02p.m. CHIONE (Frosted), a $425,000 KEESEP acquisition, makes her career bow in this spot. The gray is a half-sister to Grade I-winning millionaire Hard Aces (Hard Spun) and MSW & GSP Astrollinthepark (Divine Park). TJCIS PPs EXPENSIVE 'PHAROAH' COLT LOOKS TO OPEN ACCOUNT AT FG 5th-FG, $60K, Msw, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:05p.m. Louie Roussel unveils a pricey son of American Pharoah in GLOBAL EMPIRE, a $500,000 KEESEP buy. The chestnut hails from the...

The top four finishers from the GIII Lecomte S. Jan. 16 take their next steps down the GI Kentucky Derby trail Saturday in the GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds. A $525,000 KEESEP buy, Lecomte winner Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) was second in the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill in September and was third in Belmont's GI Champagne S. in October. The bay took the field wire-to-wire in the Lecomte, besting Proxy (Tapit) by a length. "I think the distance is right in his wheelhouse and we're excited about running...

The expensive Travel Column (Frosted) and regally bred Clairiere (Curlin), who finished one-two in the GII Golden Rod S., face off again Saturday at Fair Grounds in the GII Rachel Alexandra S., presented by Fasig-Tipton, which offers 50 points towards the GI Kentucky Oaks. Tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after an impressive score in her career bow sprinting at Churchill Sept. 4, the $850,000 FTSAUG purchase was third when trying two turns for the first time in Keeneland's GI Darley Alcibiades S. Oct. 2. The gray was last seen rallying to...

Looking at the morning-line and past performances, the GIII Mineshaft S. looks like a one-horse race and that horse is the undefeated Maxfield (Street Sense), who towers over the rest of the field. A debut winner at Churchill in September 2019, the Godolphin homebred romped in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. a month later. The early favorite heading into that year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he was forced to withdraw from contention just days before the race due to an ankle chip. Returning to action with a late-rallying score...

Due to severe weather conditions in the New Orleans area prior to the start of Thursday's races, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots canceled their nine-race card. Live racing will resume Friday afternoon with a traditional 1 p.m. CT post time and a nine-race card.