Fair Grounds

Undefeated British Idiom (Flashback), recently crowned champion 2-year-old filly of 2019, will make her sophomore debut in Saturday's GII Rachel Alexandra S. at Fair Grounds, where she'll meet Finite (Munnings), winner of four straight, and five other rivals in the 1 1/16-mile test. Bought for $40,000 as a Fasig-Tipton October yearling, the chestnut debuted in a maiden race at Saratoga restricted to purchases of $45,000 or less and posted a 3 1/2-length pace-pressing success. Shipped to Keeneland and stretched out to two turns, she blew away her competition to the...

Deep enough to be split into two divisions with a combined 23 horses, Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds is nevertheless short on household names. The exception is Peter Redekop's Anneau d'Or (Medaglia d'Oro), a close second in the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile who will kick off his 3-year-old campaign as a favorite in the latter division of the annual stepping stone to the GII Louisiana Derby at the New Orleans oval. Selling for $480,000 as an OBS April 2-year-old, the bay debuted going a mile on...

7th-Fair Grounds, $47,000, Alw (NW2X)/Opt. Clm ($40,000), 2-9, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:43.75, ft. BY MY STANDARDS (c, 4, Goldencents--A Jealous Woman {MSW & GSP, $469,956}, by Muqtarib), a maiden winner over this track and trip last February, earned a ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby with a next-out victory in the Mar. 23 GII Louisiana Derby, but had been missing since a troubled 12th-place effort in the big dance last May. Sent off the 1-2 favorite, the bay colt shadowed pacesetting Two Emmys (English Channel) through fractions of :24.64, :49.29,...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency BIG PEDIGREES & PRICETAGS FILL GP MSW 6th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 3:04p.m. Michael and Katherine Ball went to $900,000 at KEESEP to acquire SCONSET (Tapit) and she makes her first trip to this post for Ben Colebrook in this test. Her unraced dam Lucky Number (Smart Strike) is a half to Grade I winner Got Lucky (A.P. Indy). Her graded stakes-winning third dam Get Lucky (Mr. Prospector) is responsible for MGSW & MGISP Daydreaming (A.P. Indy), dam of GISW Imagining (Giant's Causeway);...

Eight horses trained by Joe Sharp at the Fair Grounds meet have been disqualified after testing positive for the drug levamisole. Sharp said that he had another five horses who tested positive for the same drug last fall at Churchill and he is awaiting word from Churchill Downs stewards on that matter. The Louisiana positives were first reported by the Daily Racing Form. The Louisiana horses were all placed last and Sharp was fined $1,000 for each infraction. Levamisole, which Sharp said was found in an over-the-counter deworming product he...

Jack Knowlton, who heads the syndicate that owns Tiz the Law (Constitution), reported that his horse came out of Saturday's win in the GIII Holy Bull S. in good order and may go next in the Mar. 21 GII Louisiana Derby. Knowlton said the other choice is a start in the Mar. 28 GI Florida Derby, but confirmed that he was leaning toward going to Louisiana. "We have been leaning toward Louisiana all along," Knowlton said Sunday. "We are kind of intrigued by the fact they extended it to a...

The Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots have partnered on an initiative to financially support racehorse aftercare. During the entire Fair Grounds' 2019-2020 Thoroughbred racing season, consenting Louisiana HBPA member owners have contributed $5 per starter to racehorse aftercare. At the conclusion of the meet, the track will then match that dollar amount. Efforts made during the Fair Grounds' 12th annual, 10-day summer Quarter Horse Race season resulted in a total race horse aftercare donation of $6,580. "The Louisiana HBPA thanks Fair Grounds...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-SA, $55K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 3:30 p.m. ET Trainer Bob Baffert unveils two more members of his extremely well-stocked stable in the form of a pair of pricey OBS acquisitions. Merneith (American Pharoah) was a $350,000 Fasig-Tipton November weanling turned $600,000 OBSMAR graduate after a :20 4/5 breeze in Ocala. Her dam Flattermewithroses (Flatter) became a stakes winner when breaking her maiden at 53-1 in the 2012 Voodoo Dancer S. over seven yielding turf furlongs at Belmont. Reem (Danza), a $74,000 Fasig-Tipton October...

Enforceable (Tapit) earned 10 points towards a start in the GI Kentucky Derby with a late-rallying victory in the GIII Lecomte S. at Fair Grounds Saturday. It was the second straight win in this event for trainer Mark Casse, who captured last year's renewal with eventual GI Preakness S. victor War of Will (War Front). Bet down to 6-1 from a 15-1 morning-line quote, Enforceable was away well from post 10, but was in no hurry, settling near the back of the pack as longshots Bango (Congrats) and ShaShashakemeup (Shackleford)...

Finite had to fight for it, but her class saw her through on the day as she gutted out a narrow victory over pacesetting Ursula while earning 10 more qualifying points for the GI Kentucky Oaks. Three wide out of the stretch for the first time, the homebred filly continued to cover ground on the second turn and was three and four wide off the final corner. With Ricardo Santana, Jr., throwing everything he had at her, she eyeballed the longtime leader with a furlong to race and clawed that...

Sent off the lesser-preferred half of an uncoupled Steve Asmussen-trained entry at 13-1, Echo Town (Speightstown) was consigned to a three-wide, no-cover trip, but nonetheless went through his gears in a fast final quarter-mile to become the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star' in the Big Easy. Content to track from off the pace while monitoring the every move of his even-money stablemate Earner (Carpe Diem), a $425,000 Keeneland September graduate, Echo Town--himself a $100,000 purchase by the connections of GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee (Lookin At Lucky)--ranged up...

3rd-Fair Grounds, $50,000, Msw, 1-18, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:37.19, fm. HENDY WOODS (f, 3, Uncle Mo--Separate Forest {GSW, $206,525}, by Forestry), given a 10-1 chance in this unveiling, parlayed a perfect run in transit into a one-length tally. Away without incident from gate six, the Stonestreet homebred was agreeable to being eased back passing under the wire for the first time and settled behind pacesetting Fine One Won (Tiznow), who galloped them along at an even clip. Hugging the fence for the entirety of the opening six furlongs, the bay...