Fair Grounds Saturday: Black Gold Overnight Stakes, Dixie Poker Ace Stakes

By Ryan Martin —-

ELEVEN THREE-YEAR-OLDS FACE OFF IN $50,000 BLACK GOLD OVERNIGHT STAKES; EXTRA CREDIT HEADS FIELD OF NINE LOUISIANA-BREDS IN DIXIE POKER ACE

NEW ORLEANS (February 28, 2018) – A competitive field of 11 3-year-olds have assembled for the 60th running of the $50,000 Black Gold Overnight Stakes, run on Saturday, Mar. 3 at a distance of one mile over the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots’ Stall-Wilson Turf Course.

Breaking from the nine hole, trainer Mark Casse sends out Ride A Comet, who enters the Black Gold off of a pair of wins at the Fair Grounds. Owned by John C. Oxley and My Meadowview Farm LLC, the son of Candy Ride (Arg.) broke his maiden on Dec. 17 at fourth asking over the local main track where he defeated next out winner Soul Beam. In his following effort, he defeated winners in his turf debut by 3½ lengths.

“He’s doing very well,” Casse’s assistant trainer David Carroll said. “His last race was impressive on the turf and we’ve all thought a lot of him. His earlier races he just seemed to have flattened out on dirt but we still haven’t given up hope of him being a good dirt horse. For now, we’ll stay on the turf and expect another big race out of him on Saturday. He’s a very cool horse. He trains very well every day. It’s not an easy race for the purse.”

Ride A Comet is a Triple Crown nominee and was purchased for $375,000 from last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sale in April. He is out of Grade I-winning broodmare Appealing Zophie, the dam of last year’s Gr. I Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit.

Jockey Gabriel Saez guided Ride A Comet to his two trips to the winner’s circle and has retained the mount aboard the 7-2 co-second choice.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Ron Winchell will be represented by two horses in the Black Gold Overnight Stakes with Fascilitator (post three, 7-2 co-second choice, Shaun Bridgmohan) and Tap Daddy (post ten, 3-1 morning line favorite, Corey Lanerie). A son of The Factor, Fascilitator will be making his turf debut in the Black Gold and has never been worse than second beaten a neck in his quartet of career starts. He kicked of his career in October at Keeneland, where he finished behind recent Fair Grounds allowance winner Curlin’s Honor before shipping to the New Orleans oval and was beaten a neck behind Royal Creed on Dec. 7. Third time was the charm for Fascilitator as he broke his maiden on Jan. 13 in a local six furlong maiden special weight. In his most recent effort, he shipped to Oaklawn Park to score an allowance victory on Feb. 11.

Tap Daddy, a son of Scat Daddy, boasts the highest bankroll of the 11 entrants with $180,754. While his stable mate is making his turf debut, Tap Daddy has won two of his five career starts which were both on grass. After finishing a well-beaten sixth in his career debut at Saratoga behind Grade I winner Sporting Chance and graded stakes placed Givemeaminit, the son of Scat Daddy shipped to Kentucky Downs in September to break his maiden by 3¼ lengths as the lukewarm favorite. He took things to the next level in his following start when he entered the Gr. III Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 8. The mile-and-a-sixteenth outing was originally scheduled for the turf but was moved to the main track. Tap Daddy finished third in the Bourbon Stakes behind Flameaway, but was elevated to second via disqualification. He then returned to the turf next out where he defeated winners by 1½ lengths over a yielding Matt Winn Turf Course at Churchill Downs in November. His most recent effort took place last month, where he was a distant third behind Mourinho in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park – a qualifying race on Churchill Downs’ Road To The Kentucky Derby.

Breaking from post six, Zeke is another Black Gold contender with experience at the stakes caliber. Owned by Bossci Stable and trained by Mike Stidham, the son of Gio Ponti ran was handed his first loss last time out in the Gr. III Lecomte Stakes where he was a well-beaten tenth behind Instilled Regard. He broke his maiden over a fast main track at Laurel Park in wire-to-wire fashion in October. Next out, he moved to the grass in an allowance race over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course in December, which he won by a nose. Jack Gilligan has the mount aboard Zeke, who has been given the morning line odds selection of 12-1.

Rounding out the field are Major Brown (post one, 20-1, Mitchell Murrill), G’s Turn (post two, 12-1, Calvin Borel), Golden Dragon (post five, 12-1, Adam Beschizza), Cash Reward (post six, 15-1, Colby Hernandez), Fort Wise Treaty (post seven, 8-1, Florent Geroux), Potential Danger (post eight, Miguel Mena, 8-1) and Dragon Drew (post 11, James Graham, 15-1).

The Black Gold Overnight Stakes will run as the eighth race on Saturday’s nine-race program with a scheduled post time of 4:53 p.m. Central Time.

Earlier on the day, Klein Racing’s Extra Credit is slated as the 5-2 morning line favorite against eight fellow Louisiana-breds in the 38th edition of the $60,000 Dixie Poker Ace Stakes, run at a distance of one mile on the Stall-Wilson Turf Course for 4-year-odls and up.

Trained by current leading trainer Brad Cox, the 5-year-old son of Proud Citizen won the Louisiana Champions Day Turf Stakes over the local lawn in December and will be in search of his fourth stakes triumph. He previously scored wins at said level two years ago at Evangeline Downs in the Lafayette Stakes and the Louisiana Legends Cheval Stakes, the former of which was run on the main track. Last time out, he defeated fellow Dixie Poker Ace aspirant Grande Basin (post eight, 6-1, Miguel Mena) by three-quarters of a length in an allowance race for state-breds on Jan. 7. Shaun Bridgmohan was aboard for two of his three stakes victories, and returns to the saddle.

“He’s doing great,” Cox said. “We’ve been pointing this race since he won the allowance race in January. He’s been running well since he was castrated last fall. He likes the Fair Grounds, so he’s been doing really well. Obviously (Shaun Bridgmohan) has had some success with him early on. We really feel like he’s figured out how to ride him and what kind of trip he needs to win.”

Looking to turn the tables on the morning line favorite include Scrivener Stables’ Trust Factor (post six, 3-1 second choice, Corey Lanerie), winner of the Louisiana Legends Turf Stakes at Louisiana Downs in July. Trained by Mike Maker, the 5-year-old son of Paddy O’Prado has not run since a third-place effort behind Extra Credit in the Louisiana Champions Day Turf Stakes on Dec. 9, where he was beaten 2½ lengths. On Opening Day of the Winter Meet, he was second beaten a half-length behind Fort Pulaski in the Mr. Sulu Stakes. Trust Factor boasts a record of 7-3-2-2 over the Stall Wilson Turf Course and has secured lifetime earnings of $248,000.

Double Dam Farm LLC’s Mageez breaks from the rail under Colby Hernandez at odds if 6-1 and enters the Dixie Poker Ace fresh off a Feb. 10 allowance win over the Fair Grounds turf, where he defeated Zarb’s Gift (post nine, 6-1, Adam Beschizza) and Gentlemens Agreement (post three, 12-1, Marcelino Pedroza) as the lukewarm favorite. The Delmar Caldwell-trained son of Musket Man will attempt his first stakes victory since the B Connected Stakes at Delta Downs in December 2016.

Let Us Be Glad (post two, 15-1, Gabriel Saez), Morning Mischief (post five, 8-1, Florent Geroux) and Berniestrike (post seven, 10-1, Mitchell Murrill) complete the field

The Dixie Poker Ace Stakes is the fourth race on Saturday with a scheduled post time of 2:45 p.m. Central Time.

About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, LA, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN); it also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 11 off-track betting parlors throughout southeast Louisiana. The 146th Thoroughbred Racing Season – highlighted by the 105thrunning of the Louisiana Derby – will run from November 18, 2017 through March 31, 2018. More information can be found online at www.FairGroundsRaceCourse.com.