Gigante Looks to Stay Hot in Grade Three Fair Grounds Stakes

By Kevin Kilroy —-

12/30/3023 – Gigante with jockey Edgar Morales aboard outruns Northern Invader to capture the 39th running of the $100,000 Woodchopper Stakes at Fair Grounds.  Hodges Photography /  Amanda Hodges Weir

New Orleans, La (Feb. 11, 2025) – With over $1.1 million in career earnings, Gigante enters the $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes presented by Horse Racing Nation (G3) looking to stay perfect in the older turf route stakes series at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Slated as race 12 of 14, the 1 1/8 miles Fair Grounds attracted a field of 10 males.

The 39th running of the Fair Grounds is one of three added money events written for the turf course on Saturday’s stakes-laden “Louisiana Derby Preview Day,” along with the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial and $100,000 Colonel Power. The program includes the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star (G2) and $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra (G2), both prep races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks that will award 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points to the top-five finishers. First post for the 14-race program is noon CT.

The grade 2 winner Gigante has been unstoppable so far this meet. Victorious across a firm turf course in the Buddy Diliberto and a sloppy main track in the Colonel E.R. Bradley, the 5-year-old has flaunted his surface versatility for trainer Steve Asmussen. Made the 7-2 lukewarm favorite in the Fair Grounds, on Saturday Gigante will need to prove he can get nine panels as all eight wins have come going between 1 and 1 1/16 miles. The Virginia-bred will be making his first start for new owners, as the locally-stabled Not This Time colt was sold on Jan. 31 for $610,000 to Clark Brewster and L and N Racing in a one-horse flash sale on Fasig-Tipton Digital. Aboard for both stakes scores, Jose Ortiz will break Gigante from post 2.

Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s What Say Thee will make the first start of his 7-year-old campaign for trainer Mike Maker after scratching out of the off-the-turf Bradley. Claimed by Maker at the end of 2023, the son of Sea the Stars rattled off five wins as a 6-year-old for his new conditioner, including the Texas Turf Classic. Aboard for four of those victories, Luis Saez will reunite with What Say Thee who drew the rail.

Other logical contenders include two lightly-raced 5-year-olds from dangerous connections, as both Lael Stables’ Taking Candy and Klaravich Stables’ Unit Economics enter the Fair Grounds fresh for trainers Cherie DeVaux and Chad Brown, respectively.

Kicking off an All-Stakes Late Pick 5 in race 10, the 1 1/16 miles $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial attracted an oversubscribed field of 16 older fillies and mares, highlighted by the Argentine-bred Nanda Dea.

With the portable rail down on Saturday, the Al Stall will go with 14 runners.

Happy Friday’s Nanda Dea is a group 1 winner in her native country. In her lone North American start, a third-level allowance at Keeneland this fall, the seven-time winner scored by over two lengths going the Al Stall distance for trainer Ignacio Correas.

Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Stir Crazy will look to continue her sweep of the older female turf route series. With her wins in the off-the-turf Marie G. Krantz and Blushing K.D., the 7-year-old Mike Maker trainee has racked up four victories since joining the barn and finished in the exacta eight of her last ten starts. Irad Ortiz Jr. will guide the mare from post 14.

Saturday’s stakes action will kick off in Race 8 with the $100,000 Colonel Power, a 5 1/2 furlong turf sprint for older horses. No Nay Hudson leads an eclectic field of the ten older males. Owned by Andrew Farm and For the People Racing Stable, the Irish-bred gelding trained by Wesley Ward boasts a win in the 2023 William Walker. Flavien Prat is signed on to ride the graded stakes-placed 5-year-old who drew the far outside post.

Chief among No Nay Hudson’s competition is Gary Barber and Team Valor International’s Mansa Musa (Ire). Trained by Bill Mott, the Ten Sovereigns (Ire) colt classed up nicely as a 3-year-old, running third in the Franklin Simpson (G1) and second in the Quick Call (G3). Irad Ortiz Jr. will be aboard for the first start of Mansa Musa’s 4-year-old campaign.

Complete fields for the trio of turf stakes, including jockey, trainer, and morning line odds, can be found on Equibase here: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG021525USA-EQB.html.

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Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots will host live racing on Monday, Feb. 17. The 5-day racing week begins on Thursday, Feb. 13. First post will be 12:45 p.m. CT each day, except for an early start of noon on “Louisiana Derby Preview Day,” Saturday, Feb. 15.

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 15 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 153rd Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 112th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 22, 2024 through March 23, 2025. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.