Pair of Kentucky Oaks Fillies Face Off in Friday’s $100,000 Broussard

By Kevin Kilroy —-

1/21/2023 – The Alys Look with jockey Luis Saez aboard wins the 31st running of the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.

Pair of Kentucky Oaks Fillies Face Off in Friday’s $100,000 Broussard

Hidden Connection will look to get back to her winning ways as The Alys Look tries to stay perfect for her new barn

New Orleans, La (Dec. 20, 2023) – Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds’ Hidden Connection returns to Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots where she has been tabbed as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the $100,000 Joseph E. “Spanky” Broussard Memorial. Carded as race 7 of 9 on Friday’s card, the stake is for older fillies and mares and is to be contested over 1 mile 70 yards on the main track.

Although she is winless racing in eight stakes this year, Hidden Connection has placed in four and arguably ran the best race of her career when finishing second to Falconet in the Groupie Doll at Ellis Park. All her other races in 2023 have been graded stakes. Trained by Bret Calhoun, the 4-year-old filly who earned a spot in Kentucky Oaks 148 will be reunited with jockey Rey Gutierrez.

Winner of the 2023 Silverbulletday on her way to a third-place finish in Kentucky Oaks 149, The Alys Look enters the Broussard walking over from a new barn. The sophomore filly once trained by Brad Cox is now in the care of Brendan Walsh. Owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds and Evan Trommer, the Connect filly’s first effort for her new conditioner was a winning one, having secured the one-length advantage over Corningstone, who she will face again in the Broussard.

“She did really well going into her last race at Churchill,” Walsh said. “It was a good race, she beat a couple of nice fillies. I would hope she would improve again off that run. She’s a lovely filly and we have high hopes for her this year, so hopefully she’ll take another step forward on Friday.”

Florent Geroux will be back in the irons to break the 3-1 second choice in the morning line from post 2.

Here is the complete field for the “Spanky” Broussard from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): 1. Corningstone (Brian Hernandez Jr., Ken McPeek, 4-1); 2. The Alys Look (Florent Geroux, Brendan Walsh, 3-1); 3. Bow Draw (Jose Guerrero, Henry West Jr., 50-1); 4. Unbridled Mary (David Cohen, Ken McPeek, 8-1); 5. Hidden Connection (Rey Gutierrez, Bret Calhoun, 5-2); 6. Scratch Kat (Corey Lanerie, Phil Bauer, 4-1); 7. Lexa (Jareth Loveberry, Whit Beckman, 12-1); 8. Rose Palace (Edgar Morales, Tom Amoss, 12-1).

Phil Bauer, trainer of Scratch Kat

“Even including the Falls City, her last four have been really good. The Falls City on paper doesn’t look very impressive, but visually I thought she ran a bang-up race. Maybe a smarter trip and saving a little more ground, all that good stuff, would’ve added up to her hitting the board. I think the outlier is Calhoun’s filly. Maybe on her best day she is the best horse in the race, but I think the long stretch together with having some pace to run at could set up for Scratch Kat to hopefully get her first stakes win.”

“I wouldn’t mind an early pace battle. (Scratch Kat) has never had a lot of pace to run at so she’s created a pretty good resume for herself without good set-ups. She’s honest and she’s doing really well and I think this is probably her last run unless we find something early on in the calendar next year. She’s booked to Into Mischief. Hopefully we go out on a high note.”

-30-

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 16 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 152nd Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 111th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 17, 2023 through March 24, 2024. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.