Maiden Filly Feature at Fair Grounds Sees $2.7 Million Combined Purchase Price

By Kevin Kilroy —-

FG Paddock

Maiden Filly Feature at Fair Grounds Sees $2.7 Million Combined Purchase Price

New Orleans, La (Jan. 31, 2024) – Thursday’s feature dirt race at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots is a maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs. With seven entered, including two homebreds, the combined purchase price for the field is $2,745,000.

Morning line favoritism goes to Rigney Racing’s Tipsy Tammy (8-5), trained by Phil Bauer. Second on debut on Jan. 1, the $600,000 daughter of Arrogate out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Peggy May could appreciate stretching out, but returns to the distance where she ran a game second to Impel. Drawing the outside post, she will be reunited with Mitchell Murrill.

Drawn to Tipsy Tammy’s immediate inside is the first-time-starter from the Cox barn, Stonestreet Stables’ Upon a Star. Going :48 flat from the gate in her work on Jan. 14 with Just a Touch, the impressive debut winner from Jan. 27’s card, the $295,000 daughter of Munnings will see Florent Geroux climb aboard. Halfway through the meet, backing this trainer and jockey combination has yielded a $2.55 ROI on twelve winners from 31 starts.

Koji Maeda’s Mugen returns for trainer Steve Asmussen after three months away. Bet to favoritism in her first two starts at Churchill Downs this fall, the $1.2 million daughter of Into Mischief finished no better than third in her first three starts. In town from Oaklawn, Keith Asmussen is named to ride Mugen, as well as Tiger Dad in race 6, which will be his first race at Fair Grounds.

Mike Stidham has two entered. Dare to Dream Stable’s $100,000 first-time-starter Laughing Out Loud drew the rail and will be piloted by Jareth Loveberry. Lael Stables’ Bubbling Up, the daughter of the third-place finisher in the 2016 Rachal Alexandra (G2), will break from post 2 with James Graham. The $550,000 Arrogate filly has one race under her belt, having finished second when debuting in August at Colonial Downs.

Two homebreds complete the field, as Charles Fipke’s Justify Perfection will debut for trainer Dallas Stewart, and Allied Racing’s Golden Degree exits the same race as Tipsy Tammy where she dueled with that foe and finished in the back for trainer Bret Calhoun.

Race 8 of ten on Thursday’s card, post time is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. CT and will be included in the $1 Pick 6. With a $3,125 carryover, the sequence also includes three turf contests run with the portable rail at 15 feet, a $25,000 conditional claiming race and a maiden claiming contest restricted to Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds, both with nine entered.

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Lagniappe from Fair Grounds

Nominations for the 81st $100,000 Mardi Gras Stakes close Thursday, Feb. 1. Probables for the 5 1/2 furlong older filly and mare turf sprint include Richard Perkins’ Oeuvre, last out winner of the Nelson J. Menard Memorial, and Brittlyn Stable’s Ova Charged, who if enters would face non-restricted company after her dominant Bob. F. Wright win against fellow Louisiana-breds. Mardi Gras is Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. First post for both Lundi Gras (Feb. 12) and Mardi Gras (Feb. 13) will be 12:45 p.m. CT.

Halfway through the meet, no barn has outperformed its odds better than Mark Casse’s (limited to trainers who have made 20 or more starts). With five victories from 24 runners, betting $2 to win on each yielded a $4.69 ROI. The public continues to sleep on horses trained by Emile Schwandt, and at $2.79 from 6 winners in 27 starts, the barn has the second highest ROI to prove it. After Fleet Frost won at 46-1 on Dec. 29 for Mike Stidham, those faithful to his barn have also shown a solid profit of $2.50 in the win pools from 6 winners in 51 tries.

The live racing program runs from Thursday, Feb.2 through Sunday, Feb. 4. Post time each day is 12:45 p.m. CT. Ten races are carded for both Thursday and Saturday; eight, Friday and Sunday. The Stall-Wilson turf course will have the portable rails set at 15 feet. The $1 Pick 6 (non-jackpot, 15% takeout) went unhit on Sunday, so Thursday’s pool begins with a $3,125 carryover.

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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 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.