Fair Grounds: Geaux Sugar Enters $100k Palmisano On Hot Streak

By Kevin Kilroy —-

12/14/2024 – Geaux Sugar with jockey Mitchell Murrill aboard wins the 34th running of the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.

Manama Gold Gets Another Chance to Prove Herself in Wright

Saturday is Exotic Animal Racing Family Day

New Orleans, La (Jan. 8, 2025) – Wire to wire in both the Andrew Ney and Louisiana Champions Day Sprint, Single Malt Stable‘s Geaux Sugar will face seven older Louisiana-bred males looking to bag a third stake in the $100,000 Gary P. Palmisano Memorial on Saturday, Jan. 11 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Run at 6 furlongs on the main track, the Palmisano will go as Race 8, preceded by its female counterpart in Race 5, the $100,000 Bob F. Wright Memorial. Saturday’s race day festivities also include Exotic Animal Racing–Family Day. First post for the 9-race program is 12:45 p.m. CT.

Front runner Geaux Sugar has been untouchable so far this meet. After going all out early in the Ney Memorial, Geaux Sugar held on late to win by a head over El Dinero. On Louisiana Champions Day, the son of Half Ours trained by Keith Bourgeois measured out his early run and had plenty in the reserves to win by 4 3/4 lengths over Jack Hammer, earning a 98 Brisnet Speed figure. Made the 9-5 top choice in the morning line, Geaux Sugar will reunite with Mitchell Murrill.

Both place-finishers from Geaux Sugar’s last two wins are entered in the Palmisano, and Allied Racing Stables’ Jack Hammer likely needed that race on Dec. 14. Ending last year’s meet with three straight wins, including the Eddie Johnston, the 5-year-old trained by Bret Calhoun had not made a start in nine months prior to the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint. Jack Hammer has six wins in nine starts and will be racing on Saturday to add a fourth stakes title to his resume. Leading rider Jose Ortiz will keep the mount after piloting him last out.

Besides Tav Enterprises’ 2023 Crescent City Derby winner El Dinero, other logical contenders include Crusaders Stable’s Not on Herb, who ran a top effort last out to finish third in the Sprint, and Set-Hut’s Mangum, who racked up two local stakes titles last year.

Kicking off the Late Pick 5 (15% takeout), the Bob F. Wright Memorial attracted a competitive group of statebred fillies and mares, led by the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint victress Six String.

With seven wins in 11 starts, World War IV Racing and Rebel Tide Racing’s Six String ended her 3-year-old campaign in fine form with the score in the Ladies Sprint and a near-miss third on opening day in the Caldwell Memorial. Trained by Allen Landry, the Star Guitar filly was made 3-1 in the morning line.

Tabbed as the 5-2 morning line favorite, Victorious Racing’s Manama Gold has been working forwardly since her fourth-place finish in the Caldwell on opening day. After beginning her career a perfect three-for-three including a victory in the UAE Oaks (G3), the Louisiana-bred was transferred to the U.S. and into the care of Todd Pletcher but could not hold her own in three starts against open stakes company. A full sibling to graded stakes winner Ova Charged, who won the 2024 edition of this race, the expectations are high for Manama Gold, who will be making her second start since joining Cherie DeVaux’s barn. Jose Ortiz is set to return to the irons.

Newcomer to the stakes scene, Fountain Grass Thoroughbred Farm’s Classy Judy G poses a threat to Six String’s encore. Making just her fourth start, the Outwork filly trained by Patricia West followed up her dominant but troubled maiden win by trouncing a deep, local allowance field in front-running fashion.

Complete fields for both the $100,000 Gary P. Palmisano and $100,000 Bob F. Wright can be found on Equibase here: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG011125USA-EQB.html.

Also on Saturday, Jan. 11, Fair Grounds is welcoming back a fan favorite event with the return of Exotic Animal Racing. One of two exotic animal race days on the calendar, Saturday’s festivities will be family focused. Exotic Animal Racing–College Day will be held on Saturday, Feb. 1. A staple at Fair Grounds since 2012 with sellout crowds each year, the popular event features one heat each of camels, ostriches and zebras ran between 9 thoroughbred races. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. CT with post time of 12:45.

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.