Fair Grounds: Déjà-vu as Idratherbeblessed Upsets Diliberto

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Déjà-vu as Idratherbeblessed Upsets Diliberto

NEW ORLEANS (Dec. 20, 2025) — Last year’s long-odds winner of the Muniz (G2) struck again, as Idratherbeblessed wired the field at 17-1 in the $100,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Trained by Chris Hartman and piloted by Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Idratherbeblessed covered 1 1/16 miles on the turf in 1:41.50.

Expected pace rival Theismann was scratched in the paddock after being found improperly shod for the turf, clearing the way for Idratherbeblessed to establish an uncontested lead. Traveling comfortably throughout, Idratherbeblessed turned back late challenges from Kupuna, second, and Sand Pipes, third.

“My plan was to go to the lead all along,” Pedroza said. “I thought (Legalize) was the other speed after (Theismann) scratched, so once we got out of the gates clean, I got him to the front and stayed out of his way. He’s a fighter and I knew he’d be there for me in the stretch.

Idratherbeblessed returned $37.20, $9.00, and $6.80.

In the Muniz, Idratherbeblessed wired the field at 86-1.

The 5-year-old son of Unified now has a career record of 31-5-6-6 with lifetime earnings of $573,069.

The Diliberto Memorial is the first of four turf route stakes for older horses at Fair Grounds, followed by the $100,000 Colonel E.R. Bradley, the $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes (G3) and the $300,000 Muniz Memorial (G2), each presented by Horse Racing Nation

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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 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.