Fair Grounds S. (G3) — Race 11 (5:56 p.m. ET)
Largent turned in a flat performance in last month’s Tropical Turf (G3) as the odds-on favorite, the only time he’s ever run worse than second in 11 starts. On Saturday, the Todd Pletcher-trainee will look to rebound in the $150,000 Fair Grounds S. (G3) at about 1 1/8 miles on the turf.
The Tropical Turf was Largent’s first start in nearly a year. The six-year-old gelding was last seen finishing a neck second behind stablemate Colonel Liam in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) the previous January, which followed a two-length victory in the Fort Lauderdale (G2)
The top three from the Jan. 22 Colonel E.R. Bradley S. — Forty Under, Halo Again, and the Grade 1-winning speedster Two Emmys — can be in the mix again with a repeat of that form. Also back from that race is Cavalry Charge, who fared poorly in what his stakes debut despite attracting plenty of support at the windows.
Santin, who just missed in the Nov. 27 Hollywood Derby (G1) despite having run only twice previously, looks a potentially serious player for Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh. Santin enters off a bullet five-furlong work at Palm Meadows in :57 and change.
Making his U.S. debut is Adhamo, a Group 3 winner at Longchamp last spring. Now trained by Chad Brown, the Intello colt has made all but a couple of his turf appearances on soft ground. Captivating Moon, who upset the 2021 edition of the race at 43-1 on soft ground, looks unlikely to get similar conditions in his first outing since last July.
A familiar cast of fillies and mares will compete in the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial at about 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The field of 10 includes Pass the Plate, who looks to follow-up on her score in last month’s in the Marie Krantz Memorial, while Abscond aims to rebound off her sixth in the same race as the 3-2 favorite.
Just Might, controversially disqualified from a comfortable victory in last month’s Duncan F. Kenner S. for interference on the backside, will look to win the $100,000 Colonel Power S. for a third consecutive year. The about 5 1/2-furlong turf dash also includes Cowan, who was elevated to first in the Kenner, and European shipper Toro Strike, last seen taking the Supreme (G3) over a longer seven-furlong trip at Goodwood in late August.
