Starlight Racing and Jack Wolf’s Intense Holiday got up by a nose to win
Saturday’s Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, and on Sunday morning on his way out of town Wolf was
looking forward to coming back with wife Laurie for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana
Derby March 29, especially after dining once at La Petite Grocery and once
at Arnaud’s during their brief but highly successful Crescent City sojourn.
“That the game plan right now,” said Wolf, speaking of the Louisiana Derby and
their presumed second visit to New Orleans at the end of March.
“We talked
to (trainer) Todd (Pletcher) about it and he’s on board with it, and we talked
to (jockey) Mikey (Smith) and he says he’s open. Intense Holiday seemed to
like the track here. The long stretch here seemed to suit him, so — the
good Lord willing — the horse keeps going like he is, it looks like a good
plan.”
Brereton Jones’s Risen Star runner-up Albano will also try again in the
Louisiana Derby, trainer Larry Jones said Sunday morning.
“He ran a great race yesterday,” Jones said. “I was very pleased with the way he ran. He
just got beat in the last jump. I just don’t like this ‘déjà vu’ stopping
us all the time.”
Albano is a half-brother to Brereton Jones’s Mark Valeski, runner-up by narrow
margins in the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby two years ago.
“Albano reminds me so much of Mark,” Jones said. “He looks just like him
and he acts just like him. I just hope we don’t get the same result in the
next round like we did two years ago.”
Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Vicar’s in Trouble, who won Fair Grounds’ Lecomte Stakes last month and finished third in the Risen Star, 5
1/2 lengths
behind the top two, also came out of Saturday’s race in good order, despite
being handicapped by an outside post position.
“Obviously, (the post position) wasn’t ideal for us,” said Mike
Maker’s assistant trainer Joe Sharp Sunday morning, “but I thought our horse ran
a good race and he definitely came out of it well and is doing well this
morning. We haven’t decided anything for sure quite yet about his next
race.”
Mike Pegram et al’s Hoppertunity, fourth in the Risen Star, also ran a good race
and came out of it well.
“I thought our horse ran a great race,” said Bob Baffert’s assistant
trainer Jimmy Barnes Sunday morning, “especially since it was only the third
start of his career. He seemed to like the track here and I think he
showed he might be better at a longer distance.”
The Risen Star was run at 1 1/16 miles, but the upcoming Louisiana Derby will
be contested at 1 1/8 miles.
Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Untapable looked like a winner as soon as the field of
sophomore fillies entered the stretch in Saturday’s Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra,
and all the Steve Asmussen pupil did the rest of the way
was increase her advantage.
“Yes, we thought she ran a great race,” said Winchell Thoroughbreds’ farm
manager David Fiske on Sunday morning, speaking over the phone from the Kentucky
farm. “We were very pleased.”
As the local oval’s final tune-up for the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks March
29, the next question was whether the handsome daughter of Tapit would remain at
Fair Grounds for the local Oaks and put herself in the position to become the
sixth Fair Grounds Oaks winner out of the last 10 to go on to victory in
the Kentucky Oaks later in this spring on the day before the Kentucky Derby.
“Yes, I would think we’ll be pointing her to the Fair Grounds Oaks,” Fiske
said,
“assuming everything continues to go right with her between now and then.
In fact, the Fair Grounds Oaks is on March 29, and that’s Ron Winchell’s
birthday.”
Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings’ Rachel Alexandra runner-up Got Lucky also came out of Saturday’s test without problems, according to
Pletcher assistant Ginny DePasquale.
“She was doing fine this morning when she left at about 4 a.m.,” DePasquale
said.
Connie Apostelos’ Shanon Nicole, third in the Rachel Alexandra for Maker, also came out of
the race in good order, according to Sharp on Sunday
morning.
“I thought our filly ran great, but, of course, Steve’s filly was really
impressive,” he added by way of complimenting Untapable.
Loooch Racing et al.’s Ria Antonia, fourth in the Rachel Alexandra, was also in
fine fettle Sunday morning, according to trainer Jeremiah Englehart’s assistant Elizabeth
Dobles.
“She’s fine this morning,” Dobles said. “I definitely think she needed
that race yesterday. I would certainly hope we’ll be sticking around for
the next round with her.”
Would that be in the Fair Grounds Oaks, or a start against the boys in the
Louisiana Derby?
“I think they will be making a decision in a couple of days about that,” Dobles
said.
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