Amber Cascade meets competitive group in allowance

The connections of 5-year-old mare Amber Cascade had a backup plan.

Amber Cascade didn’t get to run last weekend in the Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn Park because Oaklawn, in the grips of winter, canceled racing. But a day before the Pippin was to have been contested, trainer Cherie DeVaux entered Amber Cascade in a second-level allowance Friday at Fair Grounds, where she’ll start – probably favored under Jose Ortiz – in the featured sixth race.

Amber Cascade and six others go 1 1/16 miles on dirt in a race also open to $50,000 claimers. The morning line has Ba Dee Ya as the 3-1 favorite over 7-2 Amber Cascade and 7-2 Gin Gin, but DeVaux and Ortiz have proven extremely popular with bettors this meet, and Amber Cascade, when last seen racing Nov. 8 at Churchill, missed by a mere neck at this class level.

Ba Dee Ya went from Fair Grounds to Oaklawn in late December because her trainer, Tom Amoss, didn’t think Friday’s race would attract sufficient entries to make it onto the card. Ba Dee Ya, winner last Fair Grounds season of the off-turf Lacombe Memorial, returned from an extended break Dec. 22 in a second-level turf allowance. The filly prefers dirt.

“We entered her on grass because we strongly felt we needed a race to get her ready,” Amoss said.

Gin Gin, one of two for trainer Brad Cox along with Silk, won the 2024 Busanda but hasn’t raced since a 12th-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks about eight months ago. Cox said the filly has been doing better this winter than she was leading to the Oaks.

“She’s ready to run and this is a good spot to get her started. Hopefully, she can return to stakes company,” he said.

Silk, however, might stand a better chance Friday. A petite 4-year-old Curlin filly, Silk also used a turf comeback race as final preparation for dirt racing, comfortably winning a first-level dirt route allowance last month.

“The turf race is a toss. She was training great leading up to it,” Cox said.

Silk also turned in a good work this past Sunday, skimming over a laboring surface and galloping out with aplomb. Still might not be enough to beat the horse who was supposed to run in a stakes race.

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