Believe in Bertie learning to relax

It was no surprise seeing Believe in Bertie racing on the lead Saturday in the Red Camelia Stakes, a two-turn turf race for Louisiana-bred fillies and mares. Believe in Bertie, after all, has been the first-call leader in eight of her 10 grass-route starts.

What was surprising was to see the filly rating fairly kindly through an opening half-mile in slower than 50 seconds, then coming home with a sub-23-second final quarter-mile. Believe in Bertie has been a fast-early, slow-late kind of runner at her best, but the Red Camelia, which she won by just less than seven lengths while eased up late, was slow early and fast late.

“I think she’s growing up,” trainer Brad Cox said of the 4-year-old filly. “She’s hopefully one that could keep getting better. That’s going to determine what kind of horse she is, whether she’s a horse for these stakes down here in the winter, or if she can run in Grade 2’s and Grade 3’s.”

Cox said he plans to point Believe in Bertie to the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs in May. Believe in Bertie got a 96 Beyer Speed Figure in the Red Camelia, her fourth victory during a Fair Grounds meet at which she set turf-course records for one mile and 1 1/16 miles.

◗ First-level turf-sprint allowances, races 3 and 7, are the highest-class fare on Thursday’s nine-race Fair Grounds card.

◗ Local Hero, the third-place finisher in the Risen Star, his stakes debut, worked five furlongs Monday at Fair Grounds in 1:01, the fastest of 20 breezes at the distance. Local Hero is being pointed to the Louisiana Derby.