Fair Grounds: Aged mare Seeking Ms Shelley seeks fifth straight in Mardi Gras
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
Ages 7 and 8 are not too late – not for Seeking Ms Shelley.
An 8-year-old mare bred and owned by Toby Keith’s Dream Walkin’ Farms, Seeking Ms Shelley enters Tuesday’s $60,000 Mardi Gras Stakes at Fair Grounds on a four-race win streak, and her trainer, Joe Duhon, said last month, after she had won the Pan Zareta Stakes, that Seeking Ms Shelley never had been better.
Seeking Ms Shelley is the classic older model with low miles. Troublesome feet have limited her to 22 career starts: Her win skein – two dirt, two turf – dates to February 2013, and Seeking Ms Shelley will have to retain her edge to win her fifth straight race on a special Fat Tuesday card in New Orleans.
The Mardi Gras, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint, drew a field 14 deep. The connections of several horses are hoping for a rain-off onto dirt, which is possible, but with the best chance of pre-Mardi Gras rain Sunday night, it’s more likely the race will be run on non-firm turf.
That probably eliminates talented Same Cross, who has four wins and a nose loss on the Fair Grounds main track. Trainer Larry Jones has said he would run Same Cross on a firm turf course but not a wet one.
Also among the entries is Cozze Up Lady, unraced since she won the Grade 3 Chicago Handicap last June. Trainer Bret Calhoun said Cozze Up Lady is in even better condition now than when she won 3 of 4 in 2013, but the 5 1/2-furlong Mardi Gras probably is too short for her, and Cozze Up Lady might be better on synthetic than grass.
Point to the Wild has two blowout turf sprint wins this meet, but she’s drawn poorly in post 13 and will have to run down stronger competition than she has ever beaten, and the primary obstacle to Seeking Ms Shelley’s fifth straight win is Good Deed.
Seeking Ms Shelley whizzed by Good Deed in the Pan Zareta, but that was after Good Deed set a blazing pace while making her first start in seven months.
“She was maybe a little fresh last time,” said trainer Steve Margolis, who hopes the comeback run took off the edge. “She’s had plenty of time, solid works. We’ve got a good post.”
Good Deed, drawn in post 3, should have the lead at the top of the long Fair Grounds homestretch. From there, we will see if the old mare, Seeking Ms Shelley, can nail her again.