Fair Grounds horses to watch: Week of March 29

CLASSY CAJUN
Trainer: Edward Johnston
Last race: March 20, 4th
Finish: 4th by 4 1/4
Beyer: 42
This first-time starter in a two-turn turf race lacked speed, was caught wide on the far turn, and came even wider into the stretch behind a slow pace but finished fastest of all and galloped out right with the top three while losing more ground on the clubhouse turn. Appears to need more distance than the 7 1/2 furlongs she got here.

COUNTERCYCLICAL
Trainer: Gary Scherer
Last race: March 26, 8th
Finish: 1st by 8
Beyer: N/A
His Feb. 7 maiden win off a five-month break was supercharged, and he broke a touch slowly and got caught wide as Heitai rolled to a front-running score over Delaunay on an inside-speed-favoring track in the March 8 Duncan F. Kenner Stakes. This awesome performance (six furlongs in a meet-best 1:09.01) puts him right back on track for stakes, hopefully at a price.

MATHAAYIL
Trainer: Dan Peitz
Last race: March 22, 4th
Finish: 7th by 7 1/4
Beyer: 48
This second-time starter going from dirt to turf and from maiden special weight to maiden claiming lost all chance when steadied badly at about the seven-sixteenths pole. Give him a second chance on grass.