Fair Grounds: Ide Be Cool romps in Champions Day Juvenile

NEW ORLEANS – In long races or short ones, at Louisiana Downs, Delta Downs, or the Fair Grounds, Ide Be Cool has answered every challenge in his young racing career.

Making his Fair Grounds debut Saturday in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, Ide Be Cool controlled the pace and kicked away to a seven-length victory over Coteau Rouge. Ridden by Chris Rosier for owner/trainer Henry Ray Dunn, Ide Be Cool ran six furlongs on a good track in 1:11.10. He paid $7.20.

Dixie Beat finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Coteau Ridge in a field of nine 2-year-old Louisiana-bred colts and geldings.

Dunn said he wanted to run stakes winner Burning Warrior in the race, but he's on the shelf. So Ide Be Cool made the start, and he didn't disappoint.

He broke sharply and never was threatened, running the first quarter-mile in 22.09 seconds and the half in 46.70. Coteau Ridge, who came into the race undefeated in two starts, couldn't keep up in the stretch.

Ide Be Cool remained undefeated, earning his fourth victory. He was cutting back in distance, having won the Louisiana Legacy at a mile at Delta Downs on Nov. 23 in his last start.

"I was happy with the cutback in distance,'' Rosier said. "Ray has done such a great job with this horse. He's still immature, but he's getting better every time. . . . He showed me a lot more today as far as finishing underneath me.''

Next for Ide Be Cool, Dunn said, might be the Louisiana Premier Night Prince, a seven-furlong race Feb. 1 at Delta Downs.

Ladies: Ladyzarbridge dictates

Getting away with a slow pace, the 6-year-old mare Ladyzarbridge led all the way in the Ladies to win the race for older Louisiana-bred fillies and mares for the third time.

With Rosie Napravnik aboard, Ladyzarbridge held off late-running Tensas Harbor by a neck. Ante Up Ante finished third, another five lengths back, in a field of eight.

Ladyzarbridge took control quickly, running the first quarter-mile in 25.04 seconds and the half in 50.08. Ante Up Ante, who was stalking early, lacked punch in the stretch, and Ladyzarbridge, who ran the first six furlongs in 1:15.58, opened a clear lead. She had enough energy in the final furlong to resist the charge of Tensas Harbor.

The field lost a possible front-runner when trainer Wes Hawley scratched Mischievous Mama to run her instead in the Ladies Sprint. "I was ticked to death when Mischievous Mama came out of it,'' said Eddie Johnston, who trains Ladyzarbridge and is co-owner with Charles Zacney. "It helped us.''

Napravnik said she was surprised that Silent Legacy, a filly who had shown early speed in most of her races, didn't push the pace. "I was really surprised that we could go to the lead, and she could do it so easy.''

Ladyzarbridge, who paid $12.20, ran the mile and a sixteenth on a good track in 1:46.73. She previously won the Ladies in 2010 and 2012.

Sprint: Heitai leads throughout

Heitai gunned to the lead and kept it all the way to win the Champions Day Sprint by seven lengths over Southern Dude on Saturday at the Fair Grounds.

Ridden by Diego Saenz for trainer Karl Broberg and owners Frank and Barbara Rowell, Heitai ran six furlongs on a sloppy track in 1:11.64. Hero Force finished third, a length behind Southern Dude, in a field of 12 older Louisiana-breds.

"I didn't think he would like the mud,'' Saenz said. "He was kind of stopping at the end, but we had opened up enough to win the race. They kind of hooked him at Delta in that last race, and I had to grab him. Today, I just let him roll.''

Heitai pushed a fast pace in open company in the Sams Town on Nov. 23 and faded, losing by 18 1/4 lengths. Before that, he ran away with an open Delta Downs allowance/optional claiming race by 18 3/4 lengths.

On Saturday, he was back in sharp form, winning for the fourth time in 14 starts and earning his first stakes victory. He paid $32.60.