Fair Grounds notes: Wednesday feature looks wet

The featured eighth race on Wednesday, a second-level allowance also open to $40,000 claimers, is carded for about 1 1/8 miles on turf, but expecting turf races to actually be contested on turf has recently been a losing enterprise in New Orleans. Turf racing was conducted on both Dec. 20 and Dec. 21, but grass races were moved to the main track because of wet conditions in five of the six racing days since then.

Right on cue, there’s an 80 percent chance of showers forecast Tuesday night, and given the apparent state of the course, it won’t take a deluge to rain the Wednesday feature onto dirt. The connections of three horses entered for the main track only – Hard Aces, Beauty’s Pioneer, and It Happened Again, each a winner of his most recent start – are ready for just such an instance.

It Happened Again, who turns 8 on Jan. 1, is by far the most established member of the group, having won 12 races and more than $640,000. He handled open $50,000 claimers in his most recent start, on Nov. 17 at Churchill, and is likely to be highly competitive if Wednesday’s feature is rained into dirt.

The same goes for Hard Aces, who is half It Happened Again’s age, and therefore more likely to improve. Hard Aces won a maiden route on the Fair Grounds main track last meet and most recently beat first-level allowance horses at Churchill.

On turf, the race seems tougher to figure, though Dream Man, an improved third for trainer David Carroll in his most recent start, would be an interesting possibility should he draw in from the also-eligible list.

Stewart juveniles work

Trainer Dallas Stewart worked his top 2-year-old colt and 2-year-old filly on Monday. The colt Commanding Curve, a last-out Churchill maiden winner, went five furlongs in 1:03.80, while the filly Unbridled Forever, one of the sharpest 2-year-old winners of the Churchill fall meet, went the same distance in a snappy 1:00.80.