Fair Grounds spared as tornado misses by several miles
NEW ORLEANS – Trainers at Fair Grounds were thankful Wednesday morning that the severe weather that hit this city on Tuesday night, and included a tornado that touched down mere miles to the east, did not impact the track, which still is minus two barns from when Hurricane Ida struck last September.
“We dodged a bullet, for sure,” said Scott Blasi, the top assistant to Steve Asmussen. “A lot of people are in worse shape than we are. A lot of people are hurting.”
“We were very lucky. It struck just six miles east of here,” said trainer Mike Stidham. “That’s the way these tornados are, they cut a path, and you’re either lucky or not.”
“We didn’t get that much here,” said Neil Pessin as he watched a set train right after the renovation break. “Look how good the track looks.”
The biggest day of the season is Saturday, with the Louisiana Derby highlighting a card that includes eight stakes, four graded. Nationally ranked horses like Epicenter and the filly Echo Zulu, both trained by Asmussen, are set to run, as is Proxy for Stidham. Pessin’s barn includes the outstanding female sprinter Bell’s the One, who is training in advance of a return to action next month at Keeneland in the Grade 1 Madison.
“She’s pretty much ready,” Pessin said, as he fed her a mint Wednesday morning.
How many mints does she get?
“I’d say about 40 or 50 a day,” he replied.