In the Fair Grounds Stakes, Strong Quality will be tough, turf or dirt

An unsettled forecast, one that calls for as much as a half-inch of rain in the New Orleans area Friday night into Saturday, is likely to impact the three scheduled turf stakes on the 14-race Fair Grounds program.

Surface is unlikely to be an issue for Strong Quality, who will be the horse to catch in the Grade 3, $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes scheduled for 1 1/8 miles.

Strong Quality, a 5-year-old son of Quality Road trained by Mark Casse, is coming off a front-running score in the Colonel Bradley on Jan. 20 at Fair Grounds, where he held off Beatbox by a head.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of pace,” Casse said, reflecting on that effort. “I thought it was a good performance. Was it a great performance? No. He might have to step it up a little bit. He’s run some very good races, he’s run some average races. We need a good one.”

Strong Quality has shown the ability to handle dirt, winning a third-level allowance at Churchill by 9 1/4 lengths in a race originally scheduled for turf.

“He likes the dirt when it has a little moisture in it,” Casse said.

Casse also has Palazzi entered in the Fair Grounds, but he wouldn’t want to run him on a less-than-firm course or on the dirt.

Gigante, trained by Steve Asmussen, is 2 for 2 since getting blinkers. He won the off-the-turf Commonwealth Turf Stakes on Nov. 26 at Churchill and the Woodchopper going one mile on turf at Fair Grounds.

Trainer Joe Sharp entered Money Supply in both the Grade 3 Mineshaft scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on dirt and the Fair Grounds. Sharp said the horse would run in the Fair Grounds if it comes off the turf or the Mineshaft if it stays on.

Beatbox, trained by Cherie DeVaux, has been second in his last three starts, including a head defeat to Strong Quality in the Colonel Bradley. DeVaux believes the 1 1/8 miles could play in favor of Beatbox.

“Previously, I would think it would be a stretch, but the way he’s running now on the turf, I think it would be in his wheelhouse,” DeVaux said.

Chasing the Crown, trained by Mike Maker, is coming off a solid allowance win going a mile.

Rising Empire was away slow and rallied to be third in the Colonel Bradley.

Harland Estate got off to a poor start in the Diliberto Memorial, where he was beaten only four lengths. He was second in the Grade 3 River City at Churchill two starts back going 1 1/8 miles.

Al Stall Memorial

Spirit and Glory, away from the races since a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar last August, returns to action in the $100,00 Albert Stall Memorial for fillies and mares, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Trainer Robert Falcone Jr. said Spirit and Glory was in need of a break after racing 11 times in 14 months.

“She never had any time off since she came in here,” Falcone said. “The break did her a great deal of good mentally and physically. She grew up a little bit physically and mentally. She’s doing really well.”

Falcone said he is hoping for some pace for Spirit and Glory. Not So Close and Swoonatara look to be the speed in this 13-horse field.

Creative Cairo took advantage of the pace Swoonatara set to win the Marie G. Krantz Memorial on Jan. 20.

“This race has a bigger field, a few horses we haven’t seen before. It’s probably a little tougher,” trainer Lindsay Schultz said. “Hopefully, that will give her a good pace to run into. The filly’s been doing good, and she likes it down there.”

Creative Cairo fired a bullet five-furlong work in 59.80 seconds after the Krantz.

“That wasn’t necessary,” Schultz said. “She came out of the race good, and that’s all we needed to see.”

Schultz also sends out Girl Named Charlie who is 3 for 3 at Fair Grounds, including a second-level allowance score in her first start for Schultz.

Watch This Birdie, trained by Ignacio “Nacho” Correas IV, has been in a lose-win, lose-win pattern over her last seven starts and comes into this race off a third in the Pago Hop Stakes going a mile on Dec. 30. She is another who would benefit from a strong pace.

James Graham rides Watch This Birdie from the rail.

Not So Close has made her last three starts on turf. The 5-year-old daughter of Empire Maker looks like the one to catch and beat if this race is moved to dirt.

Ricardo Santana Jr. is named to ride by Norm Casse.

Colonel Power

The 8-year-old Just Might will seek a third victory in the last five runnings of the $100,000 Colonel Power Stakes, run at 5 1/2 furlongs on Saturday.

A 20-1 upset winner in 2020, Just Might came back in 2021 to win it again at 5-2 when the race was rained off to the dirt. In 2022, he finished second at 3-5 when beaten a half-length by Pyron. Last year, Just Might did not run in the Colonel Power.

The front-running Just Might has had a solid winter at Fair Grounds, winning the Richard Scherer Memorial and losing a nose decision to Sosua Summer in last month’s Duncan Kenner, getting run down in the final stride in that race.

Jaime Torres rides Just Might from post 4 for trainer Michelle Lovell.

Sosua Summer had to alter his running style a bit to beat Just Might in the Kenner after rallying from next-to-last and finishing second to that one in the Scherer.

Sosua Summer, trained by Bill Mott, might be able to go back to his off-the-pace style if Charging can keep Just Might honest up front. Charging is 2 for 2 in allowance company at this meet for trainer Tom Morley.

Minnesota Ready, third in both the Scherer and Kenner, is now in the barn of Tom Amoss after being purchased out of the Bob Lothenbach dispersal sale by Richard Colton.

Mischievous Rogue makes his stakes debut and his seasonal debut after winning four of his last six starts to end his 2023 campaign. The last of those wins came in an off-the-turf starter allowance at Fair Grounds at 5 1/2 furlongs.

In an off-the-turf scenario, the speedy dirt sprinter Pirate Rick would become a significant player.

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