Fair Grounds: Stakes winners Icon Ike, Extravaganza head to Keeneland for next starts

Icon Ike and Extravaganza, winners of the twin turf-sprint stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Saturday, will head to Keeneland for their next races while remaining in their niche.

Icon Ike rallied from well back to win the $73,500 Colonel Power by 2 3/4 lengths under Jimmy Graham, while Extravaganza eked out a nose victory over Storm’s Promise an hour later in the filly counterpart, the $73,500 Happy Ticket.

Icon Ike, trained by Larry Jones, will make his next start in the $100,000 Shakertown on the April 13 Blue Grass Stakes undercard. Extravaganza, trained by Mike Stidham, will run a week later in the $100,000 Giant’s Causeway at the Lexington, Ky., track.

Both Keeneland stakes cover 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, the same distance and surface as the Saturday races at Fair Grounds.

Icon Ike, a 4-year-old colt by Yes It’s True, earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure for his seventh triumph from 16 career starts.

“What do you not love about Icon Ike?” asked Cindy Jones, the wife and assistant of Larry Jones. “He’s so fabulous. He’s such a professional.”

Extravaganza, a 6-year-old mare by Elusive Quality, has won 5 of 12 starts for Arthur Hancock, her owner and co-breeder. The Happy Ticket was her first stakes win. She earned a career-high 92 Beyer.

Louisiana Derby could have big field

The Fair Grounds racing office has been putting out regular updates on the likely starters for the March 30 Louisiana Derby, the track’s showcase event and a key prep for the May 4 Kentucky Derby.

In stark contrast to the $1 million Florida Derby, which will be run the same day and appears to have only a handful of prospects at this juncture, this was the list of Louisiana Derby probables released Sunday: Code West, Departing, Golden Soul, Ground Transport, Hip Four Sixtynine, Mylute, Nina’s Dragon, Palace Malice, Proud Strike, Revolutionary, Sunbean, and Tiz a Minister.

Entries for the 100th running of the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby will be taken Wednesday, March 27. As many as 14 can start. The winner will get 100 points toward eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.

Jockey Johnson to miss a month

Veteran jockey Patrick Johnson said he expects to be sidelined for about four weeks after breaking his collarbone when his mount in Saturday’s fourth race, Augusta Goose, stumbled and threw him when returning to be unsaddled after the race.

Johnson said he was to undergo surgery Tuesday or Wednesday for the injury. The 54-year-old jockey was making quite a career comeback, having won with 10 of 80 mounts at the meet. He could ride next at Keeneland or Churchill Downs.

Trainer Maker reaches milestone

Trainer Mike Maker got his 1,000th career victory Saturday when Magical Season, owned by Buck Butler, captured the third race at Fair Grounds. Maker wasted little time working on his second thousand as Alydorable captured the last race Saturday for owner Tracy Farmer. Shaun Bridgmohan was aboard both of the Maker winners.

Maker, 44, began his solo career in 2003 after a lengthy stint as an assistant under D. Wayne Lukas. He has averaged more than 145 wins a season over the last five years.

Wide-open Wednesday feature

The feature of the Wednesday card at Fair Grounds is so evenly matched that the listed odds for morning-line favorite Anyriderill Do is 7-2, while none of the other six 3-year-olds in the main body of the race is higher than 6-1. It’s a $47,000, first-level allowance scheduled for a mile on the turf, with Hard Aces being a main-track-only reserve as an eighth horse on the outside. The race goes as the seventh of nine, with first post at 1 p.m. Central.