Fair Grounds: Stidham has one for either surface
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
NEW ORLEANS – Trainer Mike Stidham will be running a solid contender in the featured second-level optional-claming race Sunday at Fair Grounds. But which horse depends on the surface.
The $48,000 race for older horses is carded for about 1 1/16 miles on turf. Because of recent issues with the turf course and rain in the weekend forecast, it wouldn’t be surprising if the surface is switched to dirt.
The race drew 11 horses plus three main-track-only entrants, including Ground Transport, coming off a runner-up finish for Stidham in the Tenacious Handicap.
“He’s doing well, loves the main track here,” Stidham said.
For the turf, Stidham entered Brown Almighty, who is coming off a third-place finish in the Woodchopper on Nov. 30. His last 10 starts have come in stakes. As a 2-year-old, he finished third in the Grade 3 Bourbon at Keeneland, and last year he was fourth in the Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland.
Woodchopper runner-up Marine Patrol, trained by Wayne Catalano, would be a serious contender on turf. Marine Patrol finished 2 3/4 lengths behind front-running Marchman in the Woodchopper, which was for 3-year-olds. Two starts back, Marine Patrol defeated older horses in a first-level turf allowance race at Keeneland.
Trainer Michelle Lovell entered two turf horses – Street Serenade, who is entered for the $40,000 claiming price, and Zenji, who would be making his U.S. debut after starting his career in France.
Street Serenade is dropping in class after finishing seventh in the Diliberto Memorial on Dec. 21. Zenji, owned by Sheikh Abdullah Almaddah, came to Lovell about a month ago, she said.
“The sheikh bought a mare I used to run here,” she said. “They sent me three” horses.
Zenji, who won 2 of 10 starts in France, hasn’t raced since November. He won a minor stakes race in 2012.
The 9-year-old gelding Jimmy Simms has shown he can handle either surface. Steve Asmussen trains Jimmy Simms, who defeated $40,000 claimers at Churchill Downs in a race switched from turf to a muddy main track in his last start.
The feature is the last race on a nine-race card that starts at 1 p.m. Central.