Fair Grounds: Vicar's In Trouble impresses in maiden romp

Six Thoroughbred stakes races highlighted the all-Louisiana-bred Louisiana Champions Day card this past Saturday at Fair Grounds, but the most impressive horse to race during the program might have been a maiden winner.

Vicar’s In Trouble, a second-time-starting 2-year-old for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trainer Mike Maker, absolutely demolished 10 rivals in Saturday’s sixth race, a Louisiana-bred maiden special weight sprint, winning by 13 lengths and clocking a six-furlong time of 1:10.77. That was a faster time than any of the six-furlong stakes horses turned in Saturday (though the track surface turned sloppy and slower late on the card, when the $100,000 Sprint was run), and it produced a Beyer Speed Figure of 98, the fourth-highest figure in North America by a 2-year-old in 2013.

Vicar’s In Trouble, by Into Mischief, didn’t debut until the October meet at Keeneland, owing, Maker said, to “minor issues,” and he finished third on Polytrack in his first start. Saturday, under Rosie Napravnik, he made the early lead from post 11 and cruised to victory under little urging. Maker said Vicar’s In Trouble will get to prove his merit in open competition in his next start, which will come around two turns. A first-level allowance race would be the preferred landing spot, but Maker said he wouldn’t be afraid to send Vicar’s In Trouble to the Jan. 18 Lecomte Stakes if an allowance race isn’t available.

“It’s obviously a big step up from Louisiana-breds to open, but the way he ran the other day, I don’t see why he couldn’t hack it,” Maker said.