Hallowed Dreams surprise entrant

NEW ORLEANS - Fair Grounds track-record holder *, who has made only two starts since June, has been entered in the $60,000 Dr. A.B. Leggio Memorial Handicap on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Her entry in the Leggio came as something of a surprise, since Louisiana Champions Day is to be held here in one week. Champions Day features the $100,000 Sprint, where Hallowed Dreams, the Fair Grounds track record holder at six furlongs, would be heavily favored.

At age 4, Hallowed Dreams already has compiled a near-legendary race record: In 26 starts she has been beaten only twice, a pair of third-place finishes, the most recent of which came Aug. 23 at Louisiana Downs. She has won on dirt, and she has won on turf, too, with convincing wins on two different courses. The Leggio is carded for 5 1/2 furlongs on grass but easily could be moved to the main track because of rain. A wet track, however, is not Hallowed Dreams's specialty. Trainer Lloyd Romero, who owns Hallowed Dreams in partnership with Johnny Gaspard, has hinted before that the filly is not at her best in mud.

If she does indeed start, Hallowed Dreams, the highweight at 122 pounds, will have regular rider Sylvester Carmouche in the irons.

She concedes five pounds to Serena's Tune, a 3-year-old filly who seemed destined for greatness if only because of her pedigree. By Mr. Prospector, Serena's Tune is the first foal out of the champion filly Serena's Song, and as a yearling she sold for $1 million at auction.

Serena's Tune won three of her first four starts, including the La Habra Stakes, a turf sprint, but did not pass muster when stretched out to routes in the spring. She was beaten as the favorite in the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes in April, then finished ninth in the Edgewood Stakes in May, after which Josie Carroll took over her training from Neil Drysdale.

Shortly thereafter the filly was purchased by John Sikura. Carroll said Sikura has considered breeding Serena's Tune to Storm Cat in the spring, but for now the filly will continue to mine her niche: turf sprints. "I think sprinting is what she does best," Carroll said.

Serena's Tune won the $100,000 Phoenix Stakes on Oct. 20, a five-furlong turf sprint at The Meadowlands. "We wanted her to start rating a bit and that's what she did," said Carroll.

With a comeback race in the Oct. 20 Valley View at Keeneland behind her, Sky Alliance may be set to run a top race for trainer Mark Frostad and owner Sam-Son Farm. Hugh Chatman, Frostad's assistant, said Sky Alliance battled hind-end problems during a yearlong layoff, but that the filly has been training well at Fair Grounds.

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