Handicaps stand out on Louisiana Derby undercard

The spotlight shines on the 3-year-olds next Saturday at Fair Grounds, but the two strongest races on a 14-race card featuring the $1 million Louisiana Derby are for older horses.

The Grade 2, $300,000 Mervin Muniz Handicap came up especially deep, while the Grade 2, $400,000 New Orleans Handicap marks the 4-year-old debut of talented Good Samaritan and another Fair Grounds appearance from The Player, who was a very sharp winner of the Mineshaft Handicap last month while racing for the first time in blinkers.

Those are two of eight stakes on a marathon 14-race Fair Grounds program that was drawn Saturday. Immediately preceding the featured $1 million Louisiana Derby, race 11, is the Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks, which drew a field of nine 3-year-old fillies to go run 1 1/16 miles.

Neither of the two fillies who might be the shortest-priced starters, Classy Act and Eskimo Kisses, has won a stakes race. Classy Act was a solid second to Monomoy Girl making her stakes debut in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes last month at Fair Grounds, while Eskimo Kisses shipped recently from trainer Ken McPeek’s string at Oaklawn Park, where a sharp allowance win Feb. 22 earned her a stakes start.

Classy Act has post 1 and will be ridden by Javier Castellano, while Eskimo Kisses and Florent Geroux break from post 4, barring scratches. Patrona Margarita, fourth in the Rachel Alexandra, drew post 5; she, like Classy Act, is trained by Bret Calhoun. Wonder Gadot, who was second in the Silverbulletday before finishing third in the Rachel Alexandra, drew post 8.

The Muniz, at about 1 1/8-miles on turf, has its strongest field in years. Locally based Synchrony (post 1) scored a very impressive win last month coming back from a long layoff in the Fair Grounds Handicap, but in addition to Fair Grounds Handicap runner-up Mr. Misunderstood, he will be opposed by a phalanx of Florida invaders. That group includes Forge (post 9), Ring Weekend (post 11), Revved Up (post 10), Lucullan (post 6), and Danish Dynaformer (post 5). Also in the race is the talented 4-year-old Arklow (post 4), who won an allowance race Feb. 24 at Fair Grounds making his first start since last summer.

The Muniz is carded as race 9, the New Orleans Handicap as race 8, and while the latter race attracted only six entrants, it will be interesting to see how The Player performs in his first race after a breakout win, and what Good Samaritan does in his first start since finishing a close second in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap last Nov. 24. The Player has the rail and Calvin Borel, Good Samaritan post 5 and Joel Rosario.