Inside post the topper for Dream Passage in Tom Benson Memorial

Before Fair Grounds replaced a faulty drainage system in 2014, the track’s turf course featured an intense, reliable outside-closer-favoring profile. No matter how slow the pace, inside front-runners would get swamped (pun intended) by rallying horses to their right.

This Fair Grounds season, when the temporary turf rail has been taken down and racing has been conducted on the course’s inner paths, race shape has profiled exactly the opposite. When the fence came down before multi-stakes cards Jan. 18 and Feb. 15, the rail and its fresh, smooth ground turned golden. The temporary rail was to be taken down before the March 20 card and there’s no reason to believe the same dynamic won’t take hold.

That leaves Dream Passage in great position to win the $100,000 Tom Benson Memorial Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile grass race restricted to older fillies and mares that drew 11 entrants. Dream Passage, Florent Geroux riding for trainer Brad Cox, would look competitive here even in a vacuum, but with early speed and post 1, she should be especially formidable.

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Dream Passage came strongly to hand during 2019 for Cox, ending her campaign with three straight wins. Following a two-month winter break, she returned in the Jan. 26 Jersey Lilly Stakes at Sam Houston, dueled for the lead in a race where closers had the best of things, and still held second behind a sharp showing from Benson entrant Winning Envelope. She’s since posted five Fair Grounds works and surely comes into the Benson a fitter horse than she was in Texas.

Altea, the likely favorite for trainer Chad Brown and jockey Joel Rosario, shows contending form and is well drawn in post 2 to get to race along the best part of the course, but she comes from behind and will need racing luck at potentially depressed odds.

Winning Envelope is stuck with a wide draw from which she’ll have to be taken back and hope for the best. The talented Canadian-bred filly Desert Ride has drawn even worse in post 10 for her 4-year-old debut, while She’sonthewarpath got a dream trip winning the Feb. 15 race in this division, the Albert Stall Memorial.

Notapradaprice is worth considering at a relatively long price. She has more speed than she showed in the Stall Memorial and is the logical alternative to find the front – and the golden rail – if Dream Passage doesn’t come out running.

Crescent City Derby

Langs Day has the running part down. It’s getting started that’s been an issue.

Langs Day flipped in the starting gate and had to be scratched from his intended career debut. He managed to get out of the gate, if poorly, when he won his first actual start, on Feb. 7 at Delta, looking like a considerable Louisiana-bred talent. On Feb. 26, facing allowance rivals at Delta, he reared at the start, spotting the rest of the field a wide margin, yet looped everyone to post a 5 1/2 -length victory.

Two key questions then arise regarding Langs Day’s participation Saturday in the $100,000 Crescent City Derby: Can he break better, and will the talent shown on Delta’s bullring oval translate to Fair Grounds.

“This race is going to set up differently than those elongated sprints at Delta,” said Lee Thomas, who trains Langs Day for Keith Plaisance.

Langs Day has been based at Fair Grounds for a couple weeks preparing for the 1 1/16-mile Crescent City Derby. Thomas said he’s gotten over the surface well and has schooled without issue in the starting gate.

“He’s acting appropriately, but I can’t guarantee anything on race day,” Thomas said.

At something like the listed 7-2 odds, the risk-reward ratio tilts toward playing Langs Day. At a much shorter price, his gate issue and Delta form become more problematic.

Sydster, who has won two of his four starts, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite and should race prominently from the start after breaking from the rail. City Park had a dirty trip finishing fourth in a recent Fair Grounds allowance race that yields three other Crescent City Derby starters.

Costa Rising Stakes

Win Lion Win posted a narrow victory in the 2019 Costa Rising Stakes, a turf-sprint for Louisiana-breds, and can win the 2020 renewal – especially if he can make the lead and get to the fence, which likely will offer the best going on the grass course.

Win Lion Win drew post 2 for the 5 1/2-furlong Costa Rising, which is surprisingly light on early pace. Ignore all his recent dirt races since Win Lion Win distinctly prefers turf, as he showed throughout a productive 2019 season.

Monte Man and Yankee Seven are two logical alternatives to Win Lion Win, who likely goes to post shorter than his 6-1 morning-line odds.

◗ Steph’sfullasugar is difficult to get past at a short price in the $100,000 Crescent City Oaks. The Tapiture filly has won her first two starts with ease and comfortably handled stretching out from a Fair Grounds maiden sprint win to a one-mile stakes race last out at Delta Downs.