Jezebel's Kitten leads tag-team match in Lacombe Memorial

Trainers Brad Cox and Mike Stidham each entered two for the $75,000 Allen “Black Cat” Lacombe Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and since it’s not clear which barnmate is the superior animal in both these cases, it’s definitely not obvious who’s going to win the Lacombe.

The one-mile grass race for 3-year-old fillies, named for the late, beloved Fair Grounds publicity director, drew nine entrants, most of which appear to have some real heft. The Stidham pair is Trickle In and Embossed, who drew posts 1 and 2, while Cox sends out Jezebel’s Kitten and Dominga.

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Dominga is listed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, but Jezebel’s Kitten could easily be the Lacombe chalk. She hasn’t seen action since finishing a well-beaten fourth as the 2-1 favorite Oct. 9 in the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland, which came on the heels of a debut win at Ellis Park and a sharp Kentucky Downs score in the half-million-dollar Juvenile Fillies. Jezebel’s Kitten displayed a sparkling turn of foot at Kentucky Downs, rallying from seven lengths back for a 4 3/4-length victory under Florent Geroux.

“We’re hoping she just didn’t care for the turf at Keeneland,” Cox said, when asked to account for the subpar performance. The turf for the Jessamine was rated good, and Jezebel’s Kitten’s wins came over firm turf.

Jezebel’s Kitten gets a rider change to Colby Hernandez with Geroux off to Tampa to ride Saturday.

Dominga won a first-level turf-route allowance Dec. 5 at Fair Grounds and finished second to the undefeated Stidham-trained standout Alms on Feb. 8 in an overnight stakes at Fair Grounds. She was beaten more than four lengths in that recent start and might be a half-notch away from strong contention Saturday.

Trickle In took a midstretch lead in the Feb. 8 overnight stakes but faded to finish fourth, and Embossed might be the better of the Stidham pair. Embossed most recently finished sixth in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa, but that was a dirt race and Embossed appears to be a turf horse. In her only grass race, Embossed, a strapping daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, dominated a Jan. 12 first-level allowance race at Tampa, winning by more than six lengths while well in hand. The competition Saturday is stronger, but Embossed has room to grow and would be great value at anything close to her 6-1 morning-line odds.

Pranked made an easy lead in a Dec. 15 maiden turf route at Fair Grounds and scored a blowout win over a pair of solid fillies, Slime Queen and Alba’s Star, but she didn’t post a work for two months and might prove a better bet in her next start.

A longshot to consider at 15-1 on the morning line is Urbana, a maiden after one start. A Tapit filly whose dam is a sister to Grade 1 winner Perfect Soul, Urbana debuted Jan. 20 and finished a distant second to Alba’s Star. But where the winner got to the front and the rail on an inside- and speed-biased course, Urbana raced from ninth place in the early and middle stages and made her stretch bid while fully nine paths off the golden rail.