Lou Lou Larue faces boys at Fonner

Lou Lou Larue will take on the boys when a full field of 10

3-year-olds meets in the $10,000 Baxter Stakes going six furlongs Saturday at Fonner Park.

Lou Lou Larue, a daughter of Blumin Affair, was the state's top 2-year-old last year, defeating males in both the State Fair Futurity and the Capital City Stakes at Lincoln. Her career debut came in the State Fair Futurity at 4 1/2 furlongs against statebred company. She followed up with a strong front-running performance in the Capital City against open company.

Lou Lou Larue looked like a winner entering the stretch of her seasonal bow here March 27 but was caught late to finish second in the Pepsi Stakes against fillies. She should be primed for a top effort, with a race under her belt for trainer Chuck Turco.

Bach's Homebrew comes into this race off an entry-level allowance win on April 2 for trainer Larry Staroscik. Bach's Homebrew was a fast-closing fourth in the Bachman Stakes at a half-mile on March 20 in his first start of the year. A Nebraska-bred son of Milwaukee Brew, Bach's Homebrew is likely to vie with Lou Lou Larue for the role of favorite.

Bet Your Boots should loom the biggest threat to the top pair as he ships up from Sam Houston Race Park. Bet Your Boots was the winner of the Northern Lights Futurity at Canterbury Park last summer for trainer Troy Bethke and returns to his barn after being trained by Charlie Smith in Texas. Bet Your Boots was a nonthreatening sixth in a second-level allowance last out on March 18, but prior to that closed strongly against the same sort to finish third, beaten a half-length.