Louisiana Champions Day fields set

The major players all were entered in the expected spots Wednesday, when the Louisiana Champions Day card was drawn for Saturday.

Sunbean will be favored to nail down another Champions Day Classic, while String King seeks his third win in the Champions Day Turf and Heitai his second straight victory in the Champions Day Sprint.

The Classic drew just five entrants and was placed early on the card due to the short field, going as race 4. First post Saturday is early, too, with the first of 12 races going at noon Central. The program starts with three Quarter Horse stakes.

Richard Eramia, Sunbean’s regular rider, is out with an injured shoulder, and Florida-based Corey Lanerie, a former regular at the Fair Grounds meet, has been named to ride Sunbean. Bred and owned by Brittlyn Stables, Sunbean has won 12 of his 19 starts and is a nose away from being a perfect 11 for 11 in Louisiana-bred competition.

Leading his opposition Saturday is One King’s Man, who ran a huge race during opening week of this meet, defeating String King in a high-end allowance that was rained from turf onto dirt.

String King won the 2011 and 2012 Turf and came within a nose of Sunbean when he tried the Classic on Champions Day in 2013.

Heitai actually lost his local Champions Day prep, and the horse who upset him, Too Dim, is back for another shot in the Sprint, which Heitai won last year by seven lengths.

Alabama-breds on Friday

The Fair Grounds stakes schedule includes two races on the Friday card, but the Kudzu Juvenile and the Magic City Classic are stakes-quality in name only. Both races are restricted to Alabama-breds, of which there are few in general and far fewer of much quality.

The easy winner of the 2013 Magic City Classic, Busted Account, is back to defend his title. In his most recent start, he finished seventh in a $4,000 claiming race at ThistleDown.

Silverbulletday preview?

The fourth race on Friday’s card, a two-turn maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies, is likely to produce one or more runners for early-season 3-year-old filly stakes races at Fair Grounds like the Jan. 14 Silverbulletday.

The two most interesting horses in the race are Forever Unbridled and Warriorscmoutoplay. Forever Unbridled is a full sister to Unbridled Forever, who won the 2013 Silverbulletday for trainer Dallas Stewart. Forever Unbridled made a highly promising debut Nov. 9 at Churchill, finishing second after making a powerful, sweeping move to the lead despite breaking last of 12. That 6 1/2-furlong race might have been short of her best distance, and Forever Unbridled adds Lasix for Friday’s start.

Warriorscmoutoplay has started twice, finishing third in six-furlong races at Keeneland and Fair Grounds, and could be poised for a breakout performance Friday.