Newcomer runs against Roussel duo

NEW ORLEANS - With more than $600,000 in earnings, Warren's Whistle already has fashioned an outstanding career, but on Thursday it begins anew. In the Fair Grounds feature, Warren's Whistle makes her first start outside California and first since being sold at auction last month. But this new face in New Orleans has a New Orleans regular to beat in the high-end allowance race.

Now owned by William Carl and trained by Dallas Stewart, Warren's Whistle will run against a pair of Louie Roussel-trained fillies. No doubt, from his perch at the head of the Fair Grounds stretch, Roussel has scouted Warren's Whistle during morning training hours and has been plotting an attack with his two fillies since this meet opened.

Extended View once fell into the claiming ranks, but the Roussel barn revived her career by going slow and easy. Now she is an exceptionally quick filly from the gate, and if left alone on the lead can sustain her pace for the six furlongs of Thursday's race. Bold Diva turned in excellent efforts for Roussel at this meet last year, and undoubtedly is sitting on "go."

They are two logical alternatives to Warren's Whistle, whose role as favorite is merited by her proven class. Warren's Whistle has not even seen an allowance race in 33 starts; her last try outside stakes company came more than two years ago.

"I talked to [former trainer, Warren Stute], and he said she was a really tough horse," Stewart said. "You can tell that from her form."

Indeed, Warren's Whistle has made 15 starts this year and 41 in her career. The question now is whether she can reproduce her form while inhabiting a new barn and racing in a foreign environment. "She's trained like a real nice filly, but you never know," Stewart said.

Extended View clearly is the speed of the race, and if allowed to coast over a racetrack that has favored speed at times this meet, she may prove tough to catch. Warren's Whistle will try to rally in the stretch, as will Bold Diva. The X factors are Nannie's Dinner, who is more proven in routes, and Princess Jen, who will try to turn recent success in minor stakes into a win in this allowance spot.

Trained by Ron Campisano, Princess Jen runs for a substantially higher purse Thursday ($39,000) than she did winning stakes races at Louisiana Downs and Remington Park in her last two starts.

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