Even as trainer Chris Block this fall bade farewell to the mare Oeuvre, a multi-season stakes stalwart in his stable, the 4-year-old colt Moonlight was developing into a stakes horse. Moonlight probably heads next to the $175,000 Louisiana Stakes on Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds, his winter base, while Oeuvre has headed off to life as a broodmare. Oeuvre, bred in Illinois and campaigned by her breeder, Richard Perkins, won 20 of 41 starts and just over $1 million. She joined Block’s barn in 2022 following a six-race 2-year-old campaign and won nine of her first 10 outings for Block, the last three in that string stakes races during the 2022-23 Fair Grounds meet. Oeuvre at her peak probably hit her highest mark as a turf sprinter, though she captured 14 of 19 on dirt and even won a Keeneland two-turn mile. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “I looked at her PPs a couple weeks ago. It was remarkable what she did,” Block said. Moonlight came to Block midway through 2024 and has won half his eight starts this year, most recently landing his first stakes, the $250,000 Cherokee Mile on Nov. 30 at Churchill. Moonlight, Block concedes, probably requires a one-turn mile for his best, but still should fit well in the 1 1/16-mile Louisiana. ◗ Neil Pessin in May said his training career had ended, but Pessin has unretired. Pessin over the summer began working for Troy Levy’s Tropical Racing and trainer Michelle Nihei. Tropical sent a small string to Fair Grounds, where the horses are running for Pessin. ◗ Sunday’s eight-race program has a first-level turf sprint allowance for fillies and mares, race 7, as the featured event. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.