O'Neill has top contenders for Risen Star and Rachel Alexandra

California-based trainer Doug O’Neill’s last trip to Fair Grounds was so satisfying he’s coming back for more fun.

Hot Rod Charlie won the Louisiana Derby last March, O’Neill’s first Fair Grounds runner in three years, and three days before Mardi Gras, O’Neill has live horses for the Risen Star and the Rachel Alexandra stakes.

Slow Down Andy will be entered in the Risen Star, a stepping-stone to the Louisiana Derby, and Awake at Midnyte goes in the Rachel Alexandra, a prep for the Fair Grounds Oaks. Paul Reddam owns both horses, each sired by Reddam and O’Neill’s Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. Reddam also bred Slow Down Andy.

The pair is scheduled to work this weekend at Santa Anita, O’Neill said Friday, and if all goes well will ship to New Orleans on Tuesday, with Mario Gutierrez booked to ride both horses. Entries for the multiple-stakes card of Feb. 19 were to be taken Saturday.

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Slow Down Andy is a California-bred and raced in statebred-restricted competition his first two starts, sharply winning a Santa Anita maiden sprint before finishing second to the capable Finneus in the Golden State Juvenile, a seven-furlong contest at Del Mar. The performance that earned him this trip out of town came Dec. 11 at Los Alamitos, where Slow Down Andy looped a short field on the far turn, idled after making the lead, but regained his focus and won the Los Alamitos Futurity by one length over Messier. Messier returned to win the Robert Lewis Stakes on Feb. 6 at Santa Anita with a 103 Beyer Speed Figure, tops among 3-year-olds in 2022.

Slow Down Andy raced on a fairly true line first time out but did turn his head noticeably toward the grandstand through the stretch run. At Del Mar, he wandered to the inside when challenged by Finneus in midstretch, and after making the lead in upper stretch at Los Al, he waited for Messier, again cocking his head toward the stands even while drawing away from his rival. O’Neill said he’s trained Slow Down Andy in blinkers and considered racing him in the equipment, but, for now, Slow Down Andy goes in a shadow roll, sans blinkers.

“Team Reddam, we huddled up and decided why change the equipment when he just won,” O’Neill said. “There’s still a lot of experimenting and trying to figure out what he wants to do, where he wants to be placed.”

O’Neill said still-immature Slow Down Andy does not look like “a first-round draft pick” physically, but that the filly Awake At Midnyte does give that impression.

“We’ve all been excited about her since we started breezing her a half-mile, really,” O’Neill said.

Awake At Midnyte in her debut beat Adare Manor, who last weekend romped in the Las Virgenes Stakes, but she since has taken tough losses in the Jimmy Durante at a turf mile and most recently in the Santa Ynez on Jan. 8 at seven furlongs on dirt. Her form will look strong in next weekend’s test, and Awake At Midnyte could be favored in the Rachel Alexandra on what could turn into be another good day for O’Neill in New Orleans.