The Pickett Factor looks for Champions Day Classic repeat

The Pickett Factor roared into the 2015 Louisiana Champions Day Classic after a romping win in a Delta Downs stakes and steamrolled his rivals in a five-length win. His momentum has since slowed considerably, but the field for this year’s $150,000 Classic is both short and somewhat squishy, and The Pickett Factor stands a decent chance of repeating.

His main rivals in the 1 1/8-mile dirt race are Sunbean, who won this race in 2014 and 2015, and Mobile Bay, who finished second a year ago.

The Classic is race 9 on a 13-race Champions Day card that includes seven Thoroughbred stakes, all but the Classic worth $100,000; the card begins with three Quarter Horse races. First post is an earlier-than-standard 12:30 p.m. Central.

The Pickett Factor, a Gold Tribute 4-year-old out of a Dynaformer mare, is trained by Ralph Irwin for Melissa Cantacuzene, and he has won just once in six starts since his powerhouse victory a year ago. That win came by only a neck in the Louisiana Legends Classic this summer at Evangeline Downs, and The Pickett Factor could score only narrowly despite being gifted an easy lead.

The lead, however, probably is his for the taking again Saturday, and if there are questions about The Pickett Factor’s current form, the same goes for his primary rivals.

Sunbean, at least, comes into this race having won three of five starts since returning from a year-plus layoff necessitated by a tendon injury.

“His margin of victory and the [speed figures] ... they might not be as good as they were before the layoff, but he seems like he’s just as good as he’s ever been,” said Ron Faucheux, who trains Sunbean for his breeder, the Brittlyn Stable of Evelyn and Maurice Benoit.

Mobile Bay finished behind Sunbean and in front of The Pickett Factor in the Gold Cup but then went to Zia Park and turned in a dull performance in a $150,000 handicap there Nov. 23. Perhaps he can bounce back Saturday. Someone will have to.

◗ Saint’s Fan debuted Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs and did something that rarely happens, winning as a first-time starter for trainer Dallas Stewart.

Stewart over the last five years has sent out 86 horses for their first race, and Saint’s Fan was only the fifth to win.

For an encore, Saint’s Fan will try to win the $100,000 Champions Day Juvenile, and since he was fairly impressive in handling open maiden special weight competition at Churchill the first time out, he is likely to be a hot favorite to beat Louisiana-breds on Saturday.

Victory would be especially lucrative and rewarding for Stewart, who also bred Saint’s Fan – a son of Tale of Ekati – and owns him.

Saint’s Fan, thanks to a patient ride from Brian Hernandez Jr., got a great trip first time out, saving ground all the way and eventually getting through along the rail in upper stretch. He ran down The Gipper with speed to spare and was flattered when The Gipper returned to finish second to Proforma, who had been third in the Nov. 4 maiden race.

Skeptics have a couple of options, including Jack Snipe’s, who was surprisingly far behind the early leaders last out when stretching from sprints to the one-mile Louisiana Legacy Stakes at Delta Downs. Jack Snipe’s ran into a sharp winner three back at Canterbury and won comfortably himself two races ago at Delta.

Philly won his debut in a Louisiana-bred maiden-allowance race during opening week at Fair Grounds and goes straight into stakes for the red-hot barn of trainer Al Stall.

◗ The $100,000 Lassie over six furlongs is an absolute hodgepodge. Consider that 2-1 morning-line favorite Naughty Little Nun finished eighth in her two previous sprint races. Our Millie is the most tepid of selections to win, and either she, Naughty Little Nun, Jazz Lady, or the maiden Moonlightnmidnight ought to prevail in a shaky group.