Questions surround all in New Orleans Classic

Questions over current form, distance, and, particularly, the simple matter of pace – more specifically, a lack thereof – surround the Grade 2, $400,000 New Orleans Classic Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Eight are entered in the 1 1/8-mile race for older horses, fewer may start, and none can be backed with any sort of conviction.

Roadster? He’s the most accomplished of the field, might even end up favored, but he hasn’t run in more than year, hasn’t won in nearly two years, and though he won the Santa Anita Derby going 1 1/8 miles, he’s had breathing problems in the past and might be better at shorter distances.

“He came to me in good condition,” said trainer Mike Stidham, who sends out Roadster, 5, for the first time after he made 11 starts for Bob Baffert. “He’s had quarter-crack issues on all four feet, and right now those problems are under control.

“The distance is his biggest obstacle. Class-wise, he’s good enough. It’s just a question of if he’s ready off a one-year layoff.”

Owendale? A deep closer, he’s lost six straight, and though he too has won going 1 1/8 miles, one of his best performances came the last time he won, in a fast-paced, one-turn mile.

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“It does look like it’s a somewhat paceless race,” his trainer, Brad Cox, said on a national teleconference earlier in the week.

Sonneman? He was second to Maxfield in last month’s Grade 3 Mineshaft, the local prep for this, but he’s still seeking his first stakes win 12 starts into his career.

“I don’t see a lot of true pace,” said Joe Talamo, who rode Sonneman for the first time in the Mineshaft. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s laying closer.”

Chess Chief? He was third behind Maxfield and Sonneman in the Mineshaft, and all three of his career victories have come at Fair Grounds, but he’s just 3 for 22 lifetime.

Olliemyboy? He’s won two straight against softer this meet, so he’s in good form, but he’s never raced at this level, and he has no early lick whatsoever.

“We’re taking a shot, but it’s pretty wide open for a Grade 2,” said his trainer, Norm Casse. “He’s going to have to continue to improve, but we think he has a chance.”

Enforceable? Last year’s winner of the Lecomte, he subsequently lost six straight, then teased everyone in January that he’d finally broken through, with a dazzling allowance victory that produced a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 102. He followed that up with a disinterested performance in the Mineshaft, finishing fifth of six.

Mocito Rojo? Though he’s 18 for 34 lifetime, he’s won just once in his last nine starts, that on a sloppy track at Evangeline last July, and his form this past year is far below his glory days.

Captivating Moon? He might not even run. A deep closer who figures to be compromised by the likely pace, he’s also entered in the Muniz Memorial on turf, and his trainer, Chris Block, said a decision on where to run might not be made until Friday.