The tremendous Louisiana-bred filly Secret Faith won for the 11th time in 14 races when she ran down her old rival Blue Fire and captured the $125,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint on Saturday at Fair Grounds. Secret Faith has proven all but unbeatable in statebred-restricted competition, the Ladies Sprint her ninth victory from 10 such races. Blue Fire beat her by a nose a year ago in the Champions Day Lassie. “She’s a phenomenal filly,” said winning rider C. J. McMahon. “She does whatever you want.” Secret Faith, rallying from last of five, got home by a half-length over Blue Fire, who ran gamely in defeat and finished almost four lengths clear of third-place Six String, who’d won this race a year ago. Secret Faith ran six furlongs over a fast track in 1:10.27 and paid $2.60. Jayde Gelner trains the filly for Norman Stables. Secret Faith, bred by J. Adcock and Hume Wornall, is a daughter of Aurelius Maximus and the Macho Uno mare St. Jean. Secret Faith last month won the Delmar Caldwell Memorial at Fair Grounds, checking in almost 19 lengths ahead of Blue Fire, who was starting for the first time since May. Blue Fire’s connections came into the Ladies Sprint clearly expecting improvement and focused on beating one horse, Secret Faith. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Typically a forward filly, Blue Fire was held a few lengths off the lead by jockey Jose Ortiz, keeping Secret Faith behind her and, going three wide on the turn, forcing the favorite into even greater ground loss around the bend. Ortiz after turning for home and swooping to the lead took a look over his right shoulder; there came Secret Faith and McMahon. Ortiz steered Blue Fire out to meet the challenge, pushing Secret Faith into the center of the racetrack. Good tactics, no doubt. Just not good enough to beat a better horse. Rising Inflation takes Ladies Turf Rising Inflation hardly set the world on fire in her only turf race, a third-place finish two summers ago in a Monmouth Park maiden race. On dirt, the filly had excelled, winning five of nine, but with no main-track route option for her on Louisiana Champions Day, Rising Inflation went into the Ladies Turf and excelled there, too. Coming with a homestretch blitz under jockey Isaac Castillo, Rising Inflation skipped right past favorite and defending champion Highly Wicked, going on to a 6 3/4-length score in the $125,000 Ladies Turf. Highly Wicked had no answer for the winner but finished nearly five lengths clear of third-place Clearly a Test in a race with just five runners. Rising Inflation ($5.60) ran about 1 1/16 miles over a firm course, the temporary rail placed at 21 feet, in 1:43.48. Jonathan Wong trains Rising Inflation for Mark Rose, Slam Dunk Racing, and Dennis Bailey. A 4-year-old, Rising Inflation is by Mitole out of Any Given Trace, by Any Given Saturday. Like Ladies Sprint winner Secret Faith, she was bred by J. Adcock and Hume Wornall. Rising Inflation made her first four starts on the East Coast for trainer Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables before being sold at auction this past April and winding up back in the state of her birth. She had won four of five starts in Louisiana, all on dirt, for her new connections. Turf proved no impediment, either. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.