NEW ORLEANS – It’s a natural pairing – jockey Joe Talamo, who is from Marrero, a New Orleans suburb on the west bank of the Mississippi River, and trainer Tom Amoss, a New Orleans native. The jockey and trainer, who teamed often when Talamo was the leading rider at Fair Grounds as an apprentice during the 2006-07 season, say they’re excited about reuniting for a run at the Louisiana Derby with War Story. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” said Talamo, who will be traveling from his Southern California base to ride on the Louisiana Derby card March 28. This will be his first Louisiana Derby. “I could remember watching every Louisiana Derby since I was a kid,” Talamo said. “I remember Kimberlite Pipe, with Robby Albarado [in 1999]. I was [9] years old. It’s always been a race I wanted to win.” Amoss’s best Louisiana Derby finish from eight starters was a second with Mylute in 2013. “I love the idea of having a guy from New Orleans as accomplished as Joe coming back to New Orleans to ride,” he said. Talamo hasn’t won a race in New Orleans since 2007. In his first return trip to Fair Grounds, he was shut out with seven mounts on the Risen Star card last year. Talamo was to ride War Story in the Southwest Stakes on Feb. 16 at Oaklawn Park, but because of War Story’s outside draw and the threat of bad weather, Amoss called an audible and sent War Story back to Fair Grounds. It turned out that the Southwest was postponed until Feb. 22, the day after War Story, with Kent Desormeaux riding, ran second to International Star in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds. International Star and War Story also ran one-two in the Lecomte, the first Louisiana Derby prep. Talamo got the mount for the Louisiana Derby because he was willing to commit for two races, said Ron Paolucci, whose Loooch Racing Stable co-owns War Story. “If we run well in the Louisiana Derby, we want the same guy to ride in the Kentucky Derby,” Paolucci said. Paolucci also said he wants Talamo “to get used to War Story in the gate.” War Story broke slowly in three of his four starts – a situation with which Talamo is familiar. “I’ve watched War Story’s four races maybe 10 times,” Talamo said. The jockey also said he likes how War Story has reacted to being in traffic. “Some horses are just like that,” Talamo said. “Sometimes it’s not bad to break a little slow.” Amoss said the hardest part of riding War Story is he “demands to be ridden. It takes a lot of energy.” Talamo agreed with that assessment. “It does seem that the more you ride him, the better he goes,” Talamo said. “It’s not a horse where you can just throw his head and let him do it.” International Star has shot at sweep The Florida-based International Star, trained by Mike Maker, has a chance to become the fourth horse to sweep the Lecomte, Risen Star, and Louisiana Derby. “We’re very pleased with the horse,” Maker said. “He looks better to me than he did for the Risen Star.” The first four finishers in the Risen Star – International Star, War Story, Keen Ice (trained by Dale Romans), and St. Joe Bay (trained by Peter Miller) – are expected to run in the Louisiana Derby. With entries set to be taken Wednesday, the other expected entrants as of Thursday were the multiple graded-stakes-placed Mr. Z, who’ll be shipping from Oaklawn Park for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, and the locally based 3-year-olds A Day in Paradise (trained by Larry Jones) and Defondo (trained by Dallas Stewart). Via text message Thursday from Florida, trainer Todd Pletcher said Comfort and Stanford are “both possibles” for the race. The Louisiana Derby, Fair Grounds Oaks, New Orleans Handicap, and Mervin Muniz Memorial Handicap are Grade 2 races on the March 28 card. I’m a Chatterbox, who won the Silverbulletday and Rachel Alexandra stakes for Jones, looms as the likely favorite in the Fair Grounds Oaks. Forever Unbridled (trained by Stewart), who was second in the Silverbulletday and third in the Rachel Alexandra, will be running. The racing office lists Mizz Money (trained by Bernie Flint), Audrey’s Double (trained by Neil Pessin), and Tachiello (trained by Joe Sharp) as possible entrants. Grade 1 winner Moreno, coming off a runner-up finish behind Shared Belief in the Santa Anita Handicap for trainer Eric Guillot, is the most accomplished runner headed to the New Orleans Handicap. Other possible entrants are Commissioner, Street Babe, Albano, Mystery Train, Afford, Call Me George, One King’s Man, and Indycott. Trainer Michael Dilger said he would decide over the weekend if Mineshaft Handicap winner Street Babe would run in this race or the Charles Town Classic. Local Muniz horses work on turf For more than 30 years, horses have been running on the Fair Grounds turf course – in races, not in official workouts. The course has been off limits for training. However, it was open Monday morning, and Chocolate Ride, Paroled, and Shining Copper – all headed to the Mervin Muniz – ran in the first official grass workouts at Fair Grounds. “I appreciate Fair Grounds for letting us do that,” said Ricky Giannini, the local assistant to Brad Cox, the trainer of Chocolate Ride. The policy change, which was in effect only for horses nominated to a graded race and will be in effect again this Monday, stemmed from Giannini’s request to racing secretary Jason Boulet that Chocolate Ride be allowed to work on turf. “He’s just a different animal on the turf,” Giannini said. “That’s why I was so adamant about working him on the turf.” He also said Chocolate Ride bruised a foot the last time he worked on dirt. Because drainage on the turf course was repaired for this season, track officials haven’t had to be as protective of the grass as they were in previous years, Boulet said. Chocolate Ride, a former claimer, won the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Handicap in his last start. His possible Muniz rivals include the graded stakes winners Coalport, Divine Oath, and Long On Value and the graded-stakes-placed runners Slumber and Amen Kitten.