Time for Set Hut, Foxy Miss to graduate

Favorites could be formidable in a pair of one-mile Louisiana-bred maiden races for 2-year-olds on an allowance-less nine-race card Friday at Fair Grounds.

Set Hut was a strong second debuting at Delta Downs on Nov. 2 and probably will win race 5 with any sort of improvement. He is campaigned by Set Hut LLC, the province of the Delhomme family, whose most prominent member is former National Football League quarterback Jake Delhomme. Ida’s Warrior, another second-time starter, makes his Louisiana-bred debut for trainer Mark Casse and could prove the main competition.

Race 7, for fillies, figures to have Foxy Miss at the head of the betting. Foxy Miss failed to find clear passage in either of her starts, both encouraging, and should get the mile in her first two-turn try. She is trained by Bret Calhoun and ridden by Cisco Torres.

◗ Trainer Mike Stidham’s Fair Grounds starters typically take steady to strong betting action, but Acapella didn’t. Acapella, who was coming off a Delta Downs dud but had won in a romp two starts back at Belterra Park while racing with blinkers added, won the eighth race Sunday under apprentice jockey Winston Kay by a neck, paying $84.60 to win.

◗ About a half-inch of rain was measured earlier this week at nearby New Orleans Lakefront Airport, welcome moisture for a turf course that has been lightning fast and very firm to start the meeting.