Tom's Ready may have trouble making Risen Star field

A rule that nearly excluded the talented 3-year-old Tom’s Ready from the Lecomte Stakes, in which he finished second and earned qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, could come into play again at Fair Grounds when entries are taken for the Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes on Friday.

A Louisiana state racing rule mandates that in overnight races, an owner can’t start a second horse in a race if it means excluding another owner’s horse. That rule, however, does not apply to stakes races, but Fair Grounds has written it into the race conditions of stakes it has run this year, including the Lecomte.

Since Gayle Benson’s GMB Racing also had eventual Lecomte winner Mo Tom as its leading candidate for the race last month, Tom’s Ready, who easily would have qualified for a berth in the field under the normal manner of determining starters in overfilled stakes (graded stakes wins, then total earnings), was placed behind every other Lecomte entrant, including horses who still were maidens, and left on the also-eligible list when 15 were entered in a race with 14 spots in the starting gate. Tom’s Ready drew into the field, but he had to break from the far-outside post as an also-eligible horse.

The same thing could happen again this week, with connections of close to a full field of runners considering entry for the Risen Star on Feb. 20. Mo Tom is expected to start, and GMB Racing presumably will designate him as its preferred runner again, leaving the possibility that Tom’s Ready could be excluded or placed on the also-eligible list behind far less-accomplished horses such as the California-based Laoban, who is winless in three starts with earnings of $21,250. Tom’s Ready, besides being graded-stakes-placed, has earned nearly $100,000.

Gift Box was withdrawn from Risen Star consideration Wednesday, and it’s starting to look like the race might not overfill, but racing officials and track stewards planned to meet Thursday morning to try to clarify the situation. Published race conditions must be approved by the Louisiana Racing Commission, which suggests that the rules governing entry for stakes this season can’t be altered, but complicating the issue is that the early nominating form for the Louisiana Derby, which includes nomination to the Lecomte and Risen Star, included no mention of the provision regarding an owner’s second horse.

High hopes for Leigh Court

The 6-year-old Leigh Court overcame a troubled start to win the Mardi Gras Stakes on Tuesday by three-quarters of a length in her first start since October. There aren’t a lot of suitable races for the mare in the coming weeks, and it’s entirely possible that Leigh Court won’t race until the Keeneland meet in October, but her connections hope to return the talented mare to Grade 1 competition if all goes well.

Leigh Court, purchased by the Speedway Stable two years ago, was brought back for a 2016 campaign, trainer Mike Stidham said, in part to try to make her a millionaire. After winning the $60,000 Mardi Gras, Leigh Court’s purse earnings stand at $708,331. Leigh Court only raced three times last year, finishing second twice in solid graded-stakes-class races, but the win Tuesday was her first since she won the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America in October 2014.

“That’s definitely what we were looking for, a little confidence builder, get her back in the winner’s circle and hopefully build off it,” Stidham said. “She’s won at two turns on grass, and our goal is to keep her fresh and happy for the spring and summer and capitalize on all the racing there is. It would be nice to try and win a race like the Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont. Those are some of the things we’d like to point for if we can keep her happy and healthy like she is now.”

Few probables for Rachel Alexandra

Entries for the Feb. 20 Rachel Alexandra Stakes will be taken Friday, and the race that has produced the last two Kentucky Oaks winners, Untapable and Lovely Maria, could go with a field of only five or so entrants.

Stageplay, who had a strong six-furlong team workout with Risen Star hopeful Gun Runner timed in 1:12.20 on Monday, will be the Rachel Alexandra favorite. Midnight on Oconee, an improved second behind Stageplay in the Jan. 16 Silverbulletday, worked five furlongs Monday in 1:01.40 and also is a probable Rachel Alexandra runner, along with Forever Darling and Lemon Drop Belle. But after that, things get fuzzy.

Turf sprint feature Friday

The highest-class racing on Friday’s nine-race program is a first-level turf-sprint allowance for fillies and mares. Carded as race 8, the feature drew 10 entrants, including the coupled pair of Sing One Song and One Liz, both owned by Frank Calabrese and trained by Wayne Catalano.

Chiding, heavily bet in a winning comeback race on dirt last out, could be favored again for the high-percentage team of trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux. Jokasa, 8-1 on the morning-line, also exits a dirt win and moves up in class, but she’ll be a much higher price than Chiding and, unlike that filly, shows a previous race – a good one, too – over the Fair Grounds grass course.