Whoa Nellie outlasts Beautiful Trauma in Broussard Stakes

Beautiful Trauma had the lead and control of the $75,000 Joseph E. “Spanky” Broussard stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds and jockey Florent Geroux didn’t seem to care.

Geroux was riding odds-on Whoa Nellie, and all he seemed concerned with was keeping the leader in range. Whoa Nellie traveled strongly, right up in the bridle, from the start of the Broussard, and Geroux’s confidence was not misplaced. Whoa Nellie collared Beautiful Trauma at the quarter pole, and while the pacesetter didn’t immediately melt away, Whoa Nellie began edging clear at the furlong grounds and crossed the wire about 3 1/2 lengths best.

Beautiful Trauma held off third-place Lady Apple to hold onto second.

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Off splits of 24.18, 47.44, and 1:11.97, Whoa Nellie ($3.60) was timed in 1:43.68 for 1 mile, 70 yards on a fast dirt track.

Whoa Nellie has turned into a really nice 4-year-old filly for trainer Larry Jones and owner Fox Hill Farm. By Orb out of Allegheny Angel, by Medaglia d’Oro, Whoa Nellie was bred in Kentucky by Doug Branham and Felicia Branham. Whoa Nellie bumped her form to a new peak about a year ago and parlayed that into a win in the Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn and a second-place finish there in the Bayakoa last February. She didn’t start between the Bayakoa and a third-place finish Nov. 21 in the Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs, and the filly improved considerably off that one-turn mile to post an encouraging victory Saturday.

Fair Grounds lacks races in her division, with one obvious goal the Houston Ladies Classic next month at Sam Houston.