Wind Chill Factor may be primed to peak in Ladies Sprint

In a Nov. 22 allowance race for Louisiana-bred female sprinters at Fair Grounds, the filly Wind Chill Factor fell into a lovely tracking trip, came out for her run at the top of the stretch, and promptly lost all her momentum, crossing the finish line a one-paced third. In a vacuum, the performance could have been termed disappointing, but that race was written as a prep for the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint, and what sane horseman would tighten the screws for a $43,000 allowance race with a $100,000 stakes three weeks later?

Wind Chill Factor makes her third start back from a long layoff in the Ladies Sprint, a six-furlong race for Louisiana-bred fillies and mares, and since she won the Champions Day Juvenile Fillies with speed to spare one year ago, she is qualified to move forward Saturday and win at a fair price. Trainer Gary Scherer has put just one easy half-mile into Wind Chill Factor since the prep race, but there’s probably no need to work her fast or often. The race itself was the tightener for the stakes try, and Wind Chill Factor can work out another good trip Saturday from post 2 under Denny Velazquez.

Contention runs deep though in the Ladies Sprint, as evidenced by the 9-2 odds on morning-line favorite Fancy Madelyn, the filly who won that Nov. 22 prep. Fancy Madelyn is in for a pressured front-end trip Saturday, and seems likelier to regress than repeat her most recent race, and more appealing options, along with Wind Chill Factor, are Platinum Lady, Alivia’s Lion, and Lady Grantham.

No standout 2-year-olds

It’s not easy winnowing the contender lists in either the $100,000 Juvenile or the $100,000 Lassie, both contested at six furlongs on dirt.

The Juvenile, race 11, drew a full field of 14, plus one also-eligible, and the least experienced horse in the race, David’s Approval, holds some appeal.

Trained by Andy Leggio for owner-breeder Glen Warren, David’s Approval debuted Nov. 21 at Fair Grounds, made the lead in the mud, and held on to win what seemed like a solid race by a half-length. Opening-week Louisiana-bred maiden races have yielded Champions Day Juvenile winners in the past, and David’s Approval has a chance to make a clear early lead under noted gate rider Cisco Torres.

Finding the favorite feels nearly impossible, but Bayou Banker figures shorter than his 8-1 morning line, and might be worth opposing. His last-start win over open maidens at Churchill has some superficial shine, but that was a two-turn race in which Bayou Banker made an easy lead, and he might be far less capable as a closing sprinter. Others to consider are Mageez, Sea Vow, and G’s Josh.

It’s a similar story in the Lassie, race 8, which attracted 13 entrants. Here the morning-line favorite is 7-2 Cajun Conoseir, winner of the fillies division of the Shine Young Futurity at Evangeline Downs last summer and unbeaten in three starts. A layoff dating to Aug. 8 causes no great concern, considering the strong work done by trainer Steve Flint with fresh horses, but her signature win in the Shine Young was made easier when the even-money favorite clipped heels and fell, and a 42-1 shot finished second. Moreover, Cajun Conoseir will want to show speed in a race that’s top heavy with pace horses.

And considering the likely race shape, bettors might consider longshot Flying Tinkerbell. She did her best work very late in a 5 1/2-furlong Fair Grounds maiden race Nov. 20, coming up the rail to finish second and gallop out in front. Flying Tinkerbell made her first three starts facing open company in Maryland and California.

Another maiden, Conquest Tiz One, will take betting and rates a chance if her connections choose this spot over a maiden race on the Saturday card. Conquest Tiz One makes her first start for trainer Mike Stidham, and showed good speed finishing second in a Keeneland maiden sprint last out.

No prep for Pacific Pink

Pacific Pink hasn’t raced since Sept. 19, but layoffs like that often mean only good things when it comes to horses trained by Eddie Johnston. Johnston has a 31 percent strike rate with mid-term layoffs like Pacific Pink’s, and she’s the most likely winner of the $100,000 Champions Day Ladies, the first Thoroughbred stakes on the card.

Equally adept on turf and dirt, Pacific Pink has just enough tactical pace to keep likely lone speed Heatseeker Sharon in her sights, and probably stays the race’s 1 1/16 miles better than Heatseeker Sharon.