The Fair Grounds hasn’t had the easiest time of it thus far this season, what with its turf course having been shut down for repairs, but the New Orleans oval got back on track the day after Christmas with a 13-race extravaganza chock full of stakes races. James Graham and Brendan Walsh took their fair share of the spoils.
Graham brought in the winners of three stakes races, the first of which came aboard Surveillance in the Richard Scherer Memorial Stakes for trainer Keith Desormeaux. Graham rallied the winner to a two-length victory in this main track sprint. Surveillance paid $17.80 as the second-longest shot on the board.
Half an hour later, Graham was back at it aboard Spooky Channel for trainer Jason Barkley in the Buddy Deliberto Memorial Stakes, a grass route. Graham had the 7-year-old gelding involved throughout and pulled away late to win by two lengths. The win mutuel came back $9.80, with the Graham double returning $97.40.
Graham won his third stakes race on the card in the nightcap, the Tenacious Stakes, aboard Happy American for trainer Neil Pessin. They came on late in this main track route, clearing by almost three lengths at the wire, good for $15.20 in the win slot.
Walsh also had three turns in the winner’s circle, two of which came after stakes races. The first of those was in the Joseph “Spanky” Broussard Memorial Stakes with Farfellow Farm’s Moon Swag. The 4-year-old filly has been something of an underachiever, winning only one of 10 races since she was turned over to Walsh, but she came through in a big way here, winning by two and one-half lengths under Corey Lanerie. She paid $6.00 to win.
Pretty Mischievous later took the Untapable Stakes, a main track route for 2-year-old fillies. The Godolphin homebred, ridden by Brian Hernandez, was never far out of contention early and took command at the top of the lane, going on to prevail by three lengths. She has now won three of four lifetime starts. She paid $5.40 to win here as the second choice.
In the seventh race, a maiden special weight route on the main track, Walsh and Hernandez got the money with Banishing, another Godolphin product. The 2-year-old colt dictated the terms of the race out of the starting gate and ran off to win by eight lengths in a time that was five one-hundredths of a second faster than that of the winner in the 2-year-old stakes race run at the same distance later on the card. This was Banishing’s second career start. He returned $6.20 to win as the favorite.
SPRINTING FOR SOME JINGLE
Sibelius returned to winning form for trainer Jerry O’Dwyer in Saturday’s Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old gelding, owned by Jun Park and Della Nash, was a factor throughout the Grade 3 main track sprint. Junior Alvarado tracked the pace aboard Sibelius, gunned for the lead rounding for home and reached the wire in front by two lengths. He paid $11.20 to win. This is the first graded stakes win for Sibelius.
In another main track sprint stakes, David Duggan squeezed another victory out of Drafted in Aqueduct’s Gravesend Stakes on Friday. The 8-year-old gelding just did get up in the last jump to win a photo by the narrowest of margins. Luis Rodriguez Castro rode Drafted, which finished third in the two previous runnings of the Gravesend. He has now won four stakes races in 2022. He paid $14.00 to win. Drafted is owned by Dublin Fjord Stables, Racepoint Stables, Kevin Hilbert and Thomas O’Keefe.
ANOTHER ONE MAKES THE GRADE
Yet another Irish-bred filly trained by Philip D’Amato has turned up in the Santa Anita winner’s circle after a Grade 1 stakes race. Rhea Moon won the American Oaks there the day after Christmas, rallying under Juan Hernandez to get up by a neck at the wire. She paid $15.60 to win.
The late developing Rhea Moon raced twice in Ireland for Ken Condon over a six-day period in August 2021, hitting the board in both starts, after which she was whisked off to the States. She broke her maiden in Arcadia after a couple second-place finishes. The Oaks extended her win streak to three. A versatile sort, her two previous wins, including a Grade 3, were over a mile. The Oaks saw her stretch out to 10 furlongs.
Kevin Molloy bred Rhea Moon, which was foaled at Coolmore in County Tipperary but raised by Molloy at his Luttrellstown operation near Dublin. Rockingham Ranch and Talla Racing now own her.
Eoin Harty sent out a pair of Godolphin first-time starters in Tampa Bay Downs’s seventh race last Wednesday and as the field hurtled toward the finish line, the ghost of Ray Charles was heard telling the wagering public, “You got the wrong one, baby.” Harty’s Dragonera, the 5-1 third choice in this main track sprint for 2-year-old maiden fillies, checked in fourth, while stablemate Froshado toughed it out down the lane under apprentice Laureano Sosa to prevail by a neck. The second-longest shot on the board, Froshado returned $35.00 to win.
