Brendan Walsh sent out the winners of two stakes races on the Saturday card at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. First into the charmed circle after the Albert Stall Memorial Stakes was Godolphin’s Lake Lucerne, a 6-year-old homebred mare that began her career in England before joining the Walsh string in 2021. Placed closer to the pace than usual by jockey Tyler Gaffalione, she withstood some herding that forced her wide down the lane to prevail by two lengths. She paid $5.40 to win in this turf route.
“We gave her a little bit more of a warm-up today and I think that mentally got her into focus more than previous starts,” Gaffalione said. “She showed me a really good kick for home and was able to get it done.”
Lake Lucerne looked like she might be destined for bigger and better things after knocking off a pair of allowance conditions two years ago but 12 subsequent efforts against stakes company were unavailing.
Three hours later, Walsh, Gaffalione and Godolphin were again victorious via the heels of Pretty Mischievous in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes. The 3-year-old filly tracked the pacesetter in the early stages of this mile and one-sixteenth affair on the main track, made a race of it in upper stretch and drew away gradually in the final sixteenth to win by three-quarters of a length. She returned $18.20 to win.
“We were quietly confident she’d be good enough and today we found out she is,” Walsh said. “Now, we’ll see how she comes out of things, talk things over with the ownership team and get her to be one hundred ten percent [for the Kentucky Oaks] in May.”
Pretty Mischievous now sports a 4-for-5 lifetime mark. This was her first graded stakes win and she got revenge here on the pair that finished ahead of her in the Golden Rod at Churchill Downs in November.
James Graham also rode a winner on the stakes-laden Fair Grounds card. He had the seat on Two Emmys, winner of the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes in frontrunning fashion. The 7-year-old gelding was always in control in this nine furlongs over firm turf and reached the wire four lengths in front. Two Emmys paid $5.60 to win.
Backers of Money’s Worth in Tampa Bay Downs’s eighth race on Wednesday certainly got theirs when the 4-year-old filly drew off late under Angel Suarez to post a two-length victory in this first-level allowance/optional claiming sprint on the main track. Running in the colors of the Rooney family’s Shamrock Farm, the homebred has now won two of four lifetime starts. This was her first foray outside of Maryland, which might account for her robust $29.00 win mutuel.
