Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
FAIR GROUNDS
Zipessa might take on the boys in Muniz Memorial
There has not been a dominant older-male turf horse at Fair Grounds this winter. Enterprising won the most recent stakes race in the division, the Fair Grounds Handicap on Feb. 25, after finishing second in the Sunshine Millions Turf, a statebred-restricted stakes at Gulfstream Park.
That has trainer Mike Stidham thinking outside the box regarding the 5-year-old mare Zipessa, whom he is considering running against male horses April 1 in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial.
Zipessa fairly quietly put together a very strong 2016 campaign. She won 2 of 7 starts, including the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny at Parx, while earning more than $350,000. She finished third in the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington after setting a strong pace, second by less than a length in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita, and finished out her season by closing from last of 13 to finish fifth, beaten barely more than three lengths, in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
Zipessa got a winter break in Florida, began farm training there with Randy Bradshaw, and came to Fair Grounds in January surprisingly far along. She has logged three timed workouts already and, according to her trainer, should be ready to race by the end of the meet.
“She’ll have time to work several more times, and as long as she is doing as well as she is right now, she’ll run here,” Stidham said. “We’re nominated to the New Orleans Ladies. That’s only a $50,000 race, so we’re also nominating to the Mervin Muniz. If we get what we want into her, we’ll definitely consider running in one of those races.”
Another Stidham turf horse of note, Rapid Rhythm, was scheduled to be retired to become a broodmare after winning the Mardi Gras Stakes on Feb. 28, her third straight victory. That plan has not been scrapped – only altered.
Stidham said Rapid Rhythm will travel north with his stable to Kentucky and will be pointed for the Giant’s Causeway, a turf sprint next month at Keeneland. She still has a date to be bred to Tonalist but could continue racing while in foal through the spring and summer.
Another Stidham filly, Arlington-Washington Lassie winner Diadura, also is back breezing after a layoff. Diadura is nominated to the Bourbonette Oaks on March 30 at Turfway but might not be quite ready for that race, according to Stidham.
Wainscott back on dirt
For better or worse, Fair Grounds is required by the state of Louisiana to race 81 Thoroughbred dates during its season. Handle has been strongest during March at recent meets, so Fair Grounds this season will race three Mondays in a row this month.
The first of those cards is this Monday, a 10-race program light on quality and heavy on inscrutability. One horse, however, could stand out in the featured ninth race, a firstlevel allowance carded for six furlongs on dirt.
Dirt – that appears to be the key for Wainscott. The Larry Jones-trained 4-year-old set the pace in a Jan. 20 race at this class level and distance, dug deep, and held on until deep stretch before giving way to Redesdale.
While Redesdale came right back to impressively win a second-level allowance race, Wainscott underwent a turf experiment Feb. 18. It failed, with Wainscott coming home a flat fifth. A return to dirt could get Wainscott his well-deserved first win this winter.