Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Beau Recall seeks happy end to meet in New Orleans Ladies
NEW ORLEANS – Relocating to Fair Grounds has proven beneficial for Beau Recall, who in two starts this meet owns a win and a second. The Southern California transplant will seek to end the season on a high note Saturday when she faces eight older female grass horses, including her Brad Cox-trained stablemate Sensitive, in the $75,000 New Orleans Ladies.
Beau Recall most recently finished second in the Al Stall Memorial at about 1 1/16 miles, the same distance she’ll traverse in Saturday’s race 4. Cox said he is hoping for a sharp pace to set up her late run.
“She needs a pace setup. That’s her,” Cox said.
Sensitive is making her first start since May, after taking ill. She has won off the bench before – witness her victory in July 2017 at Ellis Park – and her comeback race in 2018 was compromised by a lack of pace.
“We gave her plenty of time to recover after she got sick,” Cox said. “This is a big ask off the bench, but there aren’t a lot of options and she’s ready to go.”
The biggest threat to Cox’s mares appears to be Flower Party, who makes her first start in the United States after winning 6 of 9 in Italy, where she finished fourth in a Group 1 race in her final start. She won her debut at 2, and her first start off a layoff at 3, so she should fire fresh in her first start at 4 for the powerful combination of trainer Mike Stidham and jockey Joe Bravo.
Costa Rising
Monte Man has spent the bulk of his career on dirt, but a switch to turf at meet’s end worked out so well last year that a similar plan is in effect this year. He’ll try to win the $60,000 Costa Rising for statebred older turf sprinters for a second straight year as he seeks his ninth win in 11 starts since being claimed by trainer Ron Faucheux and placed in Louisiana-bred races.
“He’s so consistent. He runs his race every time,” said Faucheux, who hasn’t run Monte Man on turf since last year’s Costa Rising, in which he got a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 89. He enters this race off an optional-claiming win last month on dirt, also with an 89.
The Costa Rising, at about 5 1/2 furlongs, goes as race 9 at Fair Grounds on Saturday. It drew 16 horses, including two also-eligibles.
Faucheux also entered the filly Fame Feather, who takes on males for the first time but has been a terror in turf sprints at Fair Grounds, winning 4 of 5.
There are plenty of contenders. Wonder Run beat Monte Man on the dirt last month, the speedy Roger Brown looks like the one to catch, and Afleet Ascent is an intriguing turn-back play.
Crescent City Derby
A poor start cost Shang in his debut, but he’s made no mistakes since and he’ll be favored to record his fourth straight victory when he meets 11 Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds in the $75,000 Crescent City Derby, which goes as race 6 on Saturday’s Fair Grounds card.
Shang beat maidens and allowance company at Fair Grounds before stretching out to win going a mile at Delta Downs last time out, and now he gets even more distance at 1 1/16 miles.
“He ran an impressive race at Delta and he’s training forwardly. I expect another big effort out of him again,” said Scott Blasi, the top assistant to Shang’s trainer, Steve Asmussen.
The Asmussen barn also sends out Jus Lively, who won an allowance race at a mile and 70 yards last time out but who landed the outside post here.
Sharp Witted, 2 for 2 sprinting and trained by Tom Amoss, looks like the main danger to the Asmussen pair as he tries to carry his speed around two turns.
◗ Midnight Fantasy looks to avenge the lone loss of her career when she faces Goodprofit, who upset her last time out at Delta Downs, in the $75,000 Crescent City Oaks for 3-year-old Louisiana-bred fillies, race 2 on the card. Midnight Fantasy had won all three of her previous starts, but her last race marked her first at two turns, and now she tacks on an additional 70 yards to the mile at which she was beaten last time.