Title Ready Notches First Stakes Victory, Upsetting Blackberry Wine And Wells Bayou In Louisiana Sponsored by:
Title Ready pulls away to win the Louisiana Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths under Brian Hernandez Jr.
Spoiling the comeback of Wells Bayou, winner of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in 2020, the Charles Fipke homebred Title Ready kicked in with a strong stretch punch to win the G3 Louisiana Stakes for older horses at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., on Saturday.
Ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., the Dallas Stewart-trained son of More Than Ready covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.27, winning by 1 1/4 lengths and paying $13 as the fifth choice in the wagering. Seven horses went postward, with Wells Bayou the 2-1 favorite and Blackberry Wine second choice at 3-1.
Title Ready rallies for first stakes victory in Louisiana
Title Ready rallies for first stakes victory in Louisiana Photo:
Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges Jr.
Title Ready ran down pacesetter Blackberry Wine in deep stretch to win the $125,000
Louisiana Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at Fair Grounds on Saturday and earn his first career stakes victory for trainer Dallas Stewart.
Blackberry Wine broke in front and took the field nearly all the way around while carving moderate fractions of 25.28, 49.53, 1:13.91 and 1:38.05 for a mile. He was pursued for most of the race by last year s Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Wells Bayou, who was sent off the 2-1 favorite in his first start since last May
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Louisiana preview: Good comeback spot for Wells Bayou
Fair Grounds Communications Photo:
Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir
It has been a long road back, but
Wells Bayou, who won last year’s Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, makes his much-anticipated return in Saturday’s $125,000
Louisiana (G3) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
The 1 1/16-mile race is a key supporting feature on the six-stakes Road to the Derby card and could prove the pivotal comeback race in a 2021 handicap division lacking any true standouts.
Carded as race 10, the Louisiana is the second leg of the $100,000 guaranteed “All Stakes Pick Five” and the first leg of the $150,000 guaranteed “All Stakes Pick Four.” Both sequences conclude with the Lecomte (G3), which is carded as the finale on a 13-race extravaganza.
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Pixelate is up in time to win the Del Mar Derby under Umberto Rispoli
Even though Godolphin LLC s homebred Pixelate is be the class of the field in Saturday s $75,000 Woodchopper, he s going to have to earn the victory as he leads the way over a strong field of 3-year-olds. The Woodchopper, run at about one bodemile on the Stall-Wilson Turf Course at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., drew a baker s dozen, including a quintet of stakes winners.
Pixelate (post 5 at 4-1 with Angel Suarez) has been a top-level performer from the start for trainer Mike Stidham. He won the Central Park at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old to conclude a 2-for-4 freshman campaign, and the son of City Zip has only progressed from there. It took him a bit to get over a class hump this year, but Pixelate picked the right time to break through, winning the Del Mar Derby (G2) in September. He followed up with a close fifth in the Belmont Derby (G1) in October, and enters off a closing fourth