It may be a light weekend for graded stakes, but there are no fewer than 23 non-graded stakes from coast-to-coast on Saturday, including the Winter Carnival Day card at Laurel Park, Sunshine Day for Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park and California Cup Day for Cal-breds or California-sired runners at Santa Anita.
Fair Grounds in New Orleans has a 13-race card with six stakes in all, two of them graded, including the G3 Lecomte, a qualifying points race for the G1 Kentucky Derby. Aqueduct offers the 150th running of the Ladies Handicap, and Tampa Bay Downs presents the Pasco and Gasparilla for 3-year-olds and 3-year-old fillies, respectively, that may have designs on official Derby and Kentucky Derby points races down the road at the Oldsmar, Fla., track.
The action at Laurel gets under way at 12:25 p.m. (all times Eastern) with a nine-race card featuring six consecutive stakes beginning with the Geisha (Race 3, 1:23 p.m.) for older fillies and mares going one mile. The stakes finale at Laurel is the inaugural running of the Spectacular Bid for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs, where a field of nine will go postward.
Winter Carnival Day entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/RaceCardIndexLRL011621USA-EQB.html
Gulfstream Park's 12-race program starts at 11:45 a.m. ET, with the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf Stakes kicking off the stakes action in the eighth race at 3:15 p.m. The stakes that follow consecutively are the Sunshine Classic, Sunshine Sprint and Sunshine Turf.
Sunshine Day entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GP011621USA-EQB.html
California Cup Day has 10 races including five stakes for state-bred runners. First post is noon locally (3 p.m. ET) and the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf gets the stakes going in the day's fourth race at 4:30 p.m. ET. Field sizes throughout the day are large, with 105 horses entered in the 10 races.
Cal Cup Day entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/RaceCardIndexSA011621USA-EQB.html
Here's a quick look at the graded stakes
Saturday, Jan. 16
5:23 p.m. ET – $125,000 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds
Wells Bayou, the G2 Louisiana Derby winner in 2020 in front-running fashion, makes his first start in the G3 Louisiana Stakes since finishing a well-beaten fifth in a division of the G1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn last May 2. Will he be ready to fire his best off the layoff? Blackberry Wine figures to be breathing down the neck of Wells Bayou and comes off a sharp score in allowance company at Fair Grounds Dec. 13, earning a 98 Beyer Speed Figure in the process. Silver Prospector will be running late in this 1 1/16-mile main track race.
https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG011621USA10-EQB.html
6:49 p.m. ET – $200,000 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds
Trainer Michael Stidham appears to have a strong one-two punch in this G3 Kentucky Derby points race (note that none of the 11 starters will be treated with race-day Lasix in accordance with the eligibility rules for Derby points). Proxy has won two straight at Fair Grounds for Stidham, and this Tapit colt was produced from Panty Raid, winner of the G1 American Oaks on turf and the G1 Spinster on dirt. His other Lecomte runner is Manor House, an upstart gelding who won his debut at Laurel in December by 12 1/4 lengths. Both showed speed and there are several others in the lineup who could make things very competitive on the front end. That could set things up for the stretch-running colt Midnight Bourbon from the Steve Asmussen barn.
https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG011621USA13-EQB.html
Sunday, Jan. 17
6:30 p.m. ET – $100,000 Astra Stakes at Santa Anita
Racing fans will get a glimpse of Santa Anita's famous hillside turf course as the nine fillies and mares in the 1 1/2-mile Astra Stakes begin their journey on that course, cross over the main track, then travel once around the turf oval. Quick, the 5-2 morning line favorite trained by John Sadler, has just one victory from eight starts since being imported from England. Second choice Altea, a French-bred formerly trained by Chad Brown but switched to Michael McCarthy prior to her last start in the Dec. 27 Robert J. Frankel (G3), is 1-for-19 in the U.S. since importation from France. Neither inspires great confidence. Avenue de France does like to win, but two of her three career victories from eight starts were in France. She comes off an allowance win for Leonard Powell and might be the “now” horse.
https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA011721USA7-EQB.html
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