This weekend marks the opening of the winter meet at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., celebrated with six restricted stakes races as a preview for next month's Louisiana Champions day. Three stakes for state-bred fillies will be held on Friday, and three for males on Saturday.
Del Mar's Bing Crosby meet offers up a stakes doubleheader on Saturday, as does Gulfstream Park, with the former also carding the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes for juveniles on Sunday's card.
Among those tracks expecting to be hit hard by frigid temperatures this weekend:
Churchill Downs' weekend feature is a filly and mare matchup over a one-turn mile in the Grade 3 Chilukki on Saturday's card.
Woodbine's highlight for the weekend is in Sunday's Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes, which could carry Sovereign Award implications.
Aqueduct will put on three stakes, one Saturday and two Sunday, to highlight the New York racing action.
Coming up on Monday is the $250,000 Steel Valley Sprint for 3-year-olds at Mahoning Valley, which drew a field of 11 topped by Grade 2 winner Scaramouche.
Saturday
5:35 p.m. – Grade 3 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs
Kueber Racing's two-time stakes-winning filly Coach will attempt to collect her first victory in graded stakes company as the headliner in Saturday's $300,000 Chilukki Stakes (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs.
Chief among Coach's rivals in the Chilukki is Grade 3 winner Center Aisle. Owned by Larry Best's OXO Equine and trained by Paulo Lobo, Center Aisle won the $100,000 Sugar Swirl (G3) last year at Gulfstream Park. Following two disappointing efforts against Grade 1 competition in the $500,000 Madison and $750,000 Derby City Distaff (G1), Center Aisle returned against allowance foes where she finished a determined head in front of Chandana on Oct. 9 at Keeneland. Jockey Gerardo Corrales will be in the saddle for the Chilukki from post No. 3.
Also entered in the Chilukki is Rigney Racing's $150,000 Mistletoe Stakes winner Mariah's Princess. Trained by Phil Bauer, Mariah's Princess made the first start of her 4-year-old campaign on Oct. 29 at Keeneland where she made a sweeping four-wide move at the head of the stretch to take the lead in the 1 1/16-mile allowance event but gave way late to eventual winner Le Da Vida (CHI). Jockey Martin Garcia will be aboard Mariah's Princess from post 2.
Chilukki Entries
Sunday
4:58 p.m. – Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine
Secret Reserve will chase his second graded stakes crown when he goes postward in Sunday's Grade 2, $175,000 Kennedy Road, at Woodbine.
Trained by Mike Mattine for Carlo D'Amato and Stacey Van Camp, Secret Reserve will take on 10 rivals in the 6-furlong main track race for 3-year-olds and up. The Ontario-bred heads into the Kennedy Road with a 5-1-2 mark from 11 starts. This season, the 4-year-old son of Giant Gizmo is 1-0-2 from four starts.
In his most recent effort, in the Grade 3 Vigil on September 25, Secret Reserve endured a difficult trip, where he was blocked and then steadied at the 3/16th pole, winding up third, 1 ½ lengths behind the winner, Lucky Score, who is also set to contest the Kennedy Road.
Kennedy Road Entries
7:00 p.m. – Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar
Trainer Bob Baffert has entered a trio in this seven-furlong contest for 2-year-olds, with Newgate perhaps having the top credentials after a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland last out. Newgate pressed the pace early and faded late, so the cutback in distance should work in his favor. Also flattering his effort is that the winner of that race, Forte, went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
The trainer's other entrants are: Havnameltdown, most recently ran second in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, and Hard To Figure, who broke his maiden last out in the listed Capote Stakes at Los Al.
Perhaps best of the other four entrants is Practical Move for trainer Tim Yakteen. The Practical Joke colt broke his maiden via DQ last out, but could rebound with the help of the shorter distance here.
Bob Hope Entries
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