November 21, 2024
LOUISIANA — By Ed DeRosa
It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for the start of the Fair Grounds meeting with stakes galore for opening weekend including a pair of added money events on opening day, Friday, Nov. 22, in New Orleans.
What’s more, is that we are excited to bet against the favorite in the first stakes of the season, the Joseph R. Peluso Memorial Stakes for Louisiana-bred two-year-olds. This goes as race 5 on the 9-race opening day card, making it an important race for pick 5 players as it both ends the early sequence (races 1-5) and begins the late sequence (races 5-9).
#7 Voila Magic is the morning line favorite, and this makes sense given his win on debut against open company at Keeneland. It is not that that race was unimpressive by any means, it is just that it was not so impressive that I am excited to bet this one as the favorite.
#4 A Million Moon is the most interesting to me given that he is returning to one turn after racing around two turns on the Delta Downs bullring (most dirt tracks in North America are at least one mile around; tracks with a small circumference are referred to as bullrings. Whereas a six-furlong race is one turn at the bigger one-mile tracks, they are two turns at the bullrings). Another positive is that A Million Moon is undefeated on tracks rated as fast.
#1 Tdz Hint of Power is the likely speed, which should work to his advantage going this far on fast dirt for the first time, especially given that blistering work last out signaling a front-end voyage.
#5 Hay Jude figures to get a similar trip as favored Voila Magic, which is another reason I give A Million Moon a shot at a bigger price, as he should be tracking behind #s 5 and 7 chasing the speed of #1.
The other stakes is the Delmar R. Caldwell Memorial Stakes for fillies and mares age 3 and up going six furlongs.
There is plenty of speed signed on here, which sets things up perfectly for the likely favorite, #2 Manama Gold. Jose Ortiz is riding this fall at Fair Grounds, and he teams here with trainer Cherie DeVaux. All they did together a few weeks ago was win the Breeders’ Cup Mile with More Than Looks.
As for this race, Manama Gold should be able to save ground with the inside draw and move when the contentious pace comes back to her. #8 Freeburn would benefit from a scratch of either #6 or #9 so pay attention to that, but this is Manama Gold’s race to lose, and because we’re against the favorite in race 5, I’d be willing to single Manama Gold here in the late pick 5.