Best Horse Racing Bets Today | Fair Grounds

All eyes will be on Fair Grounds on Saturday as the New Orleans oval brings us an exciting card with six stakes races. Kentucky Derby hopefuls will lead the way with the $250,000 Lecomte Stakes. Headlining the large field in the 1 1/16-mile test will be the romping winner of the Gun Runner Stakes, Built, as well as the promising and undefeated Disco Time. In the female counterpart, Simply Joking is a lukewarm favorite in the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes.

Other races of note from the afternoon include the $175,000 Louisiana Stakes, where Hit Show will be in search of his fourth graded stakes win in his last five starts, and the $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes, which features a wide-open field of 14 older turf females. Without further ado, let’s get to my top picks and plays for an excellent card of racing from Fair Grounds.

Race #8 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes $100,000 1 1/16-Miles Turf - 4:30pm EST

The extremely consistent Minnesota-bred Cupid’s Crush has drawn the rail and been pegged as the morning line favorite in Saturday’s $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes for older females on the turf at Fair Grounds. 

A winner of three straight at Canterbury Park and Keeneland before coming down to New Orleans, the daughter of Cupid was a rallying second in her first race at Fair Grounds in the Pan Zareta Stakes seven weeks ago. Trained by McLean Robertson, she has won five of seven overall on the grass and will look to use her speed to her advantage on Saturday. 

Co-second choice on the morning line is the Mike Maker-trained Stir Crazy.  The 7-year-old mare was beaten just a nose by Cupid’s Crush at Keeneland three starts back and has come back with two solid stakes appearances since. Last time out, she was game winner of the Blushing K D Stakes over the Fair Grounds turf four weeks ago.

An intriguing alternative to Cupid’s Crush and Stir Crazy is the South American import Nanda Dea. A champion miler in her native Argentina, she won her U.S. debut for trainer Ignacio Correas IV at Keeneland in fine style. Overall, she has won seven of her eight starts on the turf. The classy mare is the top pick.

My Play

• $20 Exacta Part Wheel - Nanda Dea over Cupid’s Crush and Stir Crazy = $40

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Race #9 Silverbulletday Stakes $150,000 1-Mile & 70 Yards Dirt - 5:00pm EST

A stakes winner in her career debut, Simply Joking will stretch out and attempt to make it two in a row when she headlines the $150,000 Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds  on Saturday.

A daughter of Practical Joke and trained by Whit Beckman, she was well backed in the 

Letellier Memorial Stakes and proved her supporters right with a game win while going 6-furlongs. She was also bumped at the start. Still, this will be a challenge as she tries two-turns for the first time.

Chief among her rivals is Kenny McPeek-trained Golden Gamble. After breaking her maiden by nine widening lengths at Churchill Downs, the Laoban filly came back with a solid rallying second in the local Untapable Stakes behind the speedy Her Laugh. Having finished well three times going two-turns already, you know she will be closing again here. 

Bred to be a good one, Chasten also merits serious respect in the Silverbulletday. A half-sister to the champion Idiomatic, she rallied nicely to win her career debut seven weeks ago at Churchill Downs. Overall, however, I prefer the experience of Golden Gamble. She is the top pick.

My Play

• $20 Win & Place - Golden Gamble = $40

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Race #11 Louisiana Stakes (Grade 3) $175,000 1 1/16-Miles Dirt - 6:00pm EST

Not quite at the Grade 1 level to this point, Hit Show is putting together a nice career nonetheless. The four-time graded stakes winner will look to add to his accomplishments when he headlines Saturday’s Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds. 

The grey son of Candy Ride put together a three-race winning streak in the second-half of last year, taking graded stakes at three different tracks. Trained by Brad Cox, he came up a little short in his toughest test of the year when third in the Grade 2 Clark Stakes to finish out his 4-year-old season. A tactical type, he will look for a good trip breaking from the rail under Florent Geroux in this one.

Finishing just behind Hit Show in his last two starts, and the co-second choice on the morning line is Cooke Creek. Since moving to the Mike Maker barn last year, the Uncle Mo gelding has been a solid performer. He has plenty of early speed, but this looks to be a race with a strong early pace.

One of the horses ready to pounce if the pace is taxing is the recent stakes winner Skinner. Moved to the barn of Cherie DeVaux after that win in the Grade 3 Native Diver, the son of Curlin will be looking to prove himself outside of California. I’ve always believed he has plenty of talent, and this could be his launching pad to a big season. He is the top pick.

My Plays 

• $10 Exacta Part Wheel - Skinner over Hit Show, Warrior Johnny, and Velocitor = $30

• $5 Exacta Part Wheel - Hit Show, Warrior Johnny, and Velocitor over Skinner  = $15

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Race #12 Lecomte Stakes (Grade 3) $250,000 1 1/16-Miles Dirt - 6:30pm EST

Coming off an impressive 6 3/4-length score last time in the local Gun Runner Stakes, Built merits favoritism when he takes on a full field of Kentucky Derby hopefuls in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

After a disappointing debut behind the highly regarded East Avenue in his career debut, the son of Hard Spun bounced back with a sharp maiden win at Keeneland for trainer Wayne Catalano. In his stakes debut, he shot right to the lead and cruised along for an easy win in the Gun Runner four weeks ago. With more speed signed on for this one, however, he will likely not enjoy such an easy time of it here.

Two horses Built ran away from in the Gun Runner, Magnitude and Admiral Dennis, should be respected here. Although no match for the winner that day, the pace should be different on Saturday and both well liked colts may have the talent to make a step forward off their second and fourth-place finishes respectively.

Perhaps the biggest challenger to the morning line favorite, however, is the unbeaten Disco Time. Trained by Brad Cox, the son of Not This Time has looked the part of a serious racehorse in his first two career starts, both wins at Churchill Downs. Coming off a fast allowance score going one mile last time, he is the top pick.

My Play

• $20 Win & Place - Disco Time = $40

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