KY-based Oevre, Hoosier Philly sweep Fair Grounds stakes
Fair Grounds stakes recaps by publicist Kevin Kilroy (Hodges Photography photos over Oevre winning Nelson Benard Memorial)
New Orleans, La (Dec. 26, 2024) – Older fillies and mares took centerstage at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots on Thursday as Dick Perkins’ Oeuvre added a third consecutive title in the $100,000 Nelson J. Menard Memorial and Gold Standard Racing Stable’s Hoosier Philly went wire-to-wire to win the $100,000 Joseph E. “Spanky” Broussard Memorial. Both horses are stabled and race much of the year in Kentucky.
Taken off the turf, the Menard scratched down to six runners for the 5 1/2 furlong sprint over the fast main track.
Drawing widest, Speedy Traveler broke out but quickly recovered to make the lead, setting opening fractions of :22.19 and 45.10. Oeuvre settled near the back of the compact pack, but began to move into contention, advancing wide in the turn. Targeting the loose leader Speedy Traveler, Oeuvre was all heart to dig in and run her down, besting the Phil Bauer trainee to win by a head with a final time of 1:04.26.
“She’s got a ton of heart,” jockey David Cohen said. “What a pleasure to be a part of her story. She just lays it down, finds her target, grits it out, knows where the wire is, and makes my job easy.”
Making the Menard her sixth local stakes title, the 6-year-old Illinois-bred trained by Chris Block has now amassed $993,886 in career earnings with a lifetime record of 34-18-5-4.
“This filly is pretty amazing,” Block said. “I’ve got to give all the credit to my crew back there. They do a fantastic job. All I do is call the shots from afar. They do the rest. Really and truly it’s all about (Oeuvre). She’s got the heart of a lion. She’s all racehorse.”
The Pan Zareta winner Accomplished Girl held out for third in a photo over Runninwiththeboyz.
Oeuvre paid $4.40, $2.60, and $2.10.
With likely pacesetter Nom de Plume stumbling from the gates, Hoosier Philly broke sharply from the rail and beat her five foes to the lead in the 1 mile 70 yards Broussard. The 4-year-old cruised comfortably under Edgar Morales through opening quarters of :24.53 and :48.35. After pulling away from the field down the stretch, Hoosier Philly crossed the wire 4 ¾ lengths in front and stopped the clock at 1:43.20.
“Thank you to Tom and the owners for this opportunity,” Morales said. “She’s been working really good. We were really confident going into this race. She took the lead and cruised all the way around there. When I asked her turning for home, it was game on.”
Trained by Tom Amoss, Hoosier Philly’s win in the Broussard was her fifth added money title, along with the Golden Rod (G2). With a lifetime record of 16-6-1-1, Hoosier Philly’s bankroll now totals $924,455.
“We did have to stop on her because she had a throat issue that we took care of,” Amoss said. “It had probably been lingering a long time but it didn’t really show itself. Her training for this race had been brilliant. But she’s always been a brilliant horse in the morning. This was a test for the horse to see what she can do. We’re very excited about her and looking forward to a 2025 campaign.”
Sent off as the 4-5 post-time favorite, the Into Mischief filly paid $3.80, $3.00, and $2.20.
Nom de Plume rallied late to beat out Tryinmyheartout for second. Lexa rounded out the superfecta.
Stakes action at Fair Grounds picks back up on Saturday with the $100,000 Woodchopper and the $100,000 Pago Hop. Both added money events attracted deep, classy fields of 3-year-old turf runners. Including also eligibles, the average field size for Saturday’s 10-race program is 11.3 runners. First post is 12:45 p.m. CT.
