Fair Grounds Horse Racing Picks for Saturday 12/12/20
It's a great time to dive into horse racing, and TVG gives you the chance to do just that.
Starting at 1:00 p.m. EST, we have 13 races at Fair Grounds Race Course. Here are some of the best bets.
As always, check the program for scratches and changes, and check the weather and track conditions.
It’s a big day of racing at the Fair Grounds, and all Louisiana Champions Day stakes races are for Louisiana-bred horses. Light rain is in the forecast with up to a 60 percent chance of rain, so check the track conditions and any races taken off the turf.
(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions.)
Southern Liaison, Race 7
TVG Racing Odds: 5/1
Race 7 is the $100,000 Ladies Sprint Stakes for fillies and mares, and it's sprinting 6 furlongs. Guaranteed Tip Sheet projects Southern Liaison (5/1) to outkick Mr. Al’s Gal (3/1) to the finish. Those two break from the inside posts in a field of eight. Diamond Crazy (7/2) is also a contender with three wins in five starts at Fair Grounds.
Horse Racing Radar notes Southern Liaison is 2-for-2 at the Fair Grounds and 3-for-3 at this distance. She ran to an 82 speed figure when winning by 7 1/2 lengths in her last race at the end of July. A sharp 5-furlong workout a week ago has her ready for her return. Should the track come up sloppy and wet, then Mr. Al’s Gal becomes a top pick as he’s won seven races in 10 starts on an off track.
Chu Chu’s Legacy, Race 10
TVG Racing Odds: 5/2
Race 10 is the $100,000 Juvenile Stakes for 2-year-olds, and it is going 6 furlongs. Cohere (8/1) won his debut as a big longshot here two weeks ago and now steps up and faces winners, looking for improved speed and another wire-to-wire win. Horse Racing Radar notes that Chu Chu’s Legacy (9/2) is 3-for-4 and tied for the top last-race speed figure, which came in a wire-to-wire win as favorite against a large field in a state bred stakes race here in September. He’s working sharply for his return.
Standing Perfect (8/1) was another debut winner in September and had a bullet workout this past week. Sir Wellington (3/1) is a favorite and finished fifth last month against stakes company but has run faster in two previous starts and gets first time Lasix.
Sydster and Jus Lively, Race 12
TVG Racing Odds: 5/1 and 8/1
Race 12 is the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic at 1 1/8 miles. A field of eight 3-year-olds and up is set, and the favorites could be vulnerable.
Shang (8/5) has won 4-of-5 with a runner-up finish at Fair Grounds for top trainer Steve Asmussen and is the one to beat. Underpressure (5/2) has hit the board in 7-of-8 at Fair Grounds and should fire fresh after the long layoff. He won this race in 2018 and is one to include in Exacta and Trifecta wagering. Sydster (5/1) is also entered on the turf in Race 11, so check status and entries. Sydster is 3-for-5 and won the Crescent City Derby here in March. Jockey Florent Geroux rides again, and he’s 2-for-2 aboard Sydster.
Grand Luwegee (10/1) is winless in his last seven starts and has been off since August. Trainer Steve Asmussen already has 5 wins and 4 runner-up finishes with his runners in 19 starts at the meet. Asmussen has favorite Shang along with Jus Lively (8/1). Jus Lively finished second three weeks ago off a long layoff, and in 2019 he finished second but 8 lengths behind Shang in another local stakes race. Jus Lively is capable of closing the gap from off the pace and may be suited to this distance.
