Fair Grounds Hosts 'Super Santa Saturday'

Chamberlain Bridge and Daisy Devine are the stars of the show in a pair of $75,000 stakes events at Fair Race Course & Slots on "Super Santa Saturday" Dec. 22.

In addition, there is a third $75,000 stakes on the program as well as two other overnight supporting features at the New Orleans track. Super Santa Saturday is presented by Lee Tractor Co. & Kubota Tractors.

Multiple graded winner Chamberlain Bridge, who heads the $75,000 Bonapaw Stakes, was the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IIT) winner. The 8-year-old gelding owned by Carl Moore also won Fair Grounds’ Colonel Power Stakes earlier that same season as well as last season’s Bonapaw.

The Bret Calhoun trainee will be ridden by Jamie Theriot, and is installed as the 5-2 early choice to defend in the Bonapaw, slated at about 5 1/2 furlongs over the Stall-Wilson turf course. Named to oppose him are Hollywood Hit, China, Cash Refund, Zeb, Next Right Thing, Ready for More, Icon Ike , and Global Power.

James Miller’s multiple graded winner Daisy Devine, heroine of the 2011 Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) as well as last season’s Pago Hop and Mardi Gras at the Crescent City oval, has been pegged as the 4-5 choice in the $75,000 Blushing K. D. Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Andy McKeever trains and Brian Hernandez Jr. is listed to ride the 4-year-old daughter of Kafwain  who claimed the Jenny Wiley Stakes (gr. IT) at Keeneland in April. Her challengers are Necessary Luxury, Aquapazza, Artemus Kitten, Forgotten People, Forest Uproar, and Francisca.

Melnyk Racing’s James Street  is listed at 5-2 in the $75,000 "Buddy" Diliberto Memorial Handicap, also at 1 1/16 miles on turf. The winner of Woodbine’s Autumn Stakes (gr. II) Nov. 10 is trained by Josie Carroll and has defending Fair Grounds jockey champion Rosie Napravnik named in the saddle.

Others entered in the "Buddy D" are Dubious Miss, Workin for Hops, Heavenville, Strike Impact, Skyring, and Hotep.

Two supporting overnight stakes—the $60,000 Sugar Bowl for juveniles and the $60,000 Letellier Memorial for 2-year-old fillies—are also scheduled Saturday.

Gary and Mary West’s Tour Guide has been installed the 7-5 morning line choice in the Sugar Bowl and Pop-A-Top’s Coastal Sunrise is listed at 5-2 in the Letellier.