Recent grade II winners Magna Graduate and Super Frolic have each been assigned 120 pounds and are co-highweights for Saturday's $400,000-added New Orleans Handicap (gr. II), the biggest race of the Fair Grounds meet at Harrah's Louisiana Downs.Magna Graduate, conditioned by record-setting trainer Todd Pletcher, won the Clark Handicap (gr. II) on Thanksgiving weekend at Churchill Downs in his most recent start. Super Frolic was fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (gr. I) in his last outing, but captured the Hawthorne Gold Cup (gr. II) two starts ago.Choctaw Nation, winner of the last two runnings of the grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, was assigned 119 pounds, while Chilean-bred Trotamondo, coming off a victory in the Native Diver Handicap (gr. III) at Hollywood Park, is at 118.
Three horses were assigned 117, including a pair of grade II winners: Brass Hat, who is coming off a win in the Prairie Bayou at Turfway Park, and Preachinatthebar, from the Bob Baffert stable. Also assigned 117 was Mr. Trieste, who has not tried graded stakes company but went undefeated in five starts as a 4-year-old, including four stakes wins.The group at 116 includes Alumni Hall, winner of the Fayette (gr. III) at Keeneland and trained by two-time New Orleans Handicap winner Neil Howard and Philanthropist, who won the Queens County Handicap (gr. III) in his last start for Hall of Fame trainer Claude "Shug" McGaughey.
