Fair Gounds opens Friday, 11/14/08
Trotman
Senior Member
The Fair Grounds 2008-09 race meet, which opens on Friday, Nov. 14, is ready for a huge season of fall-winter racing that promises to be one of the best simulcast signals for Thoroughbred fans the next several months. Purses this season are higher than ever before at the New Orleans oval, and the additional purses are drawing a large horse population from all over North America to ensure big fields and good racing and wagering down on the Bayou from now until March.
The Fair Grounds has always been a quality track with competitive fields, fair and formful results, good stakes races, and highly-bettable wintertime grass racing. This season figures to be even better than usual, however, thanks to a new ontrack slots facility that is pumping money into Fair Grounds' purses resulting in a record $300,000 in daily overnight purses. The added purse money is guaranteed to fill-up Fair Grounds fields with an influx of horses coming from all kinds of out-of-town circuits including horses than last raced at Keeneland, Arlington, Woodbine, Retama, Evangeline Downs, Presque Isle Downs, Remington, Delta Downs, Churchill Downs, and of course, Louisiana Downs.
One of the most notable things for handicappers to discover when it comes to the Fair Grounds, is that the track is one of the fairest tracks in the country when it comes to running styles. Early speed is often referred to as "the universal track bias," and that axiom can hardly be argued based on the results at most conventional dirt tracks, which usually feature a disproportionate number of front-running winners. The good thing about the Fair Grounds, however, seems to be that it remains one of the few tracks that legitimately provide no discernable edge to any one running style. No matter if your horse is a front runner, a pace presser, a stalker, or a closer, it should indeed have a fair chance to succeed and win at Fair Grounds.
One of the most unique aspects of racing at the Fair Grounds is the track's unusual configuration that results in a much longer than average stretch run. By comparison to other one-mile ovals, the Fair Grounds has an atypically long stretch, as demonstrated in the following table:
Track Length of stretch
Fair Grounds 1,346 feet
Oaklawn 1,155 feet
Santa Anita 900 feet
The No. 1 thing the Fair Grounds' lengthy stretch does is level the playing field for off-the-pace runners against the pace setters, leaving a very small sample of horses who are left at a true disadvantage due to the track's layout. Therefore, it is even more important than usual at the Fair Grounds to know the certain types of horses that are at a running-style advantage, and those that are at a disadvantage, before going to the windows to make your selections.
In sprints, both early speed/pressers and the closers can usually be depended on to run well from pretty much any post position. The segment of horses at the most risk from bad trips in Fair Grounds sprints are the mid-pack stalkers, who could get caught in a bad spot wide on the turn if they draw outside posts in big fields. These horses often have to be used too hard to gain position going into the turn, or else end up falling into the Fair Grounds trap of trying to make their middle moves while wide on the turn instead of using the more prudent strategy of waiting until the long straightaway before launching their late bids.
Stay away from stalkers from the far outside posts in Fair Grounds sprints with big fields. If you are looking for a particular group of horses to favor in these Fair Grounds sprints, go ahead and give the advantage to either stretch-running sprinters or middle-distance horses that are cutting back in distance.
Meanwhile, in Fair Grounds route races run at 1 mile & 40 yards and 1 1/16-miles, post position is a key issue thanks to the short run up to the first turn due to the starting gate's close proximity to the turn. Horses that break from wide posts in these races usually suffer wide, ground-losing trips, especially at a 1m & 40 when speed horses and pressers who break from the inside enjoy a huge tactical advantage.
The weather can often be a factor at the Fair Grounds, and a drying out track can sometimes lead to probably the strongest biases you will encounter during the typical Fair Grounds meet. These weather related biases are most likely to appear on the second day following heavy rains after the track has taken a lot of moisture and then had a day to dry out. The day or two after the drying out day is usually the time to key your plays on stalkers and closers who can ride an outside bias to victory with an outside rally to blow by the front runners and/or inside horses.
The Fair Grounds turf course is an extremely interesting beast. Like the main track, it too has an unusual layout with tight turns and a long stretch. Some horses like the Fair Grounds grass course, while others hate it. This results in one of the strongest horse-for-the-course angles at any track. Always give preference to horses who have already proven themselves with wins or strong efforts on the local grass course when evaluating Fair Grounds turf races. The same horses who have been running well on this course tend to be the most reliable horses to bet on to continue to do well. This, of course, goes for all races except for maiden races, where handicappers must revert to pedigree and trainer angles to decipher who the best bets are.
Speaking of trainers, there is always a strong crew of Midwestern and national barns wintering in New Orleans with strings of horses of varying abilities. You can usually count on a few big-name out-of-towners showing up for the Fair Grounds meet with a string of horses. These trainers, however, usually meet with varying degrees of success in relation to the local blue chip barns that can always be counted on to win here at huge percentages including Steve Asmussen, who led Fair Grounds trainers in wins for the seventh time in eight years last season. Last season, Asmussen became the first trainer in Fair Grounds history to average more than one win per day en route to winning a meet-high 86 races.
If you're brave enough to bet against the Asmussen juggernaught at the Fair Grounds, other big name trainers gearing up for the meet include last year's second-leading trainer, Cody Autrey, who won 49 FG races last season, and W. B. Calhoun, who, like Autrey, wins at a very high percentage locally. And of course, don't ever overlook the most prolific Fair Grounds trainer of them all, Tom Amoss, who has been winning races in bunches around here since some of these other guys were in diapers with nine Fair Grounds training titles to his credit in his career. Amoss will once again have a full barn pointing to the Fair Grounds meet.
Back in New Orleans this season will be Bill Mott, who returned to Fair Grounds with a successful local string last year. Mott will be a factor in the Fair Grounds lawn all season long. New this year in the Fair Grounds training ranks will be west coast-based Doug O'Neill, who will be keeping a winter string in New Orleans for the first time. Mott and O'Neill will join other local stalwarts including Al Stall, Dallas Stewart, Michael Stidham, Neil Howard, and Patrick Mouton to win the majority of the races not won by the top quartet of Asmussen, Autrey, Calhoun, and Amoss.
The Fair Grounds jockey colony, as always, will be headlined by Robbie Albarado, who will be going for his seventh local riding title. His top competition again this year figures to come from fellow Louisiana native Jamie Theriot, who stole the meet riding title away from Albarado for the first time last season. Other riding regulars who will be back this season include Eddie Martin, Corey Lanerie, James Graham, E.J. Perrodin, Jesse Campbell, Ramsey Zimmerman, Canadian rider Emma-Jayne Wilson, and Lonnie and Donnie Meche.
The Fair Grounds meet will run four days a week through the first part of the meet in November and December before switching to five-day-a-week racing for the meat and potatoes part of the meet from January to March. Racing will be primarily Thursday through Sunday, with Mondays being added after December 22. Louisiana Derby Day this season will be on March 14. The Louisiana Derby will headline a local stakes schedule worth a total of $6.6 million.
This year more than ever, the Fair Grounds meet will be one of the most enjoyable meets on the annual racing calendar. Don't miss it.
The Fair Grounds has always been a quality track with competitive fields, fair and formful results, good stakes races, and highly-bettable wintertime grass racing. This season figures to be even better than usual, however, thanks to a new ontrack slots facility that is pumping money into Fair Grounds' purses resulting in a record $300,000 in daily overnight purses. The added purse money is guaranteed to fill-up Fair Grounds fields with an influx of horses coming from all kinds of out-of-town circuits including horses than last raced at Keeneland, Arlington, Woodbine, Retama, Evangeline Downs, Presque Isle Downs, Remington, Delta Downs, Churchill Downs, and of course, Louisiana Downs.
One of the most notable things for handicappers to discover when it comes to the Fair Grounds, is that the track is one of the fairest tracks in the country when it comes to running styles. Early speed is often referred to as "the universal track bias," and that axiom can hardly be argued based on the results at most conventional dirt tracks, which usually feature a disproportionate number of front-running winners. The good thing about the Fair Grounds, however, seems to be that it remains one of the few tracks that legitimately provide no discernable edge to any one running style. No matter if your horse is a front runner, a pace presser, a stalker, or a closer, it should indeed have a fair chance to succeed and win at Fair Grounds.
One of the most unique aspects of racing at the Fair Grounds is the track's unusual configuration that results in a much longer than average stretch run. By comparison to other one-mile ovals, the Fair Grounds has an atypically long stretch, as demonstrated in the following table:
Track Length of stretch
Fair Grounds 1,346 feet
Oaklawn 1,155 feet
Santa Anita 900 feet
The No. 1 thing the Fair Grounds' lengthy stretch does is level the playing field for off-the-pace runners against the pace setters, leaving a very small sample of horses who are left at a true disadvantage due to the track's layout. Therefore, it is even more important than usual at the Fair Grounds to know the certain types of horses that are at a running-style advantage, and those that are at a disadvantage, before going to the windows to make your selections.
In sprints, both early speed/pressers and the closers can usually be depended on to run well from pretty much any post position. The segment of horses at the most risk from bad trips in Fair Grounds sprints are the mid-pack stalkers, who could get caught in a bad spot wide on the turn if they draw outside posts in big fields. These horses often have to be used too hard to gain position going into the turn, or else end up falling into the Fair Grounds trap of trying to make their middle moves while wide on the turn instead of using the more prudent strategy of waiting until the long straightaway before launching their late bids.
Stay away from stalkers from the far outside posts in Fair Grounds sprints with big fields. If you are looking for a particular group of horses to favor in these Fair Grounds sprints, go ahead and give the advantage to either stretch-running sprinters or middle-distance horses that are cutting back in distance.
Meanwhile, in Fair Grounds route races run at 1 mile & 40 yards and 1 1/16-miles, post position is a key issue thanks to the short run up to the first turn due to the starting gate's close proximity to the turn. Horses that break from wide posts in these races usually suffer wide, ground-losing trips, especially at a 1m & 40 when speed horses and pressers who break from the inside enjoy a huge tactical advantage.
The weather can often be a factor at the Fair Grounds, and a drying out track can sometimes lead to probably the strongest biases you will encounter during the typical Fair Grounds meet. These weather related biases are most likely to appear on the second day following heavy rains after the track has taken a lot of moisture and then had a day to dry out. The day or two after the drying out day is usually the time to key your plays on stalkers and closers who can ride an outside bias to victory with an outside rally to blow by the front runners and/or inside horses.
The Fair Grounds turf course is an extremely interesting beast. Like the main track, it too has an unusual layout with tight turns and a long stretch. Some horses like the Fair Grounds grass course, while others hate it. This results in one of the strongest horse-for-the-course angles at any track. Always give preference to horses who have already proven themselves with wins or strong efforts on the local grass course when evaluating Fair Grounds turf races. The same horses who have been running well on this course tend to be the most reliable horses to bet on to continue to do well. This, of course, goes for all races except for maiden races, where handicappers must revert to pedigree and trainer angles to decipher who the best bets are.
Speaking of trainers, there is always a strong crew of Midwestern and national barns wintering in New Orleans with strings of horses of varying abilities. You can usually count on a few big-name out-of-towners showing up for the Fair Grounds meet with a string of horses. These trainers, however, usually meet with varying degrees of success in relation to the local blue chip barns that can always be counted on to win here at huge percentages including Steve Asmussen, who led Fair Grounds trainers in wins for the seventh time in eight years last season. Last season, Asmussen became the first trainer in Fair Grounds history to average more than one win per day en route to winning a meet-high 86 races.
If you're brave enough to bet against the Asmussen juggernaught at the Fair Grounds, other big name trainers gearing up for the meet include last year's second-leading trainer, Cody Autrey, who won 49 FG races last season, and W. B. Calhoun, who, like Autrey, wins at a very high percentage locally. And of course, don't ever overlook the most prolific Fair Grounds trainer of them all, Tom Amoss, who has been winning races in bunches around here since some of these other guys were in diapers with nine Fair Grounds training titles to his credit in his career. Amoss will once again have a full barn pointing to the Fair Grounds meet.
Back in New Orleans this season will be Bill Mott, who returned to Fair Grounds with a successful local string last year. Mott will be a factor in the Fair Grounds lawn all season long. New this year in the Fair Grounds training ranks will be west coast-based Doug O'Neill, who will be keeping a winter string in New Orleans for the first time. Mott and O'Neill will join other local stalwarts including Al Stall, Dallas Stewart, Michael Stidham, Neil Howard, and Patrick Mouton to win the majority of the races not won by the top quartet of Asmussen, Autrey, Calhoun, and Amoss.
The Fair Grounds jockey colony, as always, will be headlined by Robbie Albarado, who will be going for his seventh local riding title. His top competition again this year figures to come from fellow Louisiana native Jamie Theriot, who stole the meet riding title away from Albarado for the first time last season. Other riding regulars who will be back this season include Eddie Martin, Corey Lanerie, James Graham, E.J. Perrodin, Jesse Campbell, Ramsey Zimmerman, Canadian rider Emma-Jayne Wilson, and Lonnie and Donnie Meche.
The Fair Grounds meet will run four days a week through the first part of the meet in November and December before switching to five-day-a-week racing for the meat and potatoes part of the meet from January to March. Racing will be primarily Thursday through Sunday, with Mondays being added after December 22. Louisiana Derby Day this season will be on March 14. The Louisiana Derby will headline a local stakes schedule worth a total of $6.6 million.
This year more than ever, the Fair Grounds meet will be one of the most enjoyable meets on the annual racing calendar. Don't miss it.