Fair Grounds track update for March 16

Fair Grounds. (Photo by Hodges Photography)

Another successful winter at Fair Grounds will draw to a close this weekend, but not before its flagship race day Saturday and a challenging Sunday card laden with maiden races.

As you delve into the final week of Thoroughbred racing in New Orleans, make the most of your handicapping by keeping these trends in mind!

Jockeys

James Graham (81 wins) and Adam Beschizza (73 wins) lead the jockey standings and both are winning at a respectable 19% rate.

However, the big news is that Florent Geroux is coming for Louisiana Derby Day. He has been riding more at Oaklawn lately, but at Fair Grounds he has been excellent. He has 38 wins in 140 starts (27% win rate) and has finished in the money on 65% of his mounts.

On turf, Beschizza and Geroux have been shining stars. Beschizza has 28 wins (20% win rate) on the lawn, and Geroux has 14 (23%). They are the only jockeys with more than 10 turf starts to surpass a 20% win rate there. Ricardo Santana has also been strong getting horses to hit the board on the grass. Though he only has three wins from 25 starts, he has finished in the top three on 56% of his turf mounts.

FIRESIDE KITTEN ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. and trained by Mike Maker won the 4th today at Fair Grounds. @fairgroundsnola @trainerMMaker pic.twitter.com/hIaxgfO2zf
— Ramsey Farm (@Ramsey_Farm) December 4, 2020

Trainers

Ron Faucheux carries a narrow lead in the trainer standings, with 35 wins. Tom Amoss and Brad Cox are tied for second, with 33.

In terms of win percentage, however, Amoss and Cox have the advantage. They both have won at a 26% rate, compared to Faucheux's 21%.

Chris Hartman has also excelled. His 18 wins from 73 starts gives him a 25% strike rate going into the final week.

On grass, Joe Sharp (16 wins from 64 starts) and Wayne Catalano (seven wins, 19 starts) should be top of mind, as well. Sharp is scheduled to send out 11 turf horses on closing weekend, including Logical Myth in the Muniz Memorial Classic (G2). Catalano's only turf horse closing week is Winter Sunset in the Tom Benson Memorial.

#1 Logical Myth rides the rail to victory in the Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes from @fairgroundsnola with @ABeschizza up for @mjsharp75_joe. pic.twitter.com/8np5MFKMsf
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) January 16, 2021