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Pletcher represented by star duo on Louisiana Preview Day Exactly two weeks after five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher recorded his 3,000th career winner, the megastar conditioner will be well-represented at Fair Grounds with at least three horses on target for the upcoming stakes-laden local Louisiana Derby Preview Day on February 25. Heading that list of invaders is El Padrino, whose connections are attracted by the $300,000 purse of the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes, the final designed local prep for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby to be run April 1. El Padrino was originally scheduled to make his three-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on January 21 but was withdrawn in favor of a January 29 allowance race going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream, which he won by two lengths despite being in tight quarters on the far turn. That South Florida outing came after a two-month layoff since the chestnut son of Pulpit finished third in Aqueduct's Grade 2 Remsen on November 26, beaten less than a length for the win. The colt broke his maiden by 12 3/4 lengths last October 29 at Belmont. Likely to face El Padrino in the Risen Star are the respective top three finishers from the Lecomte -- Mr. Bowling, Z Dager and Shared Property. Others considered probable at this early juncture are Grade 1-placed Optimizer, who was sixth in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park to start his sophomore season, and Mark Valeski, a one-length optional claiming winner over the New Orleans oval on January 13. Disposablepleasure, a promising sophomore filly trained by Pletcher, is expected to contest the Grade 3 Rachel Alexandra Stakes, aiming for the winner's share of its $200,000 purse and its designed placement as a preparation for the Grade 2, $500,000 Fair Grounds Oaks on March 31. Disposablepleasure will be making her three-year-old bow in the Rachel Alexandra. The gray daughter of 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, who is nominated to the Triple Crown series of races, has not started since a courageous nose victory in Aqueduct's Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes on November 26. In that nine-furlong outing she stumbled badly leaving the gate and trailed the field until midway down the backstretch when she began picking up rivals while racing along the rail. Turning for home, Disposablepleasure challenged for command but was precariously blocked behind rivals until a small hole between rivals opened for her. Without hesitation she went through the narrow opening, gained the advantage in the late stages and then fought off a belated challenge at the wire. In the filly's previous outing on October 6 at Belmont Park, she broke her maiden by 11 lengths in gate-to-wire fashion. Among those Disposablepleasure is likely to face in the Rachel Alexandra are the respective top three from the January 21 Silverbulletday Stakes -- Believe You Can, Summer Applause and Inny Minnie. Also on tap for the race are undefeated Applauding, the morning-line favorite for the Silverbulletday before being scratched after displaying colic-like symptons, and Avie's Sense, who broke her maiden last month at Fair Grounds by 5 3/4 lengths. Also penciled in to make the journey from South Florida to New Orleans for Louisiana Preview Day from the Pletcher-barn is Alma d'Oro. The six-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro is somewhat familiar to Fair Grounds racing fans based on his third-place finish in the January 21 Louisiana Handicap, when he was beaten less than two lengths for the win despite being kept wide throughout the running. Alma d'Oro is expected to return to Fair Grounds for the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap, which serves as the final local prep for the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap, also contested Louisiana Derby Day on Fair Grounds' closing day, April 1. On Louisiana Derby Preview Day, in addition to the Risen Star, the Rachel Alexandra and the Mineshaft, the banner afternoon offers the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Handicap over the Stall-Wilson turf course, the $75,000 Colonel Power Stakes on the green for older sprinters and the $60,000 Gentilly Stakes for Louisiana-bred grass-favoring sophomores at about one mile over that same lawn.
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