Blushing K.D., Diliberto Memorial featured at Fair Grounds

Fair Grounds livens up

their weekday action this week with $50,000 grass stakes on Thursday and Friday.

Older fillies and mares kick things off Thursday in the $50,000

Blushing

K. D., while older males are featured in the $50,000

Buddy

Diliberto Memorial on Friday. Both races will be run at about 1 1/16 miles.

Class Included, undefeated over the Fair Grounds turf including a 1

3/4-length score in last year's Blushing K. D., will be out to end a three-race

losing streak on Thursday. The six-year-old Include mare has raced sporadically

since April, finishing seventh in both the Opelousas at Evangeline Downs and the

Treasure Chest at Delta Downs.

Among her opponents is Malibu Yankee, who captured the June 21 Opelousas by a

neck and returned in September to finish second in the River Cities at Louisiana

Downs. The five-year-old most recently trailed seven rivals in an allowance on

the Keeneland turf.

Eden Prairie is another who thrives on the local sod. The Mizzen Mast filly

has won three of five on the Stall-Wilson turf, including back-to-back triumphs

last meet in the Pago Hop and Marie Krantz Memorial. Third in the Treasure Chest

last time, the bay's last turf meeting with Class Included resulted in a

second-place finish behind that mare in the Bayou Handicap in February.

Dual allowance scorers Flashy Gal, Kitten's Queen, and Distorted Music are

also among the field of eight.

The Diliberto Memorial field on Friday features Grand Contender, who landed

consecutive Grade 3s in the Texas Mile and Lone Star Park Handicap last spring.

Third in his title defense of the Delta Mile on November 22 following a

four-month layoff, the Tom Amoss trainee has never run on grass.

Of those with turf experience, multiple stakes winner Bim Bam, Grade 3

veteran Infinite Magic, and Adios Nardo appear best. The latter finished second

in both this race and the Col. E.R. Bradley Handicap last year, both times to

Daddy Nose Best.

Another prominent entry is Golden Soul. The 2013 Kentucky Derby runner-up was

in a deep rut for more than a year and a half following that effort in the

Churchill Downs classic, but has found new life on turf of late, taking two

allowances at the recently concluded Churchill fall meet.

Gentleman's Kitten, an allowance winner over this course in January, is a

potential factor from on or near the pace.

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