Mineshaft

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

On paper, Saturday's $100,000 Mineshaft H. (G3) at Fair Grounds might very

well end up as a virtual replay of the course-and-distance Louisiana H. on

January 23, where FRIESAN FIRE (A.P. Indy) took control of a paceless affair and

waltzed his way around the New Orleans oval. Knowing that to be the case, we

can't envision the connections of all the other entrants looking the other way

and letting the four-year-old go Scot free. Finding the most likely

sacrificial lamb is another issue entirely, however.

We liked GOOD AND LUCKY (Wild Rush) in the Louisiana given his defeat of

Friesan Fire in an overnight event in December, but the veteran seven-year-old

wound up a distant third, beaten more than nine lengths. Perhaps he was due for

a let-down after big wins in the aforementioned race on December 3 and the

Tenacious H. 17 days later. He was the runner-up in this race a year ago, and

might be worth a play as he's likely to be overlooked in the wagering.

Friesan Fire has a stellar 6-4-1-1 mark over the Fair Grounds strip and might

very well assert his superiority over these once again. At a short price,

however, he's worth trying to beat. In addition, he tied his career-best 103

BRIS Speed rating in winning the Louisiana and might regress a little bit.

GENERAL QUARTERS (Sky Mesa), last year's Blue Grass S. (G1) and Sam F. Davis

S. (G3) hero, was second in the Louisiana. While we don't necessarily

expect the gray to be the one to press Friesan Fire throughout, he should be

within striking range all the way and figures to be very sharp for this

following two preps earlier in the meet.

GIANT OAK (Giant's Causeway) concedes recency to the top three, but the

Arlington Classic winner ended last year on a solid note with good performances

in the Indiana Derby (G2) and Clark H. (G2). The deep closer would need to be

very lucky to take this given a moderate pace is more likely than not, but his

talent should put him in contention for a smaller share.

The Illinois-bred STONEHOUSE (Chester House) has five stakes wins to his

credit and, more importantly, the touch of speed that could keep Friesan Fire

honest. Fifth in the Tenacious last time, he doesn't have the necessary class to

win our endorsement for more than a minor share, but he could play a pivotal

role in the outcome nonetheless. COUNTRY FLAVOR (Empire Maker) makes his stakes

debut in a tough spot and simply doesn't look classy enough to make much noise

here.