Mission Impazible faces strong field in New Orleans title defense

Mission Impazible faces strong field in New Orleans title

defense

An excellent cast will line up against the favorite, including last year's

Louisiana Derby hero Pants on Fire. The Kelly Breen trainee raced only three

more times last season after his Fair Grounds score, but did find the winner's

circle in the Grade 3 Pegasus in his penultimate outing of the year. He returned

to action on March 3, following a seven-month layoff, and crushed an allowance

field at Gulfstream Park by 4 1/2 lengths. Rosie Napravnik, who rode Pants on

Fire to both stakes wins at three, has the mount.

Nehro missed by a neck to Pants on Fire in the 2011 Louisiana Derby, and

missed by the same margin in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby before running second to

Animal Kingdom in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. Sidelined with an ankle injury

following a fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont last June, Nehro finally returned to

action on February 25 and cruised against hapless first-level allowance foes by

7 1/4 lengths at Fair Grounds.

East Coast shippers Toby's Corner and Redeemed could have a lot to say about

the outcome of the New Orleans. Best known for being the first to defeat Uncle

Mo, in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial last year, Toby's Corner ultimately missed the

classics due to injury and did not see action again until the February 20

General George Handicap, a seven-furlong dash at Laurel. Fifth down the

backside, the Bellamy Road colt rallied for third in a good effort off the

bench.

Redeemed, who ran second in the Grade 2 Amsterdam and the Smarty Jones at

Parx Racing last fall, ended his sophomore campaign on a high note with

consecutive scores in the Oklahoma Derby and Grade 3 Discovery Handicap. He made

his 2012 debut in the Donn at Gulfstream, finishing a solid third despite a wide

trip.

The field's lone West Coast representative, Thirtyfirststreet, was up the

track in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap last time. His most recent stakes

triumph occurred on turf in the Lone Star Derby last May.

The remainder of the New Orleans field consists of horses who have been

battling each other in the local preps. Ex-claimer Nates Mineshaft unexpectedly

wired the 2012 edition of the Mineshaft on February 25 to run his local mark to

four-for-four. Second that day was Fast Alex, who had previously won the

Tenacious Handicap and run second in the Louisiana Handicap. Multiple Grade 3

winner Mister Marti Gras was fifth in the Mineshaft and is also cross-entered in

the Grade 2, $400,000

Mervin H.

Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap later in the card.

Seven horses will dash six furlongs in the $150,000

Duncan F.

Kenner, the first stakes on the program. Gantry previously captured the

Thanksgiving Handicap and F.W. Gaudin Memorial earlier in the meet in photo

finishes over Cash Refund, but both face serious challenges from Grade 2 winner

Travelin Man, a recent allowance scorer at Gulfstream; Florida Sunshine Millions

Sprint winner Soaring Stocks; and the multiple stakes winner Zero Rate Policy.

Three Louisiana-bred stakes finish up the black-type action Sunday. The

most intriguing is the $90,000

Costa

Rising, where 20-time stakes winner Star Guitar will attempt to become the

richest Louisiana-bred runner in history. With earnings of $1,635,862, Star

Guitar is currently $52,976 behind the late Grade 1-winning filly Happy Ticket.

Star Guitar will face nine rivals in the 1 1/16 miles Costa Rising, which

received a recent purse boost by the sponsoring Southern Oaks Plantation, a New Orleans

reception facility. The seven-year-old Star Guitar would finally surpass Happy

Ticket if he can take down the winner's share of approximately $54,000.

Also for state-breds is the $75,000

Crescent City Derby for three-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles and the $60,000

Bayou

St. Johns for older horses at about 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf.