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Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on January 21 but was withdrawn in favor of a January 29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.