Stakes newcomer Accelerize repels Just a Touch in Louisiana

Stakes newcomer Accelerize sprung an 8-1 upset of the $173,250 Louisiana (G3) at Fair Grounds on Saturday, re-rallying to defeat Just a Touch, who is now 0-for-7 in stakes company.

The Florida-based Accelerize was making his two-turn debut in the 1 1/16-mile Louisiana, entering off two wins in three starts around one turn. Just a Touch, meanwhile, was favored at 9-10 to register an elusive first stakes win after placing in five of six prior stakes attempts.

Just a Touch appeared as if he would narrowly eke out his first stakes, poking his head in front of Accelerize at the eighth pole, but his lightly raced rival fought back on the inside to win by a neck after having led most of the way.

"He showed that he has some fight in him. Pretty bright future for him," winning jockey Flavien Prat said.

Owned in partnership by breeder Spendthrift Farm and Repole Stable, Accelerize paid $19 after covering the fast-track test in 1:43.43. Just a Touch held second by a neck over 36-1 chance Cadet Corps.

A dominant winner on debut going seven furlongs last March at Tampa Bay Downs, Accelerize was not seen again until mid-November, when he finished third as an odds-on choice in a one-mile allowance at Gulfstream. he came back the following month to post a two-length victory in similar conditions.

Accelerize is a son of Omaha Beach and the Grade 2-placed stakes winner Motion Emotion, a daughter of Take Charge Indy.

Claimed in September for $100,000, Kupuna registered his second win in three starts for Flying P Stable and trainer Norm Casse in the $100,000 Colonel E.R. Bradley S., one of three stakes contested over firm turf.

Sent off as the 3-1 second choice in a field of 11 older horses, Kupuna outfinished 3-2 favorite Lagynos inside the final furlong to win by 1 1/4 lengths under Luis Saez. He completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.37 and paid $8.20. Lagynos held second by a half-length over Cameo Performance.

Although a stakes winner on dirt in the Evangeline Mile two seasons ago, Kupuna has enjoyed a renaissance since joining the Casse barn, which has shifted the focus of the seven-year-old Hard Spun gelding to grass. He posted a 19-1 upset of a stakes-quality turf allowance in his debut for the barn at Churchill Downs in early November, and last month was a rallying second to Idratherbeblessed in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial.

"I would envision and hope he's in the next two," said Casse, referring to the Fair Grounds (G3) and Muniz Memorial (G2), Fair Grounds' premier turf events.

Class relief helped propel Medoro to victory by three parts of a length in the $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial for fillies and mares over 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

Invading from California, where she had run a respectable sixth in the Matriarch (G1) in her most recent start in late November, Medero rallied late to edge 27-1 front-runner Cupids Crush under Jose Ortiz. A bigger longshot, 72-1 chance Lucky Speech, was another 4 1/4 lengths behind in third.

Owned by C R K Stable and trained by Peter Eurton, Medoro paid $4.20 as the 11-10 favorite. She covered the course in 1:42.17.

A five-year-old by Honor Code, Medoro captured the Providencia (G3) and China Doll S. at three, and the Blue Norther S. at two, all at Santa Anita. She also captured the restricted Osunitas S. at Del Mar last July. Among Medoro's six graded placings were the 2024 editions of the Del Mar Oaks (G1) and American Oaks (G1).

Usually Wrong is increasingly the right horse to pick in turf sprints. The five-year-old son of Lookin at Lucky won for the eighth time in 11 starts overall in the $100,000 Duncan F. Kenner S., recording a 2 3/4-length decision in the 5 1/2-furlong dash.

Favored at 3-2 over eight rivals, Usually Wrong set a new course record of 1:01.63 and paid $5 to win. He races for breeders BG Stables and Selman Shaby, is trained by Robertino Diodoro, and was ridden in the Kenner by Isaac Castillo.

Mondogetsbuckets finished second by a head over Bear River.

The Kenner was the fourth career stakes win for Usually Wrong, who last season notched the Chamberlain Bridge S. and Grand Prairie Turf Sprint over the grass at Lone Star Park, as well as the Zia Park Sprint on dirt.