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Contact: Jim Mulvihill, Communications and Pari-Mutuel Marketing Manager, 504.948.1233, james.mulvihill@fgno.com
Contact: Graham Ross, Staff Writer, 504.948.1255, graham.ross@fgno.com
joyful victory tepid choice in fg’s Tiffany Lass
By Graham Ross, Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS (Thursday, February 09, 2012) – Fox Hill Farms’ Joyful Victory, who went to the post as the slight favorite in last year’s Kentucky Oaks, assumes that role once again at 2-1 in the morning line for Saturday’s 20th anniversary edition of Fair Grounds’ $75,000 Tiffany Lass Stakes.
Restricted to older fillies and mares this year, this weekend’s headline event will be run at 1 1/16 miles and is named in honor of the 1986 Kentucky Oaks winner who also won the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks and Oaklawn’s Grade II Fantasy Stakes earlier that year.
Coincidentally, Joyful Victory won last year’s Fantasy before finishing fourth in the Kentucky Oaks after being forced to steady at the seven-eighths pole. Prior to the Fantasy, she had won Oaklawn’s Grade III Honeybee Stakes. In her most recent trip to the post, the 4-year-old daughter of Tapit finished second in the featured grass race at Fair Grounds on Jan. 11 in what was her turf debut.
Trained by Larry Jones, Joyful Victory will be ridden by seven-time Fair Grounds jockey champion Robby Albarado in the Tiffany Lass.
Capable of providing strong competition for the morning line favorite is Mrs. Yoshio Fujita’s Ravi’s Song, pegged as the second choice in the Tiffany Lass at 5-2. Last season at Fair Grounds, Ravi’s Song won the $100,000 New Orleans Ladies March 12 after winning Fair Grounds’ $60,000 Pelleteri Stakes one month earlier and was named Older Female of the Meet.
Trained by Carl Bowman, she went on to a grass campaign later in the season, finishing second by a neck in Churchill’s Grade III Mint Julep, Monmouth’s Grade III Matchmaker and Churchill’s Grade III Cardinal Handicap – all run over firm turf going.
Returning to Fair Grounds this season, she never menaced in the $75,000 Blushing K. D. Stakes Dec. 17 when compromised by the yielding going of the Stall-Wilson turf course that day. Apprentice jockey C. J. McMahon is named to handle the reins Saturday.
Not to be easily dismissed in the Tiffany Lass is William and Graydon Patterson’s Juanita, a daughter of Mineshaft who is the 3-1 third choice in Saturday’s early line. After finishing second in her local bow over the Stall-Wilson turf course in her most recent start in the $75,000 Marie Krantz Memorial Jan. 11, Juanita will be returning to the main track where she won Hoosier’s Grade II Indiana Oaks last fall before finishing second in Churchill’s Grade II Falls City Handicap on Thanksgiving Day.
Jockey Miguel Mena is listed in the saddle on Juanita, who is trained by Mike Maker and is out of the Smart Strike mare Wishful Splendor.
Completing the Tiffany Lass field is A D K Racing’s Distorted Love with Richard Eramia aboard (8-1); Right Time Racing’s Street Storm, James Graham up (8-1); Charles Fipke’s Seeking
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