Albarado Wins Four at Fair Grounds

After alternating for the lead most of the way in Friday’s $41,000 filly and mare feature, Jay Em Ess Stable’s Shameless outgamed Maynard Farm and JVH Inc.’s Four Bears to be best by a head at the wire and give defending jockey champion Robby Albarado his third of four wins during the afternoon program at Fair Grounds.

The race, originally scheduled for the grass, was run at 1 1/16-miles on the main track following heavy rain earlier in the week.

Shameless returned mutuels of $5.40, $3 and $2.40, toured the distance in 1:46.54 and increased her career earnings to $93,400 with her second victory in 10 lifetime starts.

Four Bears made the pace with early splits of 24.28 and 48.77, could not withstand the winner at the wire but continued willingly to save the place by a half-length and pay mutuels of $4 and $3.

Millennium Farms’ Pearl of Valor launched a mild bid to gain the show spot and pay $5.

Albarado won Friday’s opener aboard Tomisue Hilbert and John Menard’s Art Got Even, returned to the winner’s circle after the seventh on Patricia Pavlish’s How Far to Heaven, took the feature on Shameless and came right back in the finale astride Dorothy Wimberly’s Political Rock.

Racing resumes Saturday at Fair Grounds with an 11-race program beginning at 12:40 p.m. showcasing the 2010 debut of Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the inaugural running of $200,000 New Orleans Ladies.