Fair Grounds: Cigar Street to Work Friday

Jake Ballis’s Cigar Street, scorching winner of a high-quality two-turn maiden special weight on March 10 by 13 ¾ lengths, remains under consideration for the Louisiana Derby, according to trainer Steve Margolis, though a final decision on his next start will wait until the weekend.

The Street Sense colt, out of Arcadiana, a mare who is a half-sister to the legendary Cigar (both out of Solar Slew, by Seattle Slew), will work Friday morning at about 6:30 a.m., shortly after a work by stablemate and Fair Grounds Oaks hopeful Inny Minnie. That Hard Spun filly finished third in both the Silverbulletday and last month’s Grade III Rachel Alexandra.

MONDAY LOUISIANA DERBY WORKS 

Zayat Stables’ Z Dager, third in the Risen Star and second in the Lecomte before that, worked six furlongs in 1:13 on Monday in company with stablemate Nehro, last year’s Louisiana Derby and Kentucky Derby runner-up preparing for his 4-year-old stakes debut in the April 1 $400,000 New Orleans Handicap (Gr. II). The Steve Asmussen-trained pair worked on even terms through splits of :13 3/5, :25 4/5, :37 3/5, :49 3/5 and 1:01 4/5. They galloped out seven-eighths in 1:26.

Jerry Namy’s Shared Property, third in the Lecomte and fifth in the Risen Star for trainer Tom Amoss, had Monday’s bullet five-furlong work in :59 3/5, breezing, more than a second better than the next-fastest move of 20 at the distance that morning. 

LOUISIANA DERBY NOMS CLOSED SATURDAY 

Final nominations for the Louisiana Derby closed Saturday with 79 nominations. Supplemental nominations are accepted up until entry day on Monday for $50,000. The full nomination list can be viewed on the “Stakes Nominations” page under the “Racing” section at FairGroundsRaceCourse.com.