Fair Grounds: Tizanexpense in nick of time

After being allowed to settle early, George and Tiffany Veloudis’s Tizanexpense found running room inside turning for home and was up to best Mutual Fun Stable and Ken Mahler’s speedy Sky Alert by a neck in Thursday’s Fair Grounds headliner, a $49,000 allowance and optional $50,000 claiming event that was transferred to the main track and run at a mile and 70 yards.

Cleverly ridden by Miguel Mena, the Mike Maker-trained Tizanexpense toured the distance in 1:43.67, increased his career earnings to $54,451 with his second career win in four lifetime starts and returned mutuels of $19.60, $9.80 and $7.60.

Sky Alert, who made or forced the pace with fractions of 23.68 and 48.63, paid $37 and $17 while besting Virginia Tarra Trust’s Real Power by a length and quarter. That rival returned $5 to show.