Freddie One Bite hangs on at Fair Grounds

Dan Lynch, Ken Sentel and Merrill Scherer’s Freddie One Bite pressed the pace, challenged for command entering the lane and withstood a late bid by Antrim Oaks’ Irish Confidant to win Wednesday’s Fair Grounds’ $41,000 allowance $30,000 optional claiming feature for accredited Louisiana-bred sophomores by a neck.

The winner, ridden by Fair Grounds’ defending jockey champion and current leading rider Rosie Napravnik and trained by Merrill Scherer, toured the mile and 70-yard distance of the race transferred to the main track in 1:45.40, paid mutuels of $5.40, $4 and $3.20 and increased his career earnings to $85,675 with his second win in 10 career starts.

Irish Confidant, unhurried early, rallied late to gain the place, returning $42.20 and $19.60 while 2 1/2-lengths to the good of Spaeth Manufacturing and Machine Shop’s Apache Soul, who paid $8.60 in the show position.

Phyllis Hodges’ Delighted Disciple made the pace with splits of 24.52 and 48.59 before tiring in the final furlong.