Handleman Wins Friday Feature

Gold Square LLC’s Handleman made the pace and increased his margin in the final furlong to win Friday’s $41,000 six-furlong allowance sprint at Fair Grounds by three-and-a-quarter lengths at the wire.

The winner, trained by Steve Margolis and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. returned mutuels of $5.60, $3.20 and $2.20, increased his career earnings to $92,040 with his second victory in eight lifetime starts, and toured the distance in 1:10.95 over muddy going after setting early fractions of 22.10 and 45.84.

Finishing second was Gulf Coast Farms and Fantasy Farm Racing’s Pomegranate, who paid $8 and $3.80 after launching a mild bid to be clearly second best while a length-and-a-half to the good of Maggi Moss’s Lone Cypress, who paid $3.20 to show.

Racing resumes Saturday at Fair Grounds with an 11-race program beginning at 12:40 p.m.