Ladyzarbridge 5-2 Choice in Red Camelia

Charles Zacney and Edward Johnston’s Ladyzarbridge, heroine of the last two $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, has been installed as the 5-2 morning line choice for Saturday’s $60,000 Red Camelia Stakes at the Crescent City oval.

The Red Camelia, to be contested at about 1 1/16-miles over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course, is restricted to older fillies and mares that are accredited Louisiana-breds.

In her only start this year, Ladyzarbridge finished fifth in the $150,000 Louisiana Premier Night Distaff at Delta Downs, but in 2012 the daughter of Zarbyev won Evangeline’s $100,000 Louisiana Legends Distaff and the $50,000 Honeymoon Stakes at Louisiana Downs in addition to her local score in the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies.

Trained by Eddie Johnston, Ladyzarbridge will be ridden by jockey John Jacinto and gets in the Red Camelia with 116 pounds.

Capable of providing strong competition for Ladyzarbridge is Coteau Grove Farms’ Little Polka Dot, a 7-year-old mare who won Delta’s $70,000 Lookout Stakes last December and finished fourth in Delta’s Louisiana Premier Night Distaff in her lone start of 2013. The Pat Devereux Jr. trainee shares the top impost of 120 pounds Saturday but gets the riding services of Shaun Bridgmohan and is listed as the 7-2 second choice in the early line.

Third choice at 4-1 in the Red Camelia morning line is Randy Davis and Associates’ Divine Lorretta, a winner of one allowance race at Fair Grounds this season and two others at the last local session. The Mutakddim mare is trained by Sweet Hodges and has James Graham slated for the saddle.

Not to be discounted in the Red Camelia is Morris Hewitt’s Beverly Belle, heroine of last year’s Red Camelia.   Beverly Belle, pegged at 5-1 in the morning line, was fifth in the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies in her last start but won over the local lawn earlier in the meeting. Mark Guidry rides the Bret Calhoun trainee.

Completing the field for the Red Camelia, with respective riding assignments, is Kenny Desormeaux’s Paoli, Richard Eramia; The Five Horsemen’s Burning Creole, Kerwin Clark; Ross and Norma Keith and Constance Schuble’s Insincerely Yours, Leandro Goncalves; and Arthur Morrell’s Premo’s Star, C. J. McMahon