Shook Up, Eden Grey's Kitten Seek Repeat Wins

Monday’s card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots features the returns of two of the most dominant winners of the meet in two allowance races. Regis Racing’s Steve Asmussen-trained Shook Up returns after a 13½-length smashing of five other sophomore fillies in a one-mile and 70-yard maiden on Jan. 3, while Whispering Oaks Farm’s Steve Flint-trained Eden Grey’s Kitten comes back off a 10¼-length drubbing of eight other Louisiana-bred 5½-furlong turf sprinters on New Year’s Day.

Shook Up is entered in a first level allowance at the same distance as her maiden win and has drawn the rail in a field that also includes stakes fillies Lovely Maria and I’m a Looker. The former, owned by Brereton C. Jones and trained by Larry Jones, was pulled from consideration for the Listed $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes – which was ultimately won by stablemate I’m a Chatterbox – in favor of this spot. Fourth last out after a rough trip in the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park over a two-turn mile and breaking from the outside 11-post, she has every right to give expected favorite Shook Up a tussle.

Glenmare Farm’s Pat Dupuy-trained I’m a Looker, on the other hand, was off very slowly in the $50,000 Letellier Memorial Stakes on Dec. 20 and will be making her two-turn debut. A tall Henny Hughes filly with a lot of stamina on her female side, she should enjoy the increase in real estate. Still, she will have to have her running shoes on to defeat Shook Up – a regally bred daughter of Tapit and Grade I winner Sugar Shake who earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure in her maiden win (the highest two-turn number of any sophomore filly in America thus far in 2015). The race goes as the eighth on a nine-race card with a 4:54 p.m. post time.

Race seven (4:24 p.m.) will be the second appearance of Eden Grey’s Kitten, a Pelican State-bred son of Kitten’s Joy from the female family of Travers winner Corporate Report. After breaking alertly under James Graham last out, he manhandled his fellow statebreds en route to a 77 Beyer Speed Figure and now stretches out to two turns. 

The one-mile distance should be of little issue for the 8-5 morning line favorite in the first-level statebred event, but the chestnut gelding may get a fight from Ballybrit Stable’s Mike Dini-trained Gallery. Third in an October open maiden over a good Keeneland turf course, the son of Munnings returned to easily win a state-bred maiden on Jan. 9 by four lengths under Florent Geroux. Said Frenchman has the return call when the 5-2 morning line second choice breaks from the outside post nine. 

BROBERG HIGH ON A M MILKY WAY

Trainer Karl Broberg’s belief in David Davis’ A M Milky Way got its due last Saturday when the Texas-bred, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots-based son of Elusive Bluff won his first career stakes in his fourth start. Always contentious, the 3-year-old bay gelding impressively out-gamed his $50,000 Groovy Stakes rivals en route to a 1 ¼-length score in a good 1:11.05. 

Source: Fair Grounds Barn Notes