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Zoomin Baby to Tackle Older Runners in Fair Grounds’ Esplanade Stakes


Zoomin Baby will face older horses in Friday's $30,000 Esplanade Stakes at Fair Grounds Racecourse.

© Coady Photography

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

NEW ORLEANS, LA–AUGUST 24, 2015–Craig Lauger’s Zoomin Baby, a stakes-winning 3-year-old son of Jess Zoomin, will face older horses for the first time in Friday’s 350-yard, $30,000 Esplanade Stakes at Fair Grounds Racecourse.

Zoomin Baby is the lone sophomore in the full field of 10. Trained by Michael Taylor, the gelding will be making his first start since July 3, when he ran third, three-quarters of a length behind winner Volcoms Thunder, in the $172,000 Firecracker Derby at Delta Downs.

Zoomin Baby has won five of eight starts, including last year’s Evangeline Downs Futurity, and he has banked $144,561. The gelding drew post 9 and will be ridden by John Hamilton in the Esplanade.

Other contenders include Frank Benson’s Sleepers Best Corona, a 4-year-old Coronas Prospect gelding who has won one of his two starts -- the June 27, $50,000 Miss Polly Classic Stakes at Delta Downs -- since he was claimed for $20,000 at Remington Park on April 17. The gelding drew post 5 and will be ridden by Martin Rubalcava for trainer Carlos Saldivar.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds--

  1. The Eagle Express (Alfonso Lujan), 8-1
  2. LD Streakin N Leavin (Antonio Alberto), 6-1
  3. Rusty Bloom (Everardo Rodriguez), 10-1
  4. Runaway Canyon (Osdany Leal), 12-1
  5. Sleepers Best Corona (Martin Rubalcava), 9-2
  6. Bradys March Madness (Randy Edison), 10-1
  7. The Lizzard King (Raul Ramirez Jr.), 8-1
  8. Feature My News (Saul Ramirez Jr.), 10-1
  9. Zoomin Baby (John Hamilton), 3-1
  10. Heza Fast Rogue (Donald Watson), 6-1.

The Esplanade Stakes, and all Fair Grounds races, can be seen at Q-RacingVideo.com.


Courtesy Ses