Mobile Bay Battles Back in LA Champions Day Classic

Tigertail Ranch's homebred Mobile Bay opened up by nine lengths in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes, but his competition caught up in the stretch and the son of Lone Star Special had to fight to the wire to secure his second consecutive victory in the race.

The Victor Arceneaux-trained 5-year-old entered the Dec. 9 Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots off a 10-month layoff. His last race was a one-length win in the LA Bred Premier Night Championship Stakes at Delta Downs in February.

"I was on the lead and he didn't want to come back to me," winning rider Diego Saenz said. "I was afraid I was going to get beat because he was a little fresh off the layoff. That was close."

In Saturday's 1 1/8-mile test for Louisiana-breds, Mobile Bay set fractions of :24.51 and :48.58 for a half-mile, and had that nine-length advantage on Underpressure. With six furlongs in 1:14.24, the margin was cut to 5 1/2 lengths.

In the stretch, Grande Basin surged up the rail, reducing Mobile Bay's lead to a half-length as Underpressure was gaining ground on the outside. Mobile Bay wasn't finished, though, and got a nose over Grande Basin at the wire for the win. The final time was 1:51.95 over the track labeled good. 

Underpressure was a length back in third, followed by Mageez and One King's Man to complete the order of finish. 

"Beautiful trip," said jockey Miguel Mena, who was aboard Grande Basin. "I rode him the way I think he likes, but it was just a very tough beat. We lost to one of the best Louisiana-breds out there."

The favored Mobile Bay returned $3.20, $2.60, and $2.10 across the board. 

Out of the winning Out of Place mare Tranquility Bay, Mobile Bay increased his earnings to $1,096,440, with a record of 11-5-3 from 26 starts. 

Other stakes on the Louisiana Champions Day card:

• Brittlyn Stable homebred Minit to Stardom and Colby Hernandez were the easy winners of the six-furlong $100,000 Lassie Stakes. The 2-year-old Star Guitar  filly won by 7 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:12.18 for trainer Al Stall Jr. 

• In the $100,000 Ladies Stakes, going 1 1/16 miles on the turf, Allied Racing Stable's Inveniam Viam rallied to a one-length victory. Trained by Brad Cox, the 5-year-old Half Ours  mare and Shaun Bridgmohan completed the distance in 1:45.07 over the soft turf. 

• Cox and Bridgmohan teamed up again to win the $100,000 Turf Stakes with Klein Racing's Extra Credit. The homebred Proud Citizen gelding won by three-quarters of a length, covering 1 1/16 miles on the turf in 1:44.88. 

• The $100,000 Juvenile Stakes went to James Hodges-trained Greeley Went West, who scored by one length. The son of El Corredor, with James Graham aboard, stopped the clock in 1:11.76 for six furlongs. Owned by Phyllis Hodges and Randy Schiender, the gelding is now two for two. 

• Hay Hollow Racing Stables homebred Stand Him Up won the $100,000 Sprint Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths. The 5-year-old Time Bandit gelding and Gabriel Saez edged clear in the six-furlong event in a final time of 1:11.03 for trainer Howard Alonzo.

• In the $100,000 Ladies Sprint, Town and Country Racing's My Miss Chiff and Mitchell Murrill secured a three-quarter length victory. Stall picked up his second stakes win on the card with the 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief , who completed the six furlongs in 1:11.45.