Great Wide Open Dominant in Buddy Diliberto Memorial

There were a number of impressive performances on a card loaded with stakes Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, but none were as dominant as M and J Thoroughbreds and Riverside Bloodstock's Great Wide Open.

Hustled out of the gate by jockey James Graham in the $75,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes, the Irish-bred Starspangledbanner gelding opened up a clear lead immediately in the two-turn grass race (about 1 1/16 miles), cruised on the front without any challenge, and kicked away with ease in the stretch to win by 4 1/2 lengths.

Trained by Conor Murphy, Great Wide Open has now won two straight races (he won an optional-claiming allowance Nov. 24 at Fair Grounds) after his second-place finish in the Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland Oct. 6.

Big Changes edged Sir Dudley Digges by a half-length to pick up second place. Multiple graded winner Oscar Nominated was never seriously involved in the race, was pulled up by jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. late, and was walked off.

Bred by Newtown Anner Stud, out of the Danehill mare Market Hill, the 6-year-old Great Wide Open now has a 7-6-4 record and $467,043 in earnings from 38 starts. More than $400,000 of his purse earnings have come from his 12-race 2018 campaign.

Other stakes winners on the card (all for a $75,000 purse) were Wynn Time in the Bonapaw sprinting on the turf, Bell's the One in the Letellier Memorial sprinting on the dirt, Beau Recall in the Blushing K. D. at two turns on the grass, Tom's D'Etat in the Tenacious at two-turns on the dirt, and Gray Attempt in the Sugar Bowl for 2-year-olds sprinting on the dirt.