High Limit Cruises to Win Louisiana Derby

Three races into his career, High Limit still has not been challenged.

Making his first start outside Delaware in his debut for trainer Bobby Frankel, the 3-year-old son of Maria’s Mon easily won the $600,000 Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Able to get a clear lead into the first turn under jockey Ramon Dominguez, who rode him to two authoritative victories last fall at Delaware Park, the 5-2 favorite went on to win by four lengths in 1:42.74 for the 1 1/16 miles. The final clocking in his first appearance in a graded stakes -- the Louisiana Derby is a Grade II -- wasn’t far off the track record of 1:42.02 set by Pie In Your Eye about 10 years ago.

Vicarage, a 21-1 shot, was second throughout under jockey John Velazquez and wound up 3 3/4 lengths in front of Storm Surge; then came Wallstreet Scandal, Real Dandy, Scipion (the 7-2 second choice who had won last month’s Risen Star at the Fair Grounds), Kansas City Boy, Sort It Out (who was making his first start for trainer Bob Baffert) and Indy Storm.

“The first time you run a horse, you never know how they are going to run,” said Frankel, who won the 2003 Louisiana Derby with Peace Rules. “He seems to run for everybody. He’s a good horse. Hopefully, this race didn’t take too much out of him.”

Depending on how High Limit comes out of the victory, Frankel said he could surface next in either the Wood Memorial on April 9 at Aqueduct or the Blue Grass Stakes a week later at Keeneland.

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Four-year-old Tarlow became the first filly since Manistique in 1999 to win the La Canada Stakes and Santa Margarita Handicap when she went wire to wire at Santa Anita.

A 9-2 shot when she led throughout to win the La Canada by two lengths Feb. 12, Tarlow was 6-1 on Saturday as she held on to beat 9-1 shot Dream Of Summer by a nose in the Margarita. In earning her fourth win in 10 starts and her first in a Grade I, Tarlow ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.48 under jockey Patrick Valenzuela.

“Patrick’s one of the great speed riders in the world, so I just left it up to him,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “I told him I brought her over and now you go ride her.

“From where I was standing, I didn’t know if we had won. I was just hoping.”

Miss Loren, the 5-2 favorite making her first start for trainer Richard Mandella and Ernie Moody’s Mercedes Stable after being purchased privately, was third, three-quarters of a length behind Dream Of Summer.

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Jockey Jerry Bailey, who had to settle for third in the Louisiana Derby on Storm Surge, won two of the other three stakes on the card. He won the $300,000 Fair Grounds Oaks on 1-2 favorite Summerly and the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap -- for Frankel -- on 4-5 choice Badge Of Silver. The other stakes, the $100,000 Marie Krantz Memorial Handicap, went to favored Warning Zone.

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Sir Shackleton remained unbeaten in three starts at seven furlongs with a track record-setting victory over defending champion and 17-10 favorite Lion Tamer and four others in the $200,000 Richter Scale Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Javier Castellano, who had four other winners on the afternoon, rode the 4-year-old Miswaki colt for owner-breeder Tracy Farmer and trainer Nick Zito. In winning by 1 1/2 lengths, the 17-10 second choice ran the seven furlongs in 1:21.64, eclipsing the record of 1.22.06 set by Madcap Escapade on Feb. 19.

One of Castellano’s other winners was Bellamy Road, who is also trained by Zito, and the 3-year-old Concerto colt was very impressive in his 2005 debut. A winner of two of three starts last year for former trainer Michael Dickinson, Bellamy Road won by 15 3/4 lengths for owner George Steinbrenner’s Kinsman Stable.

Zito, who has an abundance of talented 3-year-olds, indicated Bellamy Road, who ran the mile in 1:35.90 -- two one-hundredths of a second off High Fly’s track record -- would make his next start in the Wood.

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In the day’s other graded stakes for 3-year-olds, Uncle Denny, the 2-1 favorite, won the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows. Russell Baze rode the California-bred son of In Excess for owner Stan Fulton and trainer Rafael Becerra.

Successful in three of four starts, Uncle Denny ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.22. Wannawinemall was second and Buzzards Bay third in the field of 10.