The Costa Rising at Fair Grounds

A full field of 12 Louisiana-breds have been entered for Saturday’s running of the $60,000 Costa Rising Stakes at Fair Grounds Racecourse. Open to horses four-years-old and up, the race is run over 5 1/2 furlongs on the dirt. In the wide open field, the well-traveled Southern Dude under jockey Rosie Napravnik has been made the lukewarm 5-2 favorite in the morning line, with Heitai, who will carry high weight of 124 pounds, the second choice at 3-1. Heitai will be ridden by Diego Saenz, and the two favorites will break from the gate next to each other.

Heitai scores at big odds in last 

In their last meeting, the Louisiana Championship Day Sprint Stakes, it was Heitai who pulled the major upset, going wire-to-wire to win by seven lengths at 15-1 over Southern Dude, who went off as the even-money favorite. Prior to that, Heitai had been the well-beaten favorite at Delta Downs, finishing seventh in the Sam’s Town Stakes. Southern Dude, meanwhile, only finished out of the money once in seven starts in 2013, a streak that included a minor stakes score at Fair Grounds, and a third-place finish in the Grade III Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes at Churchill.

Others have a chance in wide-open event

After a 2012 campaign that included two stakes wins and finished with five in-the-money results, Heavy On Themister, fourth choice here at 6-1 in the ML, opened 2013 with a win in the Louisiana Bred Premier Night Championship Stakes at Delta Downs. He then ran fifth in this event (held in March last year), then was off for three months before returning to run fifth again in the Louisiana Legends Classic Stakes in July. After an even longer layoff, he came back to the track last month to win in mid-level OAC company. If he can return to his 2012 form, he’s a contender in this.