The $2 million earner Free Like a Girl starts as an odds-on favorite facing nine other older Louisiana-bred fillies and mares in the $100,000 John Valene Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds. She probably won’t be the shortest-priced starter among the horses in four statebred stakes on the card. Secret Faith meets no more than five foes in the $100,000 Donovan Ferguson Memorial, a six-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies. Listed at 2-5 on the track’s morning line, Secret Faith, 4 for 4 to start her career, looks close to a slam-dunk in the Ferguson. Things might turn dicier for Free Like a Girl’s supporters. Not that Free Like a Girl doesn’t tower over the opposition on her best day. But will she come close to her best Saturday? Trained and partly owned by Chasey Deville Pomier, 5-year-old Free Like a Girl is one of the great success stories among active Thoroughbreds. By the $2,500 stallion El Deal, Free Like a Girl sold for $5,500 at a yearling auction, an epic bargain. The mare has won 20 of her 44 starts and topped the $2 million mark in earnings winning the $100,000 Treasure Chest on Nov. 8 at Delta Downs. That victory at odds of 3-5 came by a mere neck. Yes, the Treasure Chest was run over a muddy track, but Free Like a Girl has handled wet going before. And while many horses can’t abide the bull-ring oval at Delta Downs, Free Like a Girl has won seven races there. Moreover, Free Like a Girl has raced steadily without a break of more than two months since June 2022. She hit a peak this spring and summer finishing third in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom, second in the Grade 1 La Troienne, and sharply winning the rich Pink Ribbon at Charles Town, performances that all far exceeded her Treasure Chest. No one, however, stands out as an especially appealing alternative. Lightly raced Wonderrand has won two straight and looks progressive. Accommodate Eva hasn’t raced since July but won Fair Grounds dirt-route stakes last February well enough to rate an upset chance. Olivia G, 30-1 on the line, has a chance. Secret Faith, trained for the Norman Stables by Jayde Gelner, has not run out four straight in the typical front-running fashion of a fast, early-developing 2-year-old. She did capture the fillies division of the Shine Young Futurity by 14 lengths while leading, but last out, in the two-turn, seven-furlong Louisiana Jewel at Delta Downs, she stalked from fourth before cruising to a 6 1/4-length win over Warrior’s Justice, the likely second choice in the Ferguson. Favorites harder to find While the two sex-restricted stakes feature heavy favorites, it’s difficult even finding the favorite in Saturday’s stakes for older Louisiana-bred males, a dirt sprint and a dirt route. The route, the $100,000 Jacob Morreale Memorial (named for the late trainer who was a fixture at Fair Grounds and Jefferson Downs), drew 10 entrants, and Behemah Star would stand out above the other nine with his best form from the 2023-24 Fair Grounds season. Last meet, Behemah Star, trained for the Brittlyn Stable by Shane Wilson, easily rated as the second-best Louisiana-bred dirt route horse, topped only by the graded stakes-class Touchuponastar. But after a strong string of races from November through May, Behemah Star was beaten 16 lengths as the favorite in a Louisiana-bred stakes in June, turning in a similar showing two months later in his most recent start. If Behemah Star fails to get back to his baseline, the Morreale becomes inscrutable, nearly a guessing game. Allnight Moonlight, a 4-year-old racing for the first time as a gelding, gets the most tepid of calls. The six-furlong Andrew Ney Memorial (named for another successful Louisiana trainer) presents a similarly blurry picture. The morning line lists Bron and Brow as a 3-1 favorite while facing eight rivals, and while the best version of Bron and Brow wins the Ney, we aren’t likely to see that horse. Bron and Brow races for the first time since May and makes his first start for trainer Norm Casse after running for his father, Mark, who didn’t send a string to Fair Grounds this season. A solid 2-year-old of 2021, Bron and Brow appears to have peaked two winters ago, though he does bring a formidable 9-5-3-0 Fair Grounds mark to his comeback run. Four-year-old Clear as a Bele has gone 7-4-1-0 over the Fair Grounds main track and turned in a career-best showing winning a Louisiana Downs statebred sprint stakes on Aug. 31, his most recent outing. He should stand a solid win chance, as should El Dinero, who has done his best work in two-turn races but goes effectively as a one-run closer in fast-paced sprints. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.