Several years ago, trainer Chad Brown developed Fourstar Cook from a force in the New York-bred filly and mare turf division to a Grade 1 winner in her 6-year-old year. History seems to be repeating itself with the New York-bred gelding Spirit of St Louis, who, after winning five statebred stakes, became a Grade 1 winner in his 6-year-old debut when he captured the Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park. Saturday, Spirit of St Louis will look to build on that performance when he meets stablemate Redistricting and 10 others in the Grade 2, $300,000 Mervin Muniz Classic at Fair Grounds. The Muniz, at 1 1/8 miles, is a race Brown has won three times, two of those winners having run previously in the Pegasus. Though Spirit of St Louis was 7-1 on the tote board, Brown went into the Pegasus quite confident the son of Medaglia d’Oro would run big, and he did, rallying from midpack to get up by a neck over favored Integration. The victory improved Spirit of St Louis’s record to 10-3-0 from 14 starts. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  “I just liked the rest that we had, he trained exceptionally well,” Brown said. “A mile and an eighth is his limit, but on firmer ground he can do it.” Redistricting was pointing to the Pegasus, but a low-grade infection prevented him from running. Redistricting only ran twice last year, finishing second in both the Grade 3 Knickerbocker at Aqueduct and the Grade 2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar. In the latter race, he rallied from last of 12, but Brown noted he doesn’t have to be that far back to be effective. “I don’t think he needs to be out the back door,” said Brown, who has Flavien Prat on Redistricting and Tyler Gaffalione on Spirit of St Louis. While runners out of the Seabiscuit are a combined 0 for 20, several have run their best speed figures while placing in stakes since that race. Trainer Cherie DeVaux also sends out two in the Muniz. Rebel Red, who lost his left eye in a stall accident last summer, and Brilliant Berti, a winner of 5 of 7 starts, are both making their seasonal debuts in this spot. DeVaux said this is a starting point for both and that Rebel Red will likely benefit from more ground later in the year. Brilliant Berti is facing older horses and trying 1 1/8 miles for the first time. In his last two wins, both at one mile, he benefitted from super quick early paces. “He’s going to have to learn how to settle without having those types of paces in front of him, so he might have to do a little bit of learning as well in this race,” DeVaux said. Higgins Boat, trained by Tom Amoss, nearly stole the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Stakes on the lead, but had to settle for second, one length behind the DeVaux-trained Taking Candy who is being pointed to the Grade 1, $1 million Old Forester Turf Classic on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Higgins Boat will likely be sent away by Edgar Morales breaking from post 12. Gigante, eighth, beaten four lengths, in the Fair Grounds, finished second in this race last year at 17-1. Tom Benson Memorial Expect several scratches from the original field of 13 entered in the $150,000 Tom Benson Memorial, leaving Way to Be Marie and Fun With Flags as the expected two top choices in the 1 1/16-mile turf race. Provided the race remains on the turf, Wild About Hilary and Amber Cascade will be withdrawn, per their trainers. Sabalenka just won an allowance on Tuesday. Way to Be Marie, trained by Rob Atras, is coming off a third-place finish in the Albert M. Stall Memorial on Feb. 15 behind Nanda Dea, who was winning her eighth race from 10 career starts. Neither Nanda Dea nor Stall runner-up Join In the Dance are back in the Benson. “I thought she had a perfect trip, I thought we had dead aim on the winner,” Atras said. “We had a little more time than we wanted between races. This time, the spacing is a little more ideal for her. It’s a competitive race, but I think she fits.” Atras scratched Way to Be Marie out of the Marie Krantz Memorial when that Jan. 18 race came off the turf, meaning Way to Be Marie had seven weeks between races heading into the Stall. This time she has five weeks. Fun With Flags is making he first start for Brown and her first start since she finished last of nine in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks last July when trained by Jerome Reynier. She has been training steadily since November and did win her career debut in France at this distance. Trainer Michael Stidham said he plans to run both Tufani, fourth in the Stall, and Distorted d’Oro, an allowance winner on Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds. Distorted d’Oro also was entered in a Saturday race at Turfway. Crescent City Derby Sippin On Gin, a 25-1 upset winner of the Louisiana Stallion of the Year Stakes on March 1, will seek a third consecutive victory in a wide-open field of 14 entered in the Crescent City Derby. Sippin On Gin slipped through an opening on the inside and outfinished Cajun Mitole who was 1 1/2 lengths clear of 1-5 favorite Dapper Moon. All six runners from that race are entered back in here. Acknowledge, an odds-on favorite in his last three starts – two losses and a win – is removing blinkers for this race while adding Irad Ortiz Jr. Crescent City Oaks Blue Fire had things her own way on the lead when she won the Louisiana Broodmare of the Year Stakes against four rivals earlier this month. That dynamic is unlikely to play out again Saturday in the $150,000 Crescent City Oaks for Louisiana-bred 3-year-old fillies. Even though morning-line favorite Secret Faith is expected to scratch in favor of the Fair Grounds Oaks later on the card, there appears to be other pace in this field such as Graceful Star and Warrior’s Justice. The change-of-pace dynamic should help Margie’s Intention, who finished second when futilely trying to chasing Blue Fire four weeks ago. Margie’s Intention had won an allowance race from farther off the pace in which her stablemate Warrior’s Justice contested the pace. Irad Ortiz Jr. picks up the mount on Margie’s Intention. Canal Street could be the price play in here after successfully getting through the maiden ranks with the addition of blinkers. ◗ Big Chopper beat Brian’s Iron Mike by a nose in last year’s Costa Rising Stakes, and Brian’s Iron Mike beat Big Chopper by three-quarters of a length in an allowance race last out. The two 6-year-old Louisiana-breds are back at it in an overflow field of 16 for this year’s Costa Rising going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf Saturday. Tussling Charlie and Geaux Sugar are others to consider in this spot. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.