Mother Nature could have a significant impact on the trio of listed $100,000 turf stakes scheduled for Saturday’s 14-race program at Fair Grounds. According to National Weather Service, there is a chance of thunderstorms in New Orleans between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (CT), not necessarily good for a turf course that already has been heavily scrutinized. On turf, with the rails out 34 feet, the fields are limited to eight runners. If the races are moved to dirt, there are also-eligibles who could get in who would be very live in two of these races. Colonel E.R. Bradley (race 8) Price Talk is a contender on either surface for trainer Brad Cox, who would prefer to run the 6-year-old gelding on turf. In four starts for Cox, Price Talk has won stakes on turf, dirt, and was just beaten three-quarters of a length in a synthetic stakes at Turfway Park. “I thought he ran well last time at Turfway, I thought he was a winner turning for home,” Cox said. “For whatever reason anything close to the lead wasn’t finishing up, horses were coming from nowhere. I thought it was a good race, he’s done well since. We’ll see if he likes this turf course.” :: DRF Bets players have exclusive access to FREE DRF Past Performances - Classic or Formulator! Join today.  Cox also has Ready to Purrform entered off a three-month layoff. Cox said Ready to Purrform’s front-running victory in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga last August may have taken the starch out of the horse for his final two races of the year. Two Emmys, the Grade 1 Mr D winner of 2021 and the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic here last year, would be making his first start since last June provided this race remains on turf. “He’s going okay, he is 7 years old and this is a significant layoff,” trainer and part owner Hugh Robertson said. “He sure might need one off the layoff.” English Tavern and Big Agenda finished second and third, respectively, in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial at Fair Grounds on Dec. 26. Duncan F. Kenner (race 11) This 5 1/2-furlong race might be better on dirt than turf with Surveillance and Bango likely drawing in should there be a surface switch. Since being gelded following his winless 4-year-old season, Surveillance went 5 for 12 in 2022, including a pair of listed stakes victories on dirt at Fair Grounds. He did kick off his 2022 season with a maiden win sprinting on turf. “He’s done so well on dirt, I’d prefer the dirt, but running on turf is not going to affect his ability,” said trainer Keith Desormeaux. Bango, trained by Greg Foley, beat Surveillance in the Bet On Sunshine Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 13 before finishing second to that rival in the Richard Scherer Memorial at Fair Grounds on Dec. 26. Trainer Al Stall Jr. wants the race to remain on turf for his uncoupled duo of Evan Sing and Pyron. Evan Sing makes his first start off a 90-day layoff. He has previously won at first asking – a maiden race at Fair Grounds – and off a 61-day layoff at Saratoga. Evan Sing finished third in a second-level allowance, a race in which he dropped too far out of it early on. “He’s a swayback, I don’t know if with a lot of racing maybe he wasn’t pushing off as good,” Stall said. “He’s sound and not sore. Hopefully, this freshening may get him to break with the pack and be a little more comfortable.” :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures Pyron, who won the Colonel Power Stakes last February, returns to Fair Grounds for the first time since. Stall turned Pyron out following a last-place finish in an allowance at Churchill last Sept. 8. Stall said Pyron is a horse who has had foot issues. Marie Krantz Memorial (race 5) Though Charlie’s Penny has just one race on turf – a runner-up finish in a sprint at Colonial Downs – trainer Chris Block feels that was one of her better races. He had Charlie’s Penny entered in last Saturday’s Nelson Menard Memorial Stakes, but she couldn’t draw in from the also-eligible list and was scratched so now he has to try her in this 1 1/16-mile spot. Charlie’s Penny won the Silverbulletday Stakes on dirt here in 2021 before enduring a 15-month layoff. Charlie’s Penny had a 2-2-1 record form five starts in 2022 and Block felt she had trouble in the Joseph “Spanky” Broussard Memorial when third last time out at a mile and 70 yards. Block said that after a horse to her inside bumped with Charlie’s Penny at the start, his filly “got a little aggressive” with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. “and chased into what was a quicker pace than I wanted to be chasing into,” he said. “I think that took the punch out of her turning for home. . . . I feel like she can get the mile and a sixteenth, but it all depends on pace. I don’t think she can chase into a quick pace.” Hernandez rides Miss Speedy for Mark Casse in this spot so Jareth Loveberry will ride Charlie’s Penny. Wave of Goodness comes in off a narrow loss in the Blushing K. D. Stakes over this course on Dec. 26. Trainer Brendan Walsh sends out the uncoupled entry of My Philly Twirl and Lake Lucerne. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? 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