This weekend, the Derby Trail and the Oaks Trail revisit the Big Easy, just in time for Mardi Gras!

The stakes are higher this weekend, with 50 points (instead of 10) now going to the winners.  And, for the Derby-bound, that brought out the cavalcade: fourteen three-year-old males will line up to contest the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes.  The Rachel Alexandra (G2) drew a field of just seven, but those seven include the top two sophomore fillies on the grounds, Valadorna and Farrell.

Head over to Picks and Ponderings, read my preview of Saturday’s three-year-old preps at Fair Grounds, and let me know what you think in the comments!