Stakes Advance: Excessivespending Targets Second Stakes Victory This Meet in Fat Tuesday’s Mardi Gras Stakes

By Ryan Martin

Joey Keith Davis’ Excessivespending seeks her third stakes victory this Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots meet in the $75,000 Mardi Gras Stakes on Tuesday afternoon.

Breaking from post three as the 4-1 second choice for the 5½-furlong event over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course, the 5-year-old daughter of Shackleford scored her first stakes victory over a firm Fair Grounds lawn last time out in the Nelson J. Menard Memorial Stakes, which she won by a half-length for trainer Chris Hartman. In 23 career starts, Excessivespending has won six races five of which were over turf and has banked a total of $305,348. In addition to her last out stakes victory, she defeated allowance company going one turn at Keeneland, Ellis Park  and Fair Grounds. Her lone victory on the main track was a fifth out maiden special weight triumph at Oaklawn Park in March 2017. Excessivespending will be guided by jockey Mitchell Murrill.

Bred in Kentucky by BMWZ Stables, Excessivespending is out of the In Excess (Ire.) broodmare Excessing, who also produced stakes winner and graded stakes placed Sweet Marini. She was purchased for $65,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale from consigner Woodford Thoroughbreds.

Sandra New’s Oxford Comma was second behind Excessivespending as the favorite in the Nelson J Menard and will be out for redemption when she breaks from the six hole as the 3-1 favorite under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan. Trained by Tom Amoss, the daughter of Majesticperfection has won nine of her 13 career starts.  is a stakes winner on both dirt and turf. Prior to her narrow defeat last time out, she won the Orleans Stakes at Delta Downs in January after winning the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash Stakes over the turf at Gulfstream Park. Oxford Comma was bred in Kentucky by John O’Meara and is out of the Lord Carson broodmare Oxford Joy. She was purchased by her owner for $30,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2016 from Vinery Sales’ consignment barn.

Completing the field are Contributing (post one, Florent Geroux, 9-2), Student Body (post two, Miguel Mena, 8-1), She’s All Skeet (post four, Adam Beschizza, 8-1), Golden Days (post five, Colby Hernandez, 8-1), La Dame Blanche (post seven, Corey Lanerie, 8-1), Miss Southern Miss (post eight, Gerard Melancon, 20-1), Orecchiette (post nine, James Graham, 8-1) and Sanity (post ten, Declan Carroll, 15-1).