(Flying Mohawk / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Fair Grounds Media Team:

Sibling 3-Year-Old Turf Stakes Woodchopper, Pago Hop Set for Saturday at Fair Grounds

Stidham’s Potent Woodchopper Pair Led by Montador

Cox Duo Headline Up-For-Grabs Pago Hop

NEW ORLEANS (Dec. 23, 2025) — Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots’ end-of-the-year tradition continues on Saturday, Dec. 27 with the $100,000 Woodchopper and $100,000 Pago Hop, a pair of sibling turf stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

With 11 races on the card, the Woodchopper comes first as Race 5, followed by the Pago Hop as Race 9. First post is 12:45 p.m. CT.

A field of seven males signed on for the Woodchopper, including a pair trained by Mike Stidham, led by the 2-1 morning line favorite Montador.

Possessing open-length victories at both Kentucky Downs and Churchill Downs, Godolphin’s Montador was sent off as the 3-1 second choice in the Commonwealth Turf (G3) on Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs. Menacing late, the Nyquist colt was overtaken by winner Giocoso in the final stages and lost a photo for fourth. Aboard Montador for his maiden-breaking score, Brian Hernandez Jr. returns to the irons.

Stablemate Juris Doctor, owned by Pin Oak Stud, has been bet down to favoritism in each of his four starts, including last out when second to Funnyflame in a local allowance on opening day. Listed at 3-1, Juris Doctor will make his first start with blinkers on.

Kentucky Derby alumnus Flying Mohawk will return to Fair Grounds in the Woodchopper. Owned by Two Eight Racing, Berry Family Racing, and Kaleta Racing, the Whit Beckman trainee won a local allowance last January before running second in the Jeff Rubey (G2), a Derby prep at Turfway Park. Flying Mohawk’s principal owner is former World Series Champion and MLB All-Star, Jayson Werth. The Karakontie colt will race with blinkers off after finishing tenth in the Commonwealth.

Here is the complete field for the Woodchopper from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds:

Coco Cool (Ben Curtis, Mike Maker, 15-1)
Faber (ON) (Paco Lopez, Gary Scherer, 8-1)
Juris Doctor (Axel Concepcion, Stidham, 3-1)
Joejoe Go (Jose Ortiz, Chris Davis, 3-1)
Flying Mohawk (Jareth Loveberry, Beckman, 8-1)
Montador (Hernandez Jr., Stidham, 2-1)
Savion (Declan Cannon, Cherie DeVaux, 8-1)

 

The barns of Brad Cox, Kenny McPeek, and Bret Calhoun represent six of the nine fillies entered in a wide-open Pago Hop with the morning line recognizing Cox-trained Bracelet and Hear the Queen as the top pair.

After four starts on Tapeta at Turfway Park to start her career, including two fourth-place finishes in Kentucky Oaks preps, Selective’s Bracelet returned in October on Keeneland’s turf, where she captured a first-level allowance victory. In her only other turf start, Bracelet ran fourth to the talented Lush Lips in the Mrs. Revere (G2) on closing weekend at Churchill Downs, followed by Caviar Breakfast and Sea the Sky (IRE), both of whom are entered in the Pago Hop. Axel Concepcion takes the call on the 3-1 morning-line favorite, who drew the outside post in the nine-horse field.

Tabbed as the 4-1 second choice, Miacomet Farm and Michael Pietrangelo’s Hear the Queen will be racing for her fourth victory from eight starts. Marcelino Pedroza Jr. will pilot the Audible filly in her stakes debut.

Both of McPeek’s Pago Hop entries exit graded stakes. Shamrock Stables, MJM Racing, and Kevin Pollard’s Unmerited Favor cuts back from the 1 3/8-miles Jockey Club Oaks (G3) where she produced late to finish fifth behind division leaders Fionn and Laurelin. Gentry Farm’s Caviar Breakfast had a two-race win streak snapped when a game fifth last out in the Mrs. Revere.

Both owned by Kat Kirk and Wayne Sanders, the Calhoun-trained stablemates Multiplication and Ninth Island will stretch back out to two turns, where each has had success.

Here is the complete field for the Pago Hop from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds:

Sea To Sky (Declan Cannon, Cherie DeVaux, 5-1)
Hear the Queen (Pedroza Jr., Cox, 4-1)
Cheetah Lady (Jareth Loveberry, Whit Beckman, 8-1)
Lady of Sky (Mitchell Murrill, Daniel Simonovich, 20-1)
Ninth Island (Isaac Castillo, Calhoun, 12-1)
Unmerited Favor (Jose Ortiz, McPeek, 6-1
Caviar Breakfast (Hernandez Jr., McPeek, 9-2)
Multiplication (Ben Curtis, Bret Calhoun, 10-1)
Bracelet (Concepcion, Cox, 3-1)

 

Dark on Christmas Day, live racing at Fair Grounds resumes on Friday, Dec. 26, with a 10-race card and 12:45 p.m. CT first post.