M Bar O LLC’s Elle Z took the lead at the start of the $75,000 Mardi Gras Stakes at Fair Grounds on Tuesday and never looked back, successfully defending her title with a victory by length and a quarter. Fellow OBS graduate Change of Control (October ’17) rallied for third. It’s the third straight stakes win for the 5-year-old daughter of City Zip, who went through the ring at the 2019 OBS June Sale after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5. Now 18-9-3-0 for trainer Chris Hartman, she has earned $447,533 to date. watch her under tack video