Bloodlines Presented By Gary Contessa’s Integrity Bloodstock: A Banner Night For Adcock Family’s Red River Farm

In the Louisiana Cup series at Louisiana Downs over the weekend, one breeder's named came up again and again. Jay Adcock, who operates Red River Farm in northwestern Louisiana, was co-breeder of four of the six winners and stood the sire of a fifth.

The Red River Farm stallion Bind (by Pulpit) is now deceased, but he swept the juvenile stakes with Mirabeau and Chu Chu's Legacy; Is Too (Midshipman) won the Louisiana Cup Distaff; and Budro Talking (Tale of Ekati) won the Louisiana Cup Turf Classic. Farm stallion Calibrachoa is the sire of Saltee Stark, winner of the Louisiana Cup Sprint.

Adcock, contacted while working with horses at the farm, said that the weekend successes were “kind of surreal. You don't just get up in the morning and think, 'I'm going to be involved with four or five of the winners today.' That's not how this game works.”

Due to work on the farm and COVID-19 restrictions, Adcock's son Brandon represented the farm at Louisiana Downs for the Cup races.

“Realistically,” the younger Adcock said, “From nine horses that Red River bred or co-bred entered in the six races, it looked like we had a real good chance to win one. The Bind filly Mirabeau looked like our best chance of winning, then Budro Talking because he'd had some tough luck. Mirabeau is pretty nice. She looks like the best 2-year-old in Louisiana right now.”

In contrast to the juvenile filly Mirabeau (by Bind), who can do no wrong, the 5-year-old gelding Budro Talking (Tale of Ekati) could find trouble in a walkover. Jay Adcock said, “Budro Talking has had bad luck, and [trainer Karl] Broberg got frustrated and entered him for $17,500, and this kid [trainer Keith Austen] claimed him. [Broberg] didn't think anyone would claim the old horse, but this kid raced him twice and has now won both,” including the Louisiana Cup Turf Classic.

A winner of eight races from 24 starts and $221,184, Budro Talking had not won a stakes since he was a 2-year-old but has become a popular horse on the Louisiana racing circuit. It was not always so.

“I gave Budro away” at the yearling sale, co-breeder Hume Wornall said. “That was the only way to get the colt a new home. At the Fasig-Tipton October sale, Michael Netherland had bought another Louisiana-bred colt from me, and then this colt [Budro Talking] couldn't get a bid. Netherland took him, sold him as a 2-year-old for $20,000 at the Texas sale of 2-year-olds in training, and he's been in half the barns in Louisiana since then. Watching Budro race, you gotta love him. The horse likes firm grass and has one run; he slings wide and hauls down the stretch.

“The boy that has Budro Talking now is a young trainer and he's the fellow's first stakes winner; so he's probably got a life home there, and he's only a 5-year-old,” Wornall continued.

One of the benefits of the Louisiana-bred program is that even if a breeder has to give away a yearling, he might make some money if the horse is a good racer. Brandon Adcock said that “even a small breeder who has a limited financial window can breed a nice horse, and even if it sells for a loss at the sales, then there's a chance make a profit if the horse succeeds at the racetrack. There's a financial incentive to breed a nice horse, even if it's not a profitable sales horse.

“Three of our four horses that won Louisiana Cup races brought real modest sales prices,” the younger Adcock continued. “Budro didn't make a sales horse; the two 2-year-olds, [Mirabeau, Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies; Chu Chu's Legacy, Lousiana Cup Juvenile], were by our stallion Bind, and neither of those was a big price at the yearling sales.”

Mirabeau was a $5,000 yearling who has now won four of five starts and earned $105,350; Chu Chu's Legacy brought only $4,000 as a yearling; he's now won three of four starts, $90,800. The fourth Adcock-bred winner was Is Too, who was a private sale.

Brandon Adcock noted that “Mirabeau was a nice yearling, and when I saw her this weekend at Lousiana Downs, I could see that she has grown into a beautiful filly. She looks a little bigger than Chu Chu, and both are a lot like their sire, Bind. He was the nicest stallion that I've ever been around. He was bred and raced by Claiborne Farm and had the best manners you could imagine. He was easy to handle around mares, the vet, the farrier. Nothing fazed him, and he was powerful, big stallion. He could have been a bear if he'd wanted to.

“Unfortunately, we had to put him down because of complications from a snakebite. Two or three years ago, the vets thought that a snake had bit Bind on a leg, and we sent him to the clinic. They were able to improve the situation some, but we had to keep his leg bandaged. He was such a generous individual that he let us do whatever we needed to do to help him, but eventually, he developed laminitis, and the only solution was euthanasia.”

Even without the fine young sire, Red River Farm has plenty to continue with in the dams of the four Louisiana Cup winners. Smittystown (Speightstown), dam of Mirabeau, has a Mo Tom foal of 2020 and was bred back to Maximus Mischief. Bond's Babe (Johannesburg), dam of Chu Chu's Legacy, has a Mo Tom filly and was bred back to Tapiture. American Placed (Quiet American), the dam of Budro Talking, has a Good Samaritan and was bred back to Takeover Target. Tensas Salt (Salt Lake), the dam of Is Too, has a Broken Vow and was not bred in 2020 after seven foals in a row.

Jay Adcock said, “I'm going to breed those mares that went out of state this year to a stallion here in Louisiana, and those will go to one of my stallions,” such as Takeover Target (Harlan's Holiday) or Grade 1 winner El Deal (Munnings). The breed-back rule for Louisiana has recently been changed so that breeders will be able to take mares to out-of-state stallions every year, rather than the previous every-other year option.

Breeders such as Adcock, who stand stallions as well as raise state-bred racing prospects, are uncertain what the future holds for that part of their breeding operations. But for today, the Adcock family and their Red River Farm will bask in the bright sunshine of the winner's circle in front of the home folks.

The post Bloodlines Presented By Gary Contessa’s Integrity Bloodstock: A Banner Night For Adcock Family’s Red River Farm appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Full Fields, Exciting Finishes During Six Featured Stakes On Louisiana Cup Day

To say that 2020 has been a challenge for the Louisiana racing industry is a tremendous understatement. However, on Saturday, Sept. 19, Louisiana-bred Thoroughbreds showcased their talent and gave breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys a well-deserved break from the stress of COVID-19 and hurricanes targeting the Gulf Coast. An enthusiastic crowd enjoyed the gorgeous weather, full fields and thrilling finishes in each of the six featured stakes on Louisiana Cup Day.

Stakes action gets underway in the second race, the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies. A very competitive field of 11 accredited 2-year-old Louisiana-bred fillies entered the gate for the six furlong contest with a commanding victory by Mirabeau.

Owned by Larry Romero and Ron Faucheux, the daughter of Bind out of the Speightstown mare, Smittystown, was bred by J. Adcock and Nathan Granger and is trained by Faucheux. She was a commanding ten-length winner in the filly's division of the $60,000 D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity on August 29 at Evangeline Downs and did not disappoint today.

“She gets better every time,” said jockey Diego Saenz, who patiently sat off the early pace before joining Ru Lala at the top of the stretch.

Mirabeau crossed the wire in 1:12.66, winning by a margin of six lengths. She has now won four of her five career efforts, banking $105,350.

“We couldn't ask for anything more from a 2-year-old filly”, stated Faucheux. “I really liked her draw; there wasn't much speed on the outside. I figured she might hook up with Asmussen's filly, so our goal was to sit off the pace and make a run around the turn. It worked perfect for us! She keeps maturing. We aimed at this race after the “Shine” and will go right into Champions Day at Fair Grounds. Our goal is to keep her healthy, sound and fit and hopefully she will continue on like this.”

Ru Lala, trained by Steve Asmussen who won his 9,000th career race last night at Remington Park, held for second. Longshot Tecate Time closed for third and Inawic completed the superfecta.

It was another solid field of Louisiana-bred 2-year-old colts and geldings in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile going six furlongs on the main track.

The victory went to Allen Landry's Chu Chu's Legacy, who broke in front under jockey Tim Thornton and never relinquished the lead, drawing clear in a final time of 1:13.41.

The son of Bind, who won the $60,000 D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity division for colts and geldings was bred by J. Adcock and Hume Warnell.

“He's a real professional horse,” said Thorton. “Mr. Allen has done a great job with him. He looks like he has a bright future ahead of him.”

Owner/trainer Landry was pleased with the tenacity of his colt.

“He does what he has to do,” said Landry who purchased the colt for a modest $4,000 at the Equine Sales Mixed Sale. “He was pressured again today, but Tim said he stayed relaxed and just did his thing.”

Landry's wife Sandra named the colt after Chu Chu Perez who worked for the couple as a groom and recently passed away.

Running second was 35-1 entrant Janets Jay Jay under rider Luis Batista, followed by Creole Charlie and G'wildcat.

Sent off as the favorite, Chu Chu's Legacy paid $5.20 for the win, which was his third in four starts. With today's winner's share of $30,000, his earnings stand at $90,800.

There was little pressure for defending champion Is Too who schooled a very nice field of fillies and mares in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff.

The 5-year-old daughter of Midshipman is owned by Barrone Farms LLC, and won last year under Colby Hernandez. This year, jockey Diego Saenz had the call and set very comfortable early fractions of :25.06; 50:47 before drawing clear in 1:43.33 over a firm Franks Turf Course.

“She was very relaxed,” said Saenz. “They let me set the fractions and I was able to walk the dog, like they say! I was a little nervous as I have ridden several of these mares, but she got it done.”

Trainer Edward Johnston was reached on the phone following the victory.

“Diego did a tremendous job setting the fractions,” he said. “I knew he would have plenty left when he was able to slow it down on the lead. They weren't going to catch her today.”

Is Too ($7.20) won her seventh race from 22 starts and has now won $249,730..

Stakes winner Mariah's Galaxy was running late under rider Kevin Smith to complete the exacta with Room To Finish and Alliceous completing the top four spots.

The $50,000 Louisiana Filly and Mare Sprint attracted a highly competitive group of distaffers competing at the distance of six furlongs.

Tin Roof Farms LLC's Snowball, a 4-year-old daughter of Apriority, won her last two races at Evangeline Downs, including the $60,000 Louisiana Legends Mademoiselle Stakes on July 4. Trained by Samuel Breaux, the gray filly broke from post position three with Diego Saenz in the saddle. Bred by 4M Ranch, Snowball made one previous start at Louisiana Downs in 2019, running fourth in the Elge Rasberry, which was run at a mile on the turf.

Sprinting has become her forte, according to her conditioner as he watched her cross the wire of the six furlong contest in 1:12.02.

“She had lots of traffic in the front,” said Breaux. “But Diego got her through it and she did the rest. We changed her style from a route horse to a sprinter and she has taken advantage of it.”

Owner Matt Jeffrey was on hand to see his filly pick up her third race in a row.

“It's been a blast,” said Jeffrey. ”To be here with our family and friends is something we look forward to. Sam does an amazing job.”

Jeffrey's 7-year-old daughter Payton named the filly after admiring her at the sale, she told her parents that the potential racehorse reminded her of a snowball!

Trainer Ron Faucheux saddled runner-up Play Unified, a 7-year-old mare by Exchange Rate, who rallied under Erica Murray. Our Lost Love, Louisiana 2-year-old champion filly, ran third followed by Miss Pat's Girl.

The $50,000 Louisiana Turf Cup Classic attracted 12 runners going a mile and one-sixteenth over the Franks Turf Course.

Budro Talking had an excellent turf record for owner Jack Randall and has won five of his eight Louisiana Downs starts, including last year's Sunday Silence. Joel Dominguez piloted the 5-year-old son of Tale of Ekati, advancing gamely down the stretch over longshot Nippy Red and previous champion In The Navy.

In one of the most animated winner's circle celebrations in Louisiana Cup history, trainer Keith Austin saluted owner Jack Randall and was thrilled to notch his first stakes win as a conditioner.

“I rode for 23 years and never won a stakes,” said Austin. “I said that if I ever got the opportunity to train horses, and rode the horses I trained, I would have won a stakes. Joel Dominguez was Superman today and Jack Randall is the reason I am here today. He gave me the opportunity to train when nobody else would. He believed in me. I had to make this horse happy and make him feel at home.”

“He's just a champ; I was just the passenger,” said rider Dominguez. “I saved ground on the first turn and gave him a clean trip. I knew he was going to come running.”

Sydster followed Nippy Red and In the Navy to the wire. Budro Talking ($6.40) won in a final time of 1:41.9, earning his eighth win in 24 starts.

Two previous champions of the $50,000 Louisiana Sprint were denied in the finale when Saltee Stark finished with a rush under Louisiana Downs leading rider Joel Dominguez.

The 5-year-old son of Calibrachoa was making his 17th career start for trainer Joe O. Duhon, who felt his runner would be competitive based on his August 14 win here.

“I decided to run him in this because he had a good recent race,” explained Duhon. “Fellow trainer Shane Wilson and I talked about it and he felt my horse could compete. I want give thanks to my owner, John S. Turner, who passed away a couple of weeks ago.”

This was the second stakes victory on the card for Dominguez, who will be honored with his first leading rider title on Wednesday.

“Joe and I talked and said if he ran like he did last time, he would win,” said Dominguez.

Defending champion Laughingsaintssong had the lead in the first half-mile, but faded to fifth/ Trainer Ron Faucheux looked for a good effort from his two entrants, Bertie's Galaxy, who was game throughout the race under Erica Murray, finishing second and 2018 champion Monte Man, who rallied for third.

Saltee Stark ($12.00) was bred by Moon Lake Equine Center LLC and was clocked in 1:11.19. He will be pointed to Fair Grounds according to Duhon.

Just three more days remain in the 2020 Harrah's Louisiana Downs Thoroughbred meet. Live racing continues Monday, September 21. Tuesday, September 22 and will conclude on Wednesday, September 23 with the presentation of the End of the Meet awards to the leading owner, trainer and jockey.

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