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Brooke Marie Best In Pan Zareta At Fair Grounds

In a field full of early foot, the late turn of Castleton Lyon's Brooke Marie proved best in Saturday's $75,000 Pan Zareta Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La.

Speedster Elle Z set the pace from the inside post and was joined by far outside drawn Short Summer Dress and a surprisingly keen Elle's Town through opening fractions of :21.92 and :45.97 over a turf course rated as firm. Her speed on full display, Elle Z led every step of the way except the last inch, the one that counts, as she was seized by the marvelous Brooke Marie and jockey Adam Beschizza, who stopped the timer in 1:04.61 for the 5 ½ furlong distance. Kela's Turn (34-1) edged Elle's Town (36-1 for third). The 2.00-1 favorite Love and Money, exiting a first-level allowance win at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., settled into the pocket early but failed to seriously threaten thereafter, settling for fifth.

Training forwardly by all accounts at Keeneland and at Fair Grounds coming in, this Lemon Drop Kid mare has shown tremendous growth and maturity since joining Eddie Kenneally's barn last April.

“We freshened her up this summer and being a big mare expected her to need a race,” assistant trainer on the grounds Kelly Wheeler said. “She really impressed us at Keeneland and came out of the race well. We thought this was a good spot for her even though it was a bit of a step up and she proved that she belongs with this kind.”

Given a sensational ride by perennial meet title contender Beschizza, Brooke Marie broke sharp and settled five lengths back in seventh at the first call. Patiently going two-wide when there was no room in the tightly bunched mix, Beschizza took his live mount four-wide gaining position to fifth behind the slow starting Yes It's Ginger, who had rushed up into a stalking spot. That rival came back to her at the top of the stretch, pushing Brooke Marie out one lane five wide into the fresh paths of the Fair Grounds lawn. Fully extended, Brooke Marie surged to perfection for the head victory.

“She has done phenomenal since Eddie got a hold of her,” winning rider Adam Beschizza said. “She is like a fine wine; she seems to be improving with age. She's not one-dimensional–she's universal, she can close, she can stalk, be on the lead. She is a delight to ride as a jockey and I'm sure she is to train.”

With a field full of live horses looking to assert their presence at Fair Grounds, the last out wire-to-wire winner showed a new trick up her sleeve with her late-kick tactical advantage. With only 6 ¾ lengths separating first to last in the field off 11, others showed grit and growth sure to be on display for the Nelson J. Menard Memorial Stakes, the next fillies and mare turf sprint stakes on January 1st.

After going all out with a clear indication of returned form, Elle Z's connections were left wondering what else they could have done.

“She ran hard but just didn't quite hold on,” jockey Mitchell Murrill said. “Not enough. Elle Z's a great horse herself, but I guess today wasn't her day. She may have got a little tired on me towards the end, but she gave 110%. All I can ask for.”

The win was Brooke Marie's fifth overall, but first in a stakes (13-5-3-1). With the victory, the 5-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid boosted her career bankroll to $281,230.

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Thanksgiving Classic Highlights Thursday’s Opening Day Card At Fair Grounds

Like turkey and cranberries, Hartman and Murrill, Amoss and Graham, Derby Day and hats, Mardi Gras and masks–some things traditionally just go best together. This couldn't be more true than at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, where for many of the 150 years, opening day has combined horse racing with Thanksgiving. In true New Orleans fashion, it is an assemblage of all the best combinations. And also some new ones. After a year of no spectators, the season kicks off with a lot of buzz around full barns, new jockeys, returning champion connections, and the addition of seven new stakes races.

Ron Faucheux, who earned his first local crown last season, and three-time champion jockey James Graham return to defend their titles over the 80 days of racing, scheduled between Nov. 25, 2021 and March 27, 2022. They will have targets on their backs as the usual suspects and some newcomers show up to vie for the crown.

At the helm of one of the country's premier barns, four-time Fair Grounds champion Brad Cox will have something to say about who wins this year's title. Steve Asmussen, North America's all-time leading trainer by wins, returns as well as perennial contender, Thomas Amoss. Cox, Asmussen, and Amoss will surely be peppering in 2-year-olds to watch and 3-year-olds to compete in the Road to Derby Races — the newly coined Gun Runner (Dec. 26), Grade 3 Lecomte (Jan. 22), Grade 2 Risen Star (Feb. 19), and the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby (March 26).

Some exciting barns with larger-than-normal presences include Michael Maker, Brendan Walsh, and Mark Casse. Joe Sharp's and Michael Stidham's stalls will be flush as well.

Jockey newcomers include Jareth Loveberry who had a 30% percent win rate during the 2021 Arlington meet. He has won multiple riding titles at Arlington and Canterbury, and looking at his mounts for opening day, top trainers are excited to employ his services. Also, Reylu Gutierrez, in the midst of a career-year by purses earned, descends upon New Orleans ready to show the world why he is ready to take his game to the next level.

The opening card is drawn and the fields are big. The card averages over nine horses in each of the nine races. Beginning with a pair of Louisiana-bred races filled with horses who have taken a recent break, there will definitely be value on the board. From there the competitive fields are filled out with many horses who spent the fall at Keeneland and Churchill Downs. One 2-year-old to watch is Godolphin-owned and Stidham-trained Walhalla. Ridden by Murrill last out, Walhalla showed his early speed and will to win, fighting back after being passed to lose by ½ length in a nine-furlong maiden special weight race at Keeneland.

The 97th running of the Thanksgiving Classic is slotted 7th on the card with a post time of 3:12 CT. Pay attention to the class differences between the three main contenders: Just Might, Necker Island, and Greely and Ben. Just Might has spent a lot of his career facing graded-company, the pinnacle of that being his start in the 2020 Breeders Cup Sprint. Necker Island has had a solid 4-year-old campaign after his 3-year-old highlight of racing in the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby. But class-climber Greely and Ben comes in as hot as you will find a horse. Winner of nine races in a row, 11 out of 14 this year, Reylu Gutierrez will take his first mount on this Karl Broberg trained gelding, and his speed figures say he will be in the photo at the end.

Thanksgiving this year also heralds the first running of the Joseph R. Peluso Memorial Stakes, named for the longtime racing official who passed away last year. Firing on the turf course after the Thanksgiving Classic, this $75,000 purse will be hotly contested by as evenly-matched field of 11 horses as you will find.

The 80-day, 2021-2022 Fair Grounds racing season runs through Sunday, March 27. Regular post time will be 1:05 p.m. CT, but there will be an earlier noon CT first post on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25), Louisiana Champions Day (Dec. 11), Road to the Derby Kickoff Day (Dec. 26), Road to the Derby Day (Jan. 22) Louisiana Derby Preview Day (Feb. 19) and Louisiana Derby Day (March 26). There will be over $7 million in stakes races, highlighted by the March 26, $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby. A complete list of the stakes schedule can be found here: http://www.fairgroundsracecourse.com/

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Fair Grounds Continuing To Assess Property Damage Sustained During Hurricane Ida

The Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, La. was in the path of the storm when Hurricane Ida hit the coast on Aug. 29, reports bloodhorse.com. No injuries were reported, but the track sustained damage to the tote board, multiple barns, and a lighting pole.

“The team at Fair Grounds continues to assess the extensive damage to the property as a result of the impact of Hurricane Ida,” track president Doug Shipley said in a statement to bloodhorse.com. “While there will be much necessary repair in preparation for our Thoroughbred racing season in November, we are most grateful that our Quarter Horse meet had been relocated this year and therefore there were no horses were on property.

“In the interest of safety, we were able to close operations and send our team members home. As you can imagine, with the current conditions and in the absence of power in the area, it may take some time to get an accurate understanding of the damage and to estimate a timeline for repair.”

Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La. shut down on early Sunday morning, but did not sustain any damage as a result of the storm. Evangeline and Delta Downs, both owned by Boyd Gaming, are reported to be fully operational. Delta in Vinton, La. was outside the path of the storm.

Ron Faucheux, James Graham Wrap Up Fair Grounds Meet Titles

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots wrapped up the 149th season of racing on Sunday, March 28, and while times were a bit more trying because of the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, simulcast business was exceptionally strong due to the tremendous support from both horseman and bettors alike. The meet, which kicked off with the traditional Thanksgiving Day opener on November 26, included 76 racing days and it was highlighted, as always, by the 108th running of the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2).

“It was a meet like no other but we are extremely proud of everyone who came together to put out a great product on a day-in, day-out basis,” Fair Grounds' senior director of racing Jason Boulet said. “We are extremely grateful to the horseman and our fans and bettors for their continued support throughout the meet.”

The meet reached its zenith on March 20, when the Louisiana Derby highlighted a robust 14-race card that included eight stakes. Known as “the big three” for their accomplishments at the meet, Lecomte (G3) winner Midnight Bourbon, Risen Star (G2) victor Mandaloun, and Proxy, who was the runner-up in both of those races, would meet again in the Louisiana Derby, but it was Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, and William Strauss' California invader Hot Rod Charlie who would post the gate to wire victory for trainer of record Leandro Mora (Doug O'Neill). The Oxbow colt earned 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve in the process.

The co-featured TwinSires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) once again played out to be a key prep for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). Carded one race prior to the Louisiana Derby, the Fair Grounds Oaks was billed as the battle between budding rivals in OXO Equine's Travel Column, trained by Brad Cox, and Stonestreet Stables' homebred Clairiere, trained by Steve Asmussen. The pair had split their previous two encounters, with Travel Column taking the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill and Clairiere turning the tables in locally run Rachel Alexandra (G2) in February. Travel Column got the jump on Clairiere to win the Fair Grounds Oaks, and the duo once again ran one-two in what was a sure precursor to the Kentucky Oaks.

In a race that brought that much more of a national scope to one of the biggest days of the year in New Orleans, Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam, arguably the best turf course in the country off his win in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), invaded to take the Muniz Memorial Classic (G2) for trainer Todd Pletcher.

The Louisiana Derby Day card also marked the return of a small number of fans to Fair Grounds for the first time in over a year as the effects of COVID-19 forced the track to conduct live racing with no patrons, as only essential employees, licensed horsemen (including owners) and credentialed media were allowed on track. A select group of tickets were sold to the general public and marked a welcome, albeit brief, return of the fans who have long supported local racing and made Fair Grounds one of the best racing venues in the country.

Trainer Ron Faucheux won his coveted first ever trainer's title with 40 wins, while dethroning four-time defending champion and Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox (37 wins) in the process. Both 11-time local titlist Tom Amoss (35), as well as Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen (33), made runs at Faucheux, with the former holding the lead for much of the meet, while Joe Sharp completed the top-5 with 23 wins. Faucheux scored a stakes win with Monte Man in the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint in December and in the end the New Orleans native was too strong from start-to-finish to secure a title that clearly hit close to home.

“It means the world,” Faucheux said. “Being here, being from New Orleans and coming to this track since I was a child. This is what it's all about. We have so many people that put their faith in us. I have some great owners. I have the best help. This is my track; this is the best track in the country, as far as I'm concerned, and it's a privilege and an honor to be a part of it.”

Cox, who was in contention for a five-peat until the penultimate day of racing, left with plenty of hardware of his own. He won the Oaks with Travel Column and the Risen Star (G2) Presented by Lamarque Ford-Lincoln with Mandaloun, along with three other stakes. Asmussen had a strong meet as well, winning six stakes. Clairiere's win in the Rachel Alexandra was the barn highlight, though Midnight Bourbon flashed his Kentucky Derby form when he won the Lecomte (G3) in January to kick off the local 3-year-old stakes series. Asmussen also posted his remarkable 100th career Fair Grounds stakes when Joy's Rocket captured the Letellier Memorial on December 19.

James Graham not only repeated to win the jockey's title for the third time, but he obliterated his total of 63 wins last year, posting a seismic 88 on the board to hold off Adam Beschizza (85), with Mitchell Murrill (73) nabbing a podium finish as well. Colby Hernandez (69) bested his brother Brian (56) to round out the top-5.

“It means everything,” Graham said. “We kept digging away and plowing through and doing what we had to do. My stock ran really good this year and everything ran accordingly. It's been a fantastic meet. You can't race anywhere better in the wintertime; Fair Grounds is the best. I'm over the moon and ecstatic.”

Beschizza, buoyed by eight stakes wins, led all jockeys in purses earned with $3,115,764, edging Graham, who checked in with $2,996,153. Brian Hernandez Jr. and Florent Geroux also enjoyed strong meets with seven stakes wins apiece.

The owners' race went down to the wire as well, with Godolphin edging Chester Thomas' Allied Racing Stable 13-12, with End Zone Athletics checking in third with 11. Maggi Moss (9) was fourth, with Evelyn Benoit's Brittlyn Stable, Wayne T. Davis (8), Whispering Oaks Farm, and Winalot Racing rounding out the top-5 with eight wins apiece.

Godolphin led in purses won with $767,440, with the heavy lifting coming from Maxfield, who scored stakes wins in the Tenacious in December and Louisiana (G3) in January for trainer Brendan Walsh. In addition, their Proxy was second in the in the Lecomte and Risen Star, and fourth in the Derby, for trainer Mike Stidham.

Twelve horses won at least three races at the meet, with All Fact and Treys Midnight Moon leading the way with four each. Big Time, Dalika (Ger), Elle Z, Logical Myth, Maxfield all won two stakes at the meet.

On Saturday, February 27, Fair Grounds hosted “New Vocations Day at the Races”. Hosted on the simulcast show by retired jockey Rosie Napravnik, a four-time local champion, and Fair Grounds personality Joe Kristufek, the event was created in order to raise the awareness of all aspects of racehorse aftercare. In addition to on-line donations, several jockeys, trainers and owners contributed a percentage of that day's earnings, and over $8,000 was raised to help support the Louisiana division of New Vocations.

Both Handle and betting support were strong from Opening Day to Closing Day, no doubt helped by the elimination of the Black Gold 5, a jackpot Pk5 bet which was replaced by a traditional early and late Pk5, which were welcomed by handicappers. As a result, from the strong simulcast handle, management was able to raise purses 10% across the board three separate times at the meet, which only strengthened an already sterling local product. And while the often-unpredictable local weather made turf racing a challenge, racing secretary Scott Jones was more than happy with the end result, while eagerly looking ahead to a milestone 150th season next November.

“We would like to thank all the horsemen for their continued support which makes Fair Grounds one of the premier winter destinations and I'm looking forward to our 150th season,” Jones said. “Considering it was one of the wettest winters in New Orleans and all the other challenges, handle was very strong and we were able to raise purses three times at the meet.”

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