Tag: fair grounds

Fair Grounds Offers Across the Board Purse Increase

Strong handle during the first seven weeks of the 152nd racing season has prompted a 10% purse increase across the board, in addition to $25,000 added to the purses of 10 stakes, announced Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Tuesday.

“We're extremely excited to announce a 10% increase to our daily purse structure along with the $25,000 boost to 10 stakes,” Fair Grounds' racing secretary Scott Jones said. “Based on the strong early handle returns and continued support from our owners, horsemen, and horseplayers, we are in a position to raise purses.”

The 10% across the board purse increase will go in effect with Condition Book 4, which begins with the Thursday, Jan. 25 card (drawn Thursday, Jan. 18).

The purse increase includes both open races and Louisiana-bred races. Maiden special weight races will rise to $57,000. The seven remaining stakes–listed at $75,000–have been increased to $100,000: Louisiana Broodmare of the Year, Louisiana Stallion of the Year, Allen “Black Cat” Lacombe Memorial, Black Gold, Edward J. Johnston Memorial, Red Camelia and Page Cortez.

Additionally, three stakes slated for Louisiana Derby Day (Mar. 23) have been boosted by $25,000. The Tom Benson Memorial, a 1 1/16 miles turf route for older fillies and mares will now be run for $150,000 purse, and both the Crescent City Derby and Oaks will now be run for $125,000.

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First Mission Fires Pegasus Bullet

'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) worked a five-furlong bullet in 1:00.20 (1/48) Friday morning at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans in preparation for the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park Jan. 27.

The GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. winner and GII Clark S. runner-up worked shortly before 6 a.m. with exercise rider Kelvin Perez aboard.

“It was a really, really good breeze,” trainer Brad Cox said. “I know that's typical trainer talk but he's a good work horse. He was by himself. There actually was a set in front of him. I don't remember exactly whose barn it was, but he slipped up the inside on them nearing the wire and galloped out very, very well.”

Cox continued, “He's doing great. We've got a couple more works. But that's the first five-eighths he's had down here. I love what I saw from him.”

The Godolphin homebred had a trio of half-mile works at the Fair Grounds heading into Friday's exercise. “I sharpened him up a little bit,” Cox said. “We want to make sure we go to Florida with a fit, happy horse. We took a big step forward today with trying to get him down there in good order.”

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Quality Road’s Impel The First ‘Rising Star’ Of 2024

Racing fans didn't have to wait long for the New Year's first 'TDN Rising Star' as Juddmonte homebred Impel (Quality Road) sat off hot early fractions and pounced into the lane to graduate at first asking Monday.

Facing a field of mostly first-time starters, all making their 3-year-old debuts, Impel took money into the teeth of race favorite Tipsy Tammy (Arrogate), breaking at 7-2 and going right out to be three wide with that rival along with Golden Degree (Goldencents) on the rail. That trio sped through an opening quarter in :21.89 and Impel had work to do to keep up around the far turn. Patiently handled under Florent Geroux, the homebred got back onto even terms passing the quarter pole and, as the rest of the field faded behind him, took Tipsy Tammy into the final sixteenth before clearing away to hit the wire alone. The first two fillies were nearly 11 lengths clear of the rest of the group which included fellow first-timer Who's Ticket (Quality Road).

Impel is the first foal out of SW/GSP Your Love, who was purchased by Juddmonte for $480,000 out of the 2019 Keeneland November Sale in foal to More Than Ready. Your Love is a full-sister to GSW/GISP Economic Model and a half to MSW/GSP Jimmy Simms (Lost Soldier), GSW/GISP Happy American (Runhappy) and GSW/GISP Well Monied (Maria's Mon), who herself produced the dam of GSW/MGISP Will's Secret (Will Take Charge) and GSP Ben Diesel (Will Take Charge). After losing her 2022 War Front foal, Your Love produced a Curlin filly last year and was bred to Not This Time for 2024.

6th-Fair Grounds, $52,000, Msw, 1-1, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:10.15, ft, 3 1/4 lengths.
IMPEL, f, 3, Quality Road
                1st Dam: Your Love {SW & GSP, $335,000}, by Flatter
                2nd Dam: Queen of America, by Quiet American
                3rd Dam: Our Dear Ruth, by Bladski
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $31,200. O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.

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Track Phantom Banks Derby Points In Gun Runner S.

Track Phantom (Quality Road) had 10 points deposited into his Road to the Kentucky Derby account by winning Saturday's featured Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

After a pair of good efforts to try and break his maiden in October at Churchill Downs, the bay got his picture taken with a front-running score by 4 3/4 lengths under the Twin Spires Nov. 25.

As a 9-2 shot here, the colt came out firing from his outside post and dueled into the first turn with GISP Next Level (Vino Rosso). With the battle for the lead continuing up the backstretch, Track Phantom finally got the best of his rival before the far turn, clearly had more to give at the top of the lane and outlasted a late-effort by Snead (Nyquist), as 'TDN Rising Star' Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) finished third.

“It's impressive that both of his [Track Phantom] two turn races have been victories, and it was a good field today,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “I actually thought they went too fast in the middle, you know, 46 4/5 here in a two-turn race, you don't see horses see it out very often. He's obviously a very good horse who has some room to physically develop and we have him right where want to be at this stage of his career.”

Out of an extended female family which includes MGSW Prayer for Relief (Jump Start), the winner is his dam's second offspring to make the races after O'Conner Sunset (Curlin). An $825,000 purchase by Breeze Easy at the '18 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale, Miss Sunset is also responsible for yearling colt Crystal Pearl (Curlin), who went for $1.1 million during Keeneland September to Lauren Carlisle. Track Phantom's dam also foaled a colt by Quality Road Mar. 3 and was bred to Flightline for next year.

GUN RUNNER S., $98,000, Fair Grounds, 12-23, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.42, ft.
1–TRACK PHANTOM, 122, c, 2, by Quality Road
                1st Dam: Miss Sunset (GSW & GISP, $891,895), by Into Mischief
                2nd Dam: Tuscan Sunset, by Trippi
                3rd Dam: Icelandic Dancer, by Eskimo
($500,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-L and N Racing LLC, Clark O. Brewster, Jerry Caroom and Breeze Easy, LLC; B-Breeze Easy, LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-Cristian Torres. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-1, $165,000.
2–Snead, 122, c, 2, Nyquist–Raffle Ticket, by A.P. Indy. ($125,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $210,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG; $325,000 2yo '23 EASMAY). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Imagine Racing and Margaret Fauber; B-Chris Baccari & Taylor Luneack (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $20,000.
3–Nash, 122, c, 2, Medaglia d'Oro–Sara Louise, by Malibu Moon. 1ST BLACK TYPE. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $10,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 3/4, 5. Odds: 4.90, 9.10, 0.50.
Also Ran: Footprint, Risk It, Neat, Next Level. Scratched: Catching Freedom.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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