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Louisiana Derby: Track Phantom Draws Widest, Named 3-1 Morning-Line Favorite

GII Risen Star S. runner up Track Phantom (Quality Road) headlines the field for Saturday's GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. The race draw also named the GIII Lecomte S. winner, who will break widest of the field in gate 12, as the 3-1 morning-line favorite.

The field listed with their morning-line odds from the rail out include: Triple Espresso (Omaha Beach) (20-1), 'TDN Rising Star' Hall of Fame (Gun Runner) (8-1), Antiquarian (Preservationist) (12-1), 'TDN Rising Star' Agate Road (Quality Road) (8-1), Catching Freedom (Constitution) (4-1), Awesome Ruta (Mendelssohn) (30-1), Honor Marie (Honor Code) (8-1), Next Level (Vino Rosso) (30-1), Real Men Violin (Mendelssohn) (20-1), Common Defense (Karakontie {Jpn}) (6-1), 'TDN Rising Star' Tuscan Gold (Medaglia d'Oro) (8-1) and Track Phantom (Quality Road) (3-1).

The GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby is the first of the 100-point Derby preps and awards points on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale to eligible runners.

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Hall of Famer Walter Blum Dies

Hall of Fame jockey and long-time Florida steward Walter Blum died early Thursday, Mar. 14 due to complications of lung disease, announced his son Walter Blum Jr. on social media. He was 89. The story was first reported by the Daily Racing Form (DRF).

The Brooklyn, N.Y. native started his racing career young as a hotwalker before launching into riding in 1953 at 19, and leading the country in wins in both 1963 and 1964. While largely riding in New York and New Jersey, Blum did travel for high-profile rides. Despite having only one Triple Crown series victory–in 1971 when Pass Catcher denied Canonero II the Triple Crown in the Belmont–he'd counted a victory in nearly every major New York stakes, including the Whitney, Frizette, Prioress, Brooklyn, Metropolitan, Test, etc. as well as finding the winner's enclosure in the Santa Anita and Florida Derbys.

He also tallied the notable achievement of beating two equine Hall of Famers when his charges defeated five-time Horse of the Year Kelso and the great Buckpasser. Blum was named the George Woolf Memorial Award winner in 1964 and served as president of The Jockeys' Guild for five years starting in 1969.

Upon retirement from the saddle in 1975, Blum had 4,382 wins from 28,673 starts, and at that time, only four other jockeys could claim more victories. From there, he secured his first tenure as a steward at Atlantic City Race Course before taking the state steward position in Florida in 1978, where he served until his retirement in 2004.

“The world lost a star last night,” said Walter Blum Jr. in his Facebook post. “I love you with all my heart dad. I'm going to miss you so much. I can't believe you're gone. I've lost my best friend.”

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National Museum Of Racing To Celebrate Secretariat’s Birthday With Children’s Event

Secretariat's birthday will be celebrated Saturday, March 30 with a special children's event hosted by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY. The afternoon, which will run concurrently with the final day of the Museum's exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown, will feature a showing of the 2010 Disney film starring Diane Lane along with a variety of children's activities. Fans are welcome to an Easter egg hunt and will have the opportunity to color silks and design a birthday card. The event, which will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be included with the cost of regular Museum admission.

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Beholder Mile To Be Renamed To Honor Hughes

The GI Beholder Mile is being renamed the B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile in honor of the multiple champion's late owner, who passed away in August 2021.

Hughes, the founder of the Public Storage company and whose silks carried the same purple-and-orange color scheme, owned horses for five decades and was the proprietor of Spendthrift Farm from 2004.

Beholder, a daughter of Henny Hughes, was purchased for $180,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September sale and won a record 13 stakes races at Santa Anita, including the 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Breeders' Cup Distaffs in Arcadia in 2013 and 2016. A four-time Eclipse Award winner, she registered 12 Grade I victories and retired with earnings of $6,156,600. She was inducted into Racing's Hall of Fame in 2022.

“Santa Anita is proud to honor someone who gave so much to the sport,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “Mr. Hughes was a true sportsman who made contributions in every aspect of the game. It only seems appropriate that his name stands alongside his greatest racemare in Santa Anita's most prestigious race for fillies and mares.”

Added current Spendthrift owner Eric Gustavson: “The team at Spendthrift, including Wayne's daughter Tammy and me, would like to sincerely thank Santa Anita for renaming the Beholder Mile. To have B. Wayne Hughes's name attached to such a prestigious race, named after his best race mare at his favorite place is an amazing way to honor him.”

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