Tag: Racing

It was another excellent edition of Louisiana Cup Day on Saturday at Louisiana Downs as the quality of the Louisiana breeding industry shone brightly in each of the six stakes on the program.

Following are recaps of Saurday's stakes card:

Norah G Returns To Glory In Filly and Mare Sprint

The $75,000 Louisiana Filly and Mare Sprint kicked off the stakes portion of Louisiana Cup Day, with 11 Louisiana-bred fillies and mares taking on defending winner and LTBA champion filly Free Like a Girl.

The competition was fierce right out of the gate and it was Thomas Galvin's homebred Norah G who won the race in gate-to-wire fashion. Breaking from the rail under jockey Emanuel Nieves, she carried her speed throughout the six-furlong main track sprint, crossing the wire in 1:11.74.

Trained by Patricia West, the 3-year-old daughter of Fast Anna out of the Malibu Moon mare Mr. G's Moonshine won the $112,000 Louisiana Futurity on December 31 for trainer Patricia West. This was her first start since January, and Galvin was on hand to accept the trophy on the filly named for his youngest granddaughter Norah, who will turn nine at the end of this month.

“It was incredible,” said Galvin. “I was surprised she broke so well and that she would not be denied. Nieves gave her a great ride and Patty has been a godsend to us. She takes wonderful care of our horses and as an owner, I appreciate her communication skills.”

Also incredible, the 10-cent superfecta payout of $2,465 with Norah G ($44.80), followed by Final Quest at 31-1; Miss Priority, 36-1 and Zydeco Music, sent off at 13-1.

Free Like a Girl broke from the far outside post and never advanced from midpack, finishing eighth.

Galvin might consider a start at Kentucky Downs for Norah G, whose record stands at three wins from five starts and earnings of $163,955.

Star Moment Proves Her Affinity For In Turf Distaff

The first turf stakes of the card, the $75,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff, drew 10 fillies and mares who traveled 1 1/16 miles over the Franks Turf Course.

Proving her versatility for the main track as well as the turf, Star Moment garnered the third stakes of her career for owner Intrepid Thoroughbreds, LLC (Tyron Picard and Stephen C. Henry). Previously trained by Ron Faucheux, the daughter of Star Guitar out of the Saint Liam mare Moment of Majesty is now in the barn of Bret Calhoun. He was at Ellis Park Saturday afternoon but was reached for comment following the race.

“She was impressive today,” said Calhoun. “I watched the race and she looked sharp and didn't seem to have an issue with the heat. We didn't think she could get beat in her last, but the track was deep, so maybe that was the case. We've started her four times and she's won two stakes.”

A jockey claim of foul was disallowed, and rider Tim Thornton was pleased with Star Moment's effort. As she stalked the pace and drew clear by 1 ¾ lengths in a final time of 1.41.22.

“She's a class filly,” he stated. “I just got her in position and she took it from there.”

Front-runner Birde Call held for second, followed by Wholelottamo and Eve's Delight. Defending winner Cheapskate Diva mounted a bid at the top of the stretch, but finished sixth.

Star Moment ($11.20), bred by Brittlyn Inc., has won five of her eight lifetime starts. Calhoun is considering options but is leaning toward giving her some time off and pointing to the Fair Grounds meet.

Strong Promise Stays Perfect With Juvenile Triumph

The $75,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile for colts and geldings attracted a field of 10 at the distance of 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track.

Norman Racing Stables LLC's Strong Promise made his Louisiana Downs debut and lived up to his favored status, drawing off to a 2 1/2-length victory for trainer Jayde J. Gelner in a speedy 1:05.52.

The Broken Vow colt out of the Macho Uno mare St. Jean, is undefeated in three career starts. Bred by J. Adcock and Hume Wornall. Strong Promise won at first asking, romping by a margin of 10 lengths on June 3 at Evangeline Downs before winning the $150,000 TTA Futurity at Lone Star Park on July 1.

“He's a really nice horse and I am grateful to Mr. Norman and Jayde for the opportunity to ride him,” said winning pilot Luis Fuentes.

Gelner is the son of conditioner Scott Gelner and is a horseman to watch. The 22-year-old has only been training for two years and has already topped his 2022 win and earning stats in the first month of this year.

“I thank Robbie (Norman) and my great team,” said the young trainer. “My dad picked Strong Promise in the (2021) Texas Thoroughbred 2-Year-Old Sale,” said Gelner. “He went for $125,000, but we knew from his first breeze at Copper Crown that he had talent.”

The third-generation horseman is off to a sensational start, and Robbie Norman was proud of both Jayde Gelner and his undefeated juvenile.

“That was a big purchase, but he has paid that off already,” stated Norman. “We feel he has a very bright future.”

Good and Stout rallied for second under jockey C. J. McMahon, followed by El Dinero, also bred by J. Adcock and Hume Wornall, and Deal With it Daddy.

Tap Galore Outduels Stablemate In Juvenile Fillies

Thompson Racing LLC (Stephen F. Thompson)'s Tap Galore, who broke maiden for trainer Jayde Gelner, won the $75,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Tapiture was bred by J. Adcock and Hume Wornell and was exiting a fifth-place finish in the D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity at Evangeline Downs. On Saturday, she crossed the wire in 1:06.18 for the 5 1/2 furlongs, defeating stablemate Diamond Deal.

Joel Dominguez had the call aboard Tap Galore and studied her previous two races.

“I watched the replays and wanted to be patient,” he explained. “I felt she would run better laying off the speed and she responded.”

Viv's Wild Aces ran third followed by Running Argument, who had won the first two races of her career.

The victory by Tap Galore was the eighth stakes win this year for Gelner, and he took a minute to reflect on the success in just his second year of training.

“I believe in setting goals, so when we were entered in four stakes today, I felt we would have solid chances,” said Gelner. “I am grateful to my owner and proud of the hard work of our team. I will continue to have high expectations and strive to achieve success for our barn.”

Woods N Water Defeats Deep Field In Turf Classic

The $75,000 Louisiana Turf Cup Classic attracted 12 runners going 1 1/16 miles over the Franks Turf Course. Several proven turf stakes winners, including 2021 winner Carlea's Dream and 2020 winner Budro Talking, were entered.

However, there was a new turf star in the making as Woods N Water claimed the victory under a very confident ride by Tommy Pompell. Owned by Richard Painter and John Dewberry, the 4-year-old son of Palace out of the First Samurai mare Said and Done has been very accomplished on the turf, winning the Louisiana Legends Turf at Evangeline Downs for trainer Lee Thomas.

Sent off as the favorite Saturday, the bay gelding sat off the pace in the early stages of the race, rating behind horses, until Pompell guided through an opening in the stretch and surged to victory in 1:42.12.

Thomas was in California attending his wife's grandmother's 99th birthday party, but did not miss a moment of the race.

“That was a beautiful ride by Tommy,” said Thomas. “I was a little nervous about his first start on the Louisiana Downs turf course and of course, about the heat. But he had enough to finish and just keeps getting better on the grass.”

Oh My Aching Arch rallied for second, followed by Silver Galaxy and Real City Speed. Budro Talking ran fifth and Carlea's Dream finished seventh.

This was the fifth win in nine starts this year for Woods N Water ($5.60), who has banked $244,455 in 19 lifetime starts. He was bred by Orange Grove Thoroughbreds Inc. and Richard Painter.

X Clown Springs Upset In Sprint

The $75,000 Louisiana Turf Cup Sprint marked the biggest upset of the card with X Clown lighting up the toteboard at 25-1 as he broke like a rocket and never relinquished his lead under Devin Magnon. The 6-year-old gelding by Jimmy Creed out of the Invasor mare Evening Muse was clocked in 1:11.06 for the six furlongs.

Owned by BW and HTS Stables LLC (Jay Sheffield and Ray Mabile) and Jason G. Grudzien and trained by the rider's wife, Rylee Magnon, X Clown was claimed for $20,000 in March.

“As a trainer, I feel that I do better with older horses,” said Rylee Magnon. “We claimed him and gave him a fresh start. Our game plan was to take back and track the speed, but when he broke so well, he ended up being the speed.”

X Clown had been defeated twice by the defending winner Black Sword, but Devin Magnon gave credit to his wife for establishing a training routine that X Clown seemed to appreciate.

“He responded very well and got better and better in his works,” Devin Magnon said. “We were concerned that he would be nervous shipping, so Rylee rode in the trailer with him. He stayed calm and broke super. As well as he was traveling, I felt we could outlast the speed and when he switched leads, he just went to running.”

X Clown ($52.40) was followed by Pickens in second, a half length in front of third-place finisher Mike J.

The winner was bred by Michael Villar and Cynthia Villar.

The post Louisiana Cup Day: State-Breds Sparkle In Half-Dozen Stakes At Louisiana Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fans at Ellis Park were treated to a thriller on Saturday in the $200,000 KY Downs Preview Dueling Grounds Derby when favored Wadsworth overcame a troubled trip and held of late charges of Highway Robber and Anglophile to win his second consecutive stakes at 'the Pea Patch' in Henderson, Kentucky.

The race was one of three stakes on Saturday's card, the first day of the track's Kentucky Downs Preview Weekend.

A Godolphin homebred, Wadsworth didn't have the easiest journey, and jockey Florent Geroux was forced to overcome traffic into the first turn of the 1 1/8-mile turf contest.

The fleet-footed Worthington led the field of 11 3-year-olds into the first turn while being pressured by Act a Fool and Tall Boy. Geroux had Wadsworth positioned ninth in the first turn after checking several times between horses. Up the backside, Worthington was able to shake clear of his pace-pressing rivals and continued to lead the field through a swift half-mile in :46.19.

While Worthington was winging it on the lead, Geroux attempted to improve Wadsworth's position but he was in a tight spot in the four-path. At the half-mile pole, Wadsworth found an opening while pacesetter Worthington began to retreat back to the field. Around the far turn, Geroux tipped Wadsworth in the six path while Highway Robber was splitting horses and Anglophile found a seam at the rail. In the final strides, Wadsworth prevailed in a blanket three-horse photo by a head.

“This trip wasn't as smooth as my victory on Bay Storm (one race earlier in the $200,000 KY Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint),” Geroux said. “Wadsworth overcame a lot in this race and showed a lot of tenacity down the lane. In the first turn I got shut off. I kept going wide around the turn and was checked again when I tried to improve my position going onto the backside. I hit the front a little early in the stretch and he was kind of looking around a little bit. This was his first time going this far. It's tough to get a gage on a horse in this type of situation if they can handle the distance because he had such a tough trip. I'm proud of him and the credit goes to trainer Brad Cox's team.”

“He's a horse we always had high hopes for,” assistant trainer Trace Messina said of the Quality Road gelding out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Dickinson. “We brought him to Saratoga with us last summer and it took us a bit to figure out what he really wanted to do. We thought grass may be in his future since he's out of the mare Dickinson. We found out what he likes to do and he's enjoying it.”

Wadsworth ($3.76)  notched his fourth career victory in the KY Downs Preview Dueling Grounds Derby. He completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:46.30 over the firm going.

With his victory he earned an automatic berth to the $1-million Dueling Grounds Derby (G3) at Kentucky Downs.

In the KY Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint, Bridlewood Farm's Bay Storm squeezed through an opening at the rail and was able to hold off the late charge of Quaria Comet to win by a neck.

Geroux rode Bay Storm, a 5-year-old Kantharos mare out of the Midshipman mare Stormy Regatta, for trainer Jonathan Thomas. The duo completed 5 ½ furlongs over the firm turf in 1:01.24.

Bay Storm ($5.12) improved to 5-6-3 from 16 career starts and boosted her lifetime bankroll to $708,755. She was bred in Kentucky by Candy Meadows LLC and sold for $400,000 out of the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2020 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-old in training.

Storyteller Racing's Hozier prevailed in a long stretch drive to win the $200,00 KY Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile.

Hozier is trained by Rodolphe Brisset and was ridden to victory by Alex Achard. The duo completed one-mile in 1:34.28 on firm turf.

The pace was slow to develop and Minnesota Ready inherited the lead into the first turn. Hozier was rating in fifth and continued to stay in position as the field completed a half mile in a reasonable :48.29. The pace began to quicken around the far turn as Big Dreaming made the lead after Minnesota Ready retreated. Hozier remained at the rail until the field reached the top of the stretch and Achard tipped the gelding four-wide. It wasn't until the final stages of the race that Hozier was able to find the front end while holding Fuerteventura at bay by a half-length.

Hozier ($10.76) boosted his overall record to 5-4-2 from 23 starts and improved his lifetime earnings to $739,365.

A 5-year-old gelded son of Pioneerof the Nile out of the Henny Hughes mare Merry Meadow, Hozier was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm.

Ellis Park's Kentucky Downs Preview Weekend continues Sunday with four stakes, including the Pucker Up (G3).

The post Ellis Park: Wadsworth Overcomes Troubled Trip To Win KY Downs Preview Dueling Grounds Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Klaravich Stables' Program Trading looked to be second-best in mid-stretch as a loaded Webslinger ranged up to challenge for the lead, but the Lope de Vega ridgling dug in gamely to fend off his rival and claim a wire-to-wire victory in Saturday's $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1), a 1 3/16-mile Mellon turf test for sophomores at Saratoga Race Course.

In victory, Program Trading earned an automatic berth into the lucrative Ladbrokes Cox Plate (G1), Australia's premier weight-for-age race, on October 28 at Moonee Valley Racing Club in Victoria.

Trained by Chad Brown, Program Trading earned the first stakes win of his career while remaining undefeated in three lifetime outings, adding to a debut score in May against elders at Monmouth Park and a first-level allowance optional claiming coup in June at Belmont Park, both going 1 1/16 miles. The win was Brown's second in this event after taking the 2020 edition with Klaravich Stables color-bearer Domestic Spending.

“This horse really dug in and showed a lot of heart. It's only his third start moving right into a major race like this,” Brown said. “We always thought he had the ability. He probably had the advantage of fresh legs so to speak, because the horses that were behind him have had long seasons and such, but he did have some inexperience he overcame. A lot of credit goes to the horse. Sometimes these horses aren't made to be 2-year-olds and they get their careers started later. If you're patient, you're often rewarded.”

Away well from post 2 under Flavien Prat, Program Trading was urged to take command passing the stands for the first time and marked fractions of :23.74 seconds and :49.59 over the yielding footing with Lion of War and Mondego battling for second position. The Javier Castellano-piloted Webslinger enjoyed a patient trip in sixth down the backstretch before he began to pick off rivals into the final turn.

Prat asked Program Trading for more as he swung out from the inside after three-quarters in 1:14.41 and faced a strong challenge on the far outside from the rallying Far Bridge, along with Webslinger, who posed the greatest threat in the middle of the racetrack. It appeared Webslinger would sweep past his pacesetting foe with ease at the sixteenth pole while drawing clear of an all-out Far Bridge, but Program Trading found enough late to regain command and land the head victory in a final time of 1:56.63.

Far Bridge finished 1 1/2 lengths behind Webslinger for third with Battle of Normandy another 2 3/4 lengths back. The filly Aspen Grove, last-out winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, The Franchise, Mondego and Lion of War completed the order of finish. Truly Quality was scratched.

Prat, who was aboard Program Trading in his last victory, said his mount's early foot is his best weapon.

“He showed good speed and got us into the race. I was traveling well all the way around,” Prat said. “He was very happy on the lead and that horse on the outside [Webslinger] made a move and got the jump on me and I couldn't get him to go as much as I wanted to, but once he got the target, he really was game. He fought back. He never had any issues with the ground. Some European breeding definitely helps. I felt like he had one more gear and it was a matter of whether that horse could fight back. Fortunately, he didn't. The way he ran today, I think he could stay farther.”

Brown added that he was pleased to see Program Trading alone up front when the Christophe Clement-trained Mondego did not challenge for the lead from the inside post.

“Me and Flavien talked about if the one was going to leave out of there or not. He was the only other speed horse. We were just a little faster on paper,” said Brown. “We decided to break, stay off the rail and just see if we could nurse him along. He was passed in early stretch. For an inexperienced horse to come back on the inside, he showed a ton of heart and I think it might be even a little softer down on the inside where he was. He really overcame a lot in the stretch to show his heart and ability.”

Brown said he will wait to decide if Program Trading will target the $500,000 Jockey Club Derby (G3) going 1 3/8 miles on October 7 at Belmont.

“I'm not sure. I'll have to think away,” said Brown about a possible trip to Australia for the Cox Plate. “That's an awful long way to go. We're just going to enjoy this win here. He's only ran three times and he's 3. I'm hoping to have this horse for many years down the road.”

Bred in Great Britain by Fittocks Stud and Arrow Farm and Stud, Program Trading is out of the Oasis Dream mare Dreamlike. He banked $330,000 in victory, boosting his total career earnings to $415,250. The $356,551 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale purchase returned $9.20 for a $2 win ticket.

Javier Castellano praised the effort from Webslinger, trained by fellow Hall of Famer Mark Casse.

“Perfect trip, I like the way he did it,” said Castellano. “Unfortunately, the winner got away with some slow fractions and was able to slow down the pace. I think that's why he won the race. But I came from behind and tried to catch up. I almost did it, but I'm satisfied with how my horse did it.”

The post Program Trading Repels Webslinger In Wire-To-Wire Saratoga Derby Win, Earns Cox Plate Berth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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