LTBA Board of Directors Meeting, 1:00 p.m., HBPA Main Office, Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans
Louisiana Champions Day Gala, 7-10 p.m., Jefferson Orleans South
The Magic City Classic, New Orleans Fair Grounds
Kudzu Juvenile, New Orleans Fair Grounds
Dec 9
33rd Annual Louisiana Champions Day, 9 stakes for Louisiana Bred Thoroughbreds, New Orleans Fair Grounds, 1st Post 12:45 p.m.
Louisiana Champions Day, Race Central, 12:00 noon through last race, New Orleans Fair Grounds, Black Gold Room. Lunch is served beginning at 1pm. No Reservations Re-quired. First come first served.
Scholarship Drawings; LTBA and Fair Grounds are drawing for six $1,000 scholarships for current college students. Must be present to win.
Dec 15
Anyone with information about Louisiana Breds winning outside of North America, please contact Roger Heitzmann (Roger@louisianabred.com)
Dec 22-25
LTBA Office closed for Christmas Holidays
Dec 24
Christmas Eve
Dec 25
Christmas Day
Dec 23
Road To The Derby Kickoff Day: Tenacious Stakes, Richard R. Scherer Memorial Stakes, Blushing KD Stakes, Gun Runner Stakes, Untapable Stakes, Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes, Sugar Bowl Stakes, Letellier Memorial Stakes, New Orleans Fair Grounds
Would you like to sponsor a newsletter? Reach more than 2,500 readers.
Do you have a date pertaining to Louisiana-breds that you would like included in an upcoming calendar? Please contact Linda 04-460-5518, linda@louisianabred.com or Roger 504-947-4676, roger@louisianabred.com for consideration.
December 15, 2023 is the deadline for RECEIPT of ballots in the election of directors to serve 3-year terms (2024 – 2026). Ballots received after that date cannot be counted. Mail your ballot in today!
ACCREDITATION DEADLINES
1) December 31, 2023 is the deadline for accrediting yearlings (foals of 2022) at the TTA member rate of $200 ($250 for non-members). The fee to accredit foals of 2022 AFTER December 31, 2023 but by December 31, 2024 is $750 for TTA members ($800 for non-members).
2) Be sure that mares that will foal in Texas in 2024 are Texas accredited and that ATB race fillies have been converted to breeding stock before they foal to automatically be eligible for ATB breeder awards. You may email the mare’s name to me and I will verify the status. The fee to accredit a mare before she foals is only $75 (TTA member rate). NOTE: If a mare is not accredited before she foals, the only way to be eligible for ATB breeder awards on that foal is to pay a supplemental mare accreditation fee in the amount of $150 (TTA member rate) during the same year of foaling.
RACING DEADLINES
December 31, 2023 is the deadline to:
1) Nominate eligible foals of 2023 to the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for $100.
2) Nominate eligible foals of 2022 (not previously nominated) to the Texas Stallion Stakes Series for $500.
3) The Texas Thoroughbred Association is pleased to continue the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity with purses of $150,000 for each division and introduce the new Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks, with purses of $100,000 each.
All foals of 2022 that passed through the ring in the 2023 Texas Summer Yearling Sale or are consigned to and subsequently pass through the ring at the 2024 Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale are eligible for these races.
There are no nomination or sustaining payments to be made. All eligible Sales Graduates may simply pay the entry and start fee in the track racing office at the appropriate time.
ATB Berth Entries: For every horse that passed through the ring at the 2023 Texas Summer Yearling Sale, each consignor and each buyer will receive a non-transferable berth into either division of the race. Any Thoroughbred foal of 2022 is eligible to be sold in the sales and nominated to the Futurity, Derby or Oaks. Additional berths must be filled with an Accredited Texas-bred Thoroughbred foal of 2022 that did not pass through the ring at the 2023 Texas Summer Yearling Sale. Berth horses must be declared to the Texas Thoroughbred Association by December 31, 2023 with a one-time payment of $150. Once a berth horse is designated, ownership of that horse may be transferred with the horse still remaining eligible for the appropriate division of 2024 Texas Thoroughbred Sales Futurity and the 2025 Texas Thoroughbred Derby or Oaks.
4) Nominate accredited stallions that will be standing in Texas in 2024 to the Texas Stallion Stakes for the 2024 breeding season.
Remember: Foals by stallions nominated to the Texas Stallion Stakes need not be foaled in Texas nor be Accredited Texas-breds to be eligible for the Texas Stallion Stakes Series.
All deadline dates are email, fax or postmark dates.
Thank you,
Ed Berg
Racing/Accreditation Manager
Texas Thoroughbred Association
192 Cimarron Park Loop, Suite A
Buda, TX 78610
(phone) 512-458-6133
(fax) 512-453-5919
e-mail: edberg@texasthoroughbred.com
THE NEW LOWER TAKEOUT RATE WILL BEGIN ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13
VINTON, LA. – Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel today announced that it will lower the takeout rate on all Pick 4 and Pick 5 waging pools from 25% to 12% beginning Wednesday, December 13. The new rate will be in effect through the end of the season, Saturday, February 24.
The lower takeout rate will mean more money returned to racing fans that hold winning tickets each night. The track offers a pair of Pick 4’s and Pick 5’s on each live program. The Early Pick 5 begins on the first race each night, and the Late Pick 5 takes place on the final five races. The Early Pick 4 starts on the second race and the Late Pick 4 covers the final four races on the card.
Live racing takes place this season each Wednesday through Saturday night beginning at 5:05 pm through December 30, with the exception of Monday, December 18 through Thursday, December 21. During that week the track will host daytime race programs starting 12:55 pm before the Christmas holiday.
For more information about racing at Delta Downs, including a detailed schedule, post times, and stakes dates, visit the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com. Fans can also get information throughout the season with our social media accounts. The Facebook page is found at ‘Delta Downs Racing’, and the track’s Twitter (X) handle is @deltaracing.
Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation, is the premier racing and gaming entertainment venue in Vinton, LA. Named “America’s Best Horse Racing Track” by readers of USA TODAY 10Best, Delta Downs features a six-furlong oval track, 15,000 square feet of casino space and more than 1,500 of the most popular slot machines. Amenities include two restaurants, chart-topping entertainment at the Delta Event Center and the FanDuel Sportsbook.
One of six on the card from trainer Joe Sharp, Money Supply granted favoritism in the $200,000 Jewel
Maker and Diodoro barns arrive in droves, enter seven each looking to continue Claiming Crown success
2/18/2023 – Two Emmys with James Graham aboard pulls away from the field to win the Grade III Fair Grounds Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.
New Orleans, La (Nov. 28, 2023) – Thoroughbred racehorses from all over the country will be arriving at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots this week, as 90 horses who have raced in 25 different states and Canada in 2023 have been entered in the Dec. 2 Claiming Crown. The breeding programs of 11 different states will be represented, including Louisiana, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois, Washington, New Jersey, Arkansas, New York, Ohio, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the eight-race championship pits the nation’s top claiming-level horses against each other as they battle for their share of $1 million in purses. The Claiming Crown races are conducted under starter-allowance conditions, meaning they are restricted to horses that have competed at least once for a certain claiming level or cheaper during a designated time frame.
At seven entries apiece, trainers Mike Maker and Robertino Diodoro lead all barns. Maker’s cadre is led by the United Nations (G1) winner Therapist, one of four stablemates entered in the 12-horse $150,000 Claiming Crown Emerald at 1 1/16 miles on turf. The Steve Sexton Mile winner Frosted Grace (G3) is the highlight of Diodoro’s trio in the 1 1/8-miles $200,000 Jewel. Stabled at Fair Grounds, Joe Sharp means business with six entries, including Money Supply, the favorite of nine entered in the Jewel.
First post for Saturday’s 11-race program is scheduled for 12:45 p.m (all times Central). The Claiming Crown races begin in Race 3 with the $75,000 Ready’s Rocket Express (1:45 p.m.) and conclude with the $200,000 Jewel (Race 10, 5:15 p.m.).
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In Sharp’s Care, Money Supplies’ Form Earns Jewel Favoritism
The star of Joe Sharp’s six entries on the day, Money Supply has been given top billing in Saturday’s marquee event, the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds and up.
Saturday’s 25th annual Claiming Crown Day will feature eight races for hard-knocking horses from across the nation. Returning to Fair Grounds for the first time since 2011, it is the second straight year that the series will be hosted by a Churchill Downs Inc. property, as the 2022 races were held at the company’s flagship track in Louisville. First post is 12:45 p.m. and the featured Jewel will go as Race 10 of 11 at 5:15 p.m.
As the 5-2 favorite, Jordan Wycoff’s 4-year-old colt by Practical Joke was claimed from Chad Brown last August at Saratoga. In Sharp’s care, Money Supply finished second going the Jewel-distance at Saratoga, then won his next two races, both coming at Churchill Downs. Facing first-level allowance competition in his most recent victory, Money Supply finished open lengths ahead of next-out winner Arro Smash and the ever-promising 3-year-old Banishing.
Entering three of the nine entries, trainer Robertino Diodoro looms over the field with the second, third, and fourth choices in the morning line. At 3-1, Flying P Stable’s Saqeel leads the Diodoro trio. Over the 5-year-old’s 2023 campaign, he is six-for-eight in the money with three wins, most recently scoring in a first-level allowance at Churchill Downs.
Of the nine entries, only JD Thoroughbreds and Joey Keith Davis’ All West has won at the Jewel-distance of 1 1/8 miles. Trained by Chris Hartman, the 7-year-old’s last win came going 9 panels in a first-level allowance level on April 30 at Oaklawn Park earlier this year. All West is cross-entered in the 6-furlong Rapid Transit Starter.
Here is the complete field for the Claiming Crown Jewel in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Therapist Leads Maker’s Four Emerald Entries
The Claiming Crown “couch” awaits eleven turf routers as multiple graded stakes winner Therapist enters the $150,000 Emerald.
Run at 1 1/16 miles on turf, the Emerald will go as Race 9 of 11 with a post time of 4:45 p.m. First post Saturday is 12.45 p.m.
Before Michael Dubb’s 8-year-old son of Freud won the Pan American (G2) and the United Nations (G1), he was dropped in for a tag on three different occasions between September and December of 2022. Each time he was claimed. Dubb and trainer Mike Maker saw Therapist’s latent abilities to run longer distances and pulled the trigger on Dec. 30 for $50,000.
However traumatic it could be for other connections to see the New York-bred millionaire in a race reserved for “blue collar” Thoroughbreds, solace can be found in the fact that Therapist struggles to get 1 1/16 miles, having only two wins in 15 tries. Florent Geroux will bring the 9-5 morning line favorite out of gate 11.
Déjà vu awaits anyone who peruses the field, as Mike Maker has three other entries besides Therapist. The four-headed monster includes Tiberius Mercurius, who has fired blanks at the Emerald distance but has established form which rivals the field; the 5-year-old synthetic specialist Race Craft who has one win on grass; and the front-runner Tatanka, who will make his first start from Maker’s barn after September’s claim.
Here is the complete field for the Claiming Crown Emerald in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Firewater Jake (Marcelino Pedroza Jr. George Leonard III, 20-1)
Race Craft (Ricardo Santana Jr., Mike Maker, 5-1)
More Ice (Emanuel Nieves, Joey Foster, 20-1)
Bizzee Channel (Jareth Loveberry, Joe Sharp, 10-1)
Tiberius Mercurius (Rey Gutierrez, Mike Maker, 6-1)
Ocelot (Corey Lanerie, Karl Broberg, 9-2)
Leave It to Kitten (Luan Machado, Kathy Jarvis, 12-1)
Therapist (Florent Geroux, Mike Maker, 9-5)
Duke of Carthania (Mitchell Murrill, Yovani Munoz, 30-1)
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Emboldened Like a Saltshaker Streaks into $100,000 Rapid Transit
After battling every step of the way when victorious going 3/4 mile at Churchill Downs in his most recent start, Like a Saltshaker looks to continue his dominance in the $100,000 Rapid Transit Starter.
The 6-furlong Rapid Transit will go as Race 8 of 11 with a post time of 4:15 p.m. First post on Saturday is 12:45 p.m.
Claimed in May by trainer Brittany Vanden Berg, the 5-year-old owned by Marisco Brothers Racing has taken a new step forward in each of his last three races. Tabbed at 9-5 in the morning line, the 9-time winner at the Rapid Transit distance will reunite with Chris Emigh and make his initial move from post 9.
With eight of the eleven entered projected to be prompting the pace, the 7-year-old Solidify could be picking up the pieces late. Owned and trained by Juan Cano, the late-kicking sprinter tried stakes company to no avail in July at Ellis Park. More recently he defeated starter-allowance ranks going 6 furlongs in October at Keeneland and followed that up with two in the money finishes at Churchill, solidifying his position as the 9-2 morning line second choice.
Here is the complete field for the Rapid Transit Starter in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Peso in My Pocket (Olaf Hernandez, Yovani Munoz, 20-1)
Pure Panic (Luan Machado, Eric Foster, 6-1)
All West (Mitchell Murrill, Chris Hartman, 6-1)
Faithful Ruler (Jareth Loveberry, James Watkins, 10-1)
Startdfromdabottom (Edgar Morales, John Ennis, 8-1)
Big Rowdy Dan (Ricardo Santana Jr., Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon, 15-1)
Desert Ruler (Rey Gutierrez, Enrique Amado, 15-1)
Solidify (Yoel Navas, Juan Cano, 9-2)
Like a Saltshaker (Chris Emigh, Brittany Vanden Berg, 9-5)
Richiesonaroll (Emmanuel Giles, Jose G. Rodriguez, 10-1)
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Overdrawn Field Ensures Metzen Memorial to Be a Mad Dash for Cash
Overdrawn with 14, the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial will see 12 sprinters make a mad dash for cash over the Stall-Wilson turf course.
Carded as Race 7 of 11, the Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial is scheduled to run at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. First post for Saturday’s Claiming Crown Day is 12:45 p.m. and the Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial will go to post at 3:45 p.m.
Several of the 3-year-old and up entrants made a sizable move forward when recently switching to grass, maybe none more so than the 3-1 morning line favorite Mischievous Rogue. Southern Comfort Stables’ 5-year-old ended 2022 facing claiming ranks on dirt and synthetic, but around that time he was gelded and with that equipment change, came new form. In 2023 trainer William Cowans began running Mischievous Rogue through his allowance conditions, and in all seven races he has finished in the money, including winning two turf sprints in Kentucky running the fastest speed figures of his career. Aboard for four of his five lifetime wins, Luan Machado comes to New Orleans with Mischievous Rogue.
Last June, Michael Sorrels’ Atta Party made his first start on the sod a winning one. Since then he has not lost, most recently scoring the upset at Remington Park in September to seal the deal on 2-for-2 turf sprint perfection. Up for his unveiling on the lawn, Angel Suarez will take the reins of the Arkansas-bred, aiming for his fourth score piloting the 4-year-old Martin Villafranco trainee.
Sent off at 44-1 at Keeneland when debuting on grass in his last start, Zoombie shot to the lead and never looked back. The second win of Shagbark Farm’s 4-year-old campaign, Zoombie’s turf heroics produced his fastest speed figure by double-digits. Trainer Ryan Walsh looks to keep the good thing going in the Metzen. Drawn on the rail and made 12-1 in the morning line, Zoombie will receive the services of Corey Lanerie.
Here is the complete field for the Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Zoombie (Corey Lanerie, Ryan Walsh, 12-1)
Mischievous Rogue (Luan Machado, William Cowans, 3-1)
Shimmer Me Timbers (Francisco Arrieta, Robertino Diodoro, 5-1)
AE: Tough Charlie (Aubrie Green, Lee Thomas, 12-1)
AE: Ship It Red (Leandro Goncalves, Valorie Lund, 20-1)
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Time for Trouble Aims for Iron Horse Repeat
Sporting his Claiming Crown champion’s belt, Time for Trouble travels to New Orleans as 7-2 logical choice of thirteen entered in the $75,000 Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial.
The 1 1/16-mile Iron Horse will go as Race 6 of 11 with a post time of 3:15 p.m. First post is 12:45 p.m.
After Time for Trouble won the 2022 Iron Horse, trainer Jeff Hiles entered him in four marathon-distance stakes, including three graded turf contests. But it was the lone dirt stakes which produced the 6-year-old gelded son of English Channel’s best performance, finishing second to Next. Three for five at the 1 1/16 miles Iron Horse distance, Thorndale Stable and Jeff Hiles’ reigning champion will be piloted by James Graham.
Drawing to the far outside, Clay Sides’ Proverb enters fresh for trainer Joseph Saffie Jr. Ricardo Santana Jr. is named to ride and after winning four of five races since being claimed by Saffie, including three 7-furlong sprints, the break will be crucial for a horse who has done his best running on or near the lead.
Here is the complete field for the Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Casey’s Memory (Alex Birzer, Lane Johnston, 15-1)
Moment (Mitchell Murrill, Elias Lopez, 15-1)
Nordic Light (Corey Lanerie, Brad Cox, 12-1)
Time for Trouble (James Graham, Jeff Hiles, 7-2)
Scooter’s Boy (Tyler Bacon, Gilbert Ecoffey, 30-1)
Knight’s Cross (Florent Geroux, Thomas Van Berg, 8-1)
Toma Toda (Brian Hernandez Jr., Steve Asmussen, 12-1)
On a Spree (Rey Gutierrez, Robertino Diodoro, 9-2)
Missed the Boat (Jose Luis Rodriguez, Niccolo Troiani, 20-1)
Mau Mau (Jose Guerrero, Shane Wilson, 20-1)
Coach Adams (Nik Juarez, Dan Ward, 6-1)
Willy the Cobbler (Francisco Arrieta, Robertino Diodoro, 15-1)
Proverb (Ricardo Santana Jr., Joseph Saffie Jr., 4-1)
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Wrapping Up Sensational 2023 Perhaps Tonight Tabbed atop Tiara Nine
The 2023 campaign for TEC Racing’s Perhaps Tonight (Ire) is bookended by 6th-place finishes, but it’s what happened in between that earned her 3-1 morning line favoritism against eight older fillies and mares in the $150,000 Claiming Crown Tiara.
Carded for 1 1/16 miles on turf, the Tiara will go as Race 5 of 11 with a post time of 2:45 p.m. First post Saturday is 12:45 p.m.
With five wins and one second-place finish in eight races, the Sir Prancelot mare will seek to carry that form into the 1 1/16 miles Tiara when making her first start walking over from Tom Amoss’ barn. With two local works and one previous second-place try across the Stall-Wilson turf course, perhaps the 5-year-old will feel at home enough to tackle what appears to be a very evenly-matched group of turf females.
With recent wins at Saratoga and Kentucky Downs, Freddy Lewis Jr.’s Strong Odor has come into her own as a 6-year-old for trainer Mike Maker. Last out she finished sixth against allowance ranks at Keeneland. She entered the 2021 Claiming Crown Distaff Dash with similar form and finished ninth. Tabbed at 4-1 and drawing just outside the favorite in post 8, Strong Odor will be joined in the gates by her stablemate Anatolian, a surface-versatile 4-year-old by Not This Time.
Douglas Self’s 4-year-old Swoonatra returns to her home state after being claimed for $20,0000 at Gulfstream Park in October. Trainer Joey Foster will saddle the front-running Louisiana-bred for the first time and give a leg up to Emanuel “The Sensation” Nieves.
Here is the complete field for the Claiming Crown Tiara in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Dana’s Beauty (Jaime Torres, Joe Sharp, 8-1)
Yankee Dollar (Jareth Loveberry, Marcus Vitali, 9-2)
Anatolian (James Graham, Mike Maker, 8-1)
Enchanted Nile (Mitchell Murrill, Chris Hartman, 12-1)
Annie’s Song (Francisco Arrieta, Shawn Davis, 8-1)
Indicia (Reynier Arrieta, Heather Irion, 12-1)
Perhaps Tonight (Ire) (Edgar Morales, Tom Amoss, 3-1)
Strong Odor (Rey Gutierrez, Mike Maker, 4-1)
Swoonatra (Emanuel Nieves, Joey Foster, 6-1)
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Samarita Stands in the Way of a Second Glass Slipper for Invaluable
Having won the 2022 Glass Slipper at Churchill Downs, Invaluable will need to turn the tables on the scorching hot Samarita to defend her crown.
Run at one-mile, the Glass Slipper will go as Race 4 of 11 with a post time of 2:15 p.m. First post is 12:45 p.m.
Forgotten Man Racing and Dominic Damiano’s Invaluable will be making only her second start for trainer Joe Sharp, who claimed her for $25,000 from Mike Maker in September. Jareth Loveberry gets the call and will look to maneuver the 4-1 morning line 6-year-old from the two hole against a field of ten females going Fair Grounds’ two-turn, short-stretch dirt mile.
Finishing a dozen lengths behind Samarita last out going 7 furlongs at Keeneland, the equalizer for Invaluable could be the distance. Made the 9-5 top choice by Mike Diliberto, Samarita enters the Glass Slipper on a 6-race winning streak but the sprint-specialist is unproven going one mile. The 4-year-old filly is owned and trained by Jose G. Rodriguez. Emmanuel Giles comes to town to ride.
Here is the complete field for the Glass Slipper in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Xylophone (Mitchell Murrill, Chris Hartman, 10-1)
Invaluable (Jareth Loveberry, Joe Sharp, 4-1)
Hot Dame (Jose Luis Rodriguez, Irene Alba-Hernandez, 12-1)
Northern Diamond (Edgar Morales, Thomas Van Berg, 10-1)
My Good Fortune (Corey Lanerie, Chris Hartman, 8-1)
Pens Street (Francisco Arrieta, Robertino Diodoro, 5-1)
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Concrete Glory Looks for Revenge on Caramel Chip in Rapid Transit
Many of the twelve older males entered in the $75,000 Ready’s Rocket Express have faced each other before and have a score to settle in Saturday’s 6-furlong dirt sprint.
The Ready’s Rocket Express was carded as Race 3, the first Claiming Crown event on the 11-race program. Post time for the six-furlong dash is 1:45 p.m. with the first race scheduled at 12:45 p.m.
Big Frank Stable’s Concrete Glory has been a revelation as a 4-year-old. Including the $6,250 affair where he was claimed by trainer Joseph Saffie Jr., the gelded son of Bodemeister has five wins in six races by over 20 lengths in total. The one blemish came at the hands of his Express foe, Caramel Chip.
As a 5-year-old, Bianco Stable’s Caramel Chip has made the most of his $10,000 starter allowance, winning six of thirteen races after being blanked the year prior. Morning line oddsmaker Mike Diliberto saw this rematch coming, making these two rivals the top choices in the morning line with Concrete Glory getting the nod at 5-2 over the Jose D’Angelo trainee.
Built Wright Stables’ Elle’sbigseacret and Beverly Park, the third and fourth-place finishers from the 2022 Claiming Crown Express are entered looking for another paycheck. Last year’s poster child of the claiming ranks, Beverly Park’s history-making 15th win of 2022 came on Dec. 31, 2022 at Fair Grounds. Both are trained by Raymond Glinter Jr.
It wouldn’t be a true Louisiana Claiming Crown without an entry from trainer Shane Wilson. In 226 starts over the past five years, Wilson has won with 22% of horses making their first and second start with the barn after a claim. Dawn and Scotty Robin transferred High Cruise into Wilson’s barn over the summer, and if Wilson can return the 11-time winner to top form, then the 8-1 morning line would be a gift. Wilson will leg-up Jose Guerrero who will look to get the jump on the field from post 6.
Here is the complete field for the Ready’s Rocket Express in order of post positions (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
Optimal Courage (Deshawn Parker, Angel Miguel Silva, 8-1)
Classic Bet (Jose Riquelme, Isai Gonzales, 10-1)
Caramel Chip (Florent Geroux, Jose D’Angelo, 4-1)
Motion to Strike (Rey Gutierrez, Robert Falcone Jr. 15-1)
Concrete Glory (Ricardo Santana Jr., Joseph Saffie Jr., 5-2)
High Cruise (Jose Guerrero, Shane Wilson, 8-1)
Elle’sbigseacret (Jaime Torres, Raymond Glinter Jr., 15-1)
Junior Bug (Francisco Arrieta, Thomas Van Berg, 9-2)
Wrath (Serafin Carmona, Gilbert Ecoffey, 50-1)
Breaking News (Mitchell Murrill, Hugo Rodriguez, 15-1)
Six Scholarships to be Awarded at Louisiana Champions Day
Registration On Site at the Fair Grounds on December 9
(NEW ORLEANS, La.) – The Fair Grounds Racecourse & Slots will host Louisiana Champions Day Saturday, December 9, with a post time of 12:45 p.m., CT. Plenty of activities are planned for the date that is one of the biggest days of championship racing for Louisiana breds. Nine races will be contested including six stakes.
Louisiana Champions Day will be held on Dec. 9. With the races run in various divisions over a variety of distances on both dirt and turf, the program features nine stakes restricted to Louisiana breds. Each Louisiana Champions Day stake is worth $100,000 with the exception of the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic, the $50,000 Louisiana Champions Day Starter, and $50,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Starter.
The stakes are as follows:
Champions Day Starter: $50,000 Guaranteed
Champions Day Ladies Starter: $50,000 Guaranteed
Champions Day Distaff: $100,000 Guaranteed – Grade BT
Champions Day Juvenile: $100,000 Guaranteed – Grade BT
Champions Day Sprint: $100,000 Guaranteed – Grade BT
Champions Day Ladies Sprint: $100,000 Guaranteed – Grade BT
Champions Day Lassie: $100,000 Guaranteed – Grade BT
Champions Day Classic: $150,000 Guaranteed – Grade BT
Champions Day Turf: $100,000 Guaranteed – Grade BT
In addition, the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association (LTBA) will award four scholarships and The Fair Grounds will award two scholarships, each valued at $1,000, to college students for a total of $6,000.
“It’s the biggest day of Louisiana bred Championship racing with some of the most exciting thoroughbred racing of the year,” said Roger Heitzmann, secretary/treasurer for the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. “These championship races often help decide our Horse of the Year standings by our members. The entries are top Louisiana bred racehorses and there is sure to be some thrilling finishes.”
Requirements for the scholarship are as follows:
Must be a college student enrolled full-time in an Accredited College, University or Community College for Spring 2024
Scholarships will be awarded by random draw.
Must be in good standing with the college or university.
Must be present to win at the Winner’s Circle when the announcement is made.
Must have college ID and government-issued ID.
Must have University ID number or Social Security number.
For Louisiana Champions Day:
Registration: 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. at the designated booth
Races begin: 12:45 p.m.
Drawing Time: The scholarships will be awarded after the fifth race. The scholarship will be deposited directly into the student’s account at the college or university. The student is asked to know the name and address of the college that they are attending.
Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association manages the best incentive program for breeding thoroughbreds in the United States. Since the organization formed, this has led to increased purses, better quality horses, and increased interest in racing and breeding horses. The thoroughbred racing and breeding industry generates over $1 billion and employs over 60,000 people in the state of Louisiana.
For more information about Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association visit louisianabred.com or call (504) 947-4676.
Please join us as our guest, Friday, December 8th from 7-10 pm. at the Jefferson Orleans South, as we get the Louisiana Champions Day festivities started with an evening of dining and dancing. Live music will be provided by Rick Mocklin and the Southern Voice Band.
Saturday, December 9th, you won’t want to miss the Louisiana Champions Day races at Fair Grounds. This event has become the highlight of Louisiana Bred racing as the best runners in the state compete for nearly $1 million in purse money.
Friday, December 8th – Louisiana Champions Day Gala
Saturday, December 9th – Louisiana Champions Day Races
Folsom, Louisiana — Faversham, the only full brother to two-time Horse of the Year and 2023 Racing Hall of Fame inductee California Chrome — sire of 2021 Louisiana Horse of the Year Cilla, is relocating to Clear Creek Stud in Louisiana for the 2024 breeding season.
Faversham’s introductory fee for Louisiana is $3,000 payable when foal stands and nurses or $2,000 payable by September 1, 2024; both options offer a live foal guarantee. The multiple winner and promising young sire, now 8, is nominated to Breeders’ Cup.
By two-time leading California sire Lucky Pulpit out of two-time California Broodmare of the Year Love the Chase, a winning daughter of 12-time leading Maryland sire Not For Love, Faversham was a dual-surface winner in California and Kentucky for owners Perry and Denise Martin. A California-bred who was named after respected Thoroughbred pedigree analyst Rommy Faversham, he stood at Daehling Ranch in his home state from mid-2020 through 2023, and will be represented by his first full crop of 2-year-olds in 2024.
Faversham shares an identical pedigree with racing icon California Chrome, his older sibling who earned four Eclipse Awards and $14,752,650 from 2013 through 2017. California Chrome won the 2014 Kentucky Derby (G1), the 2016 Dubai World Cup (G1) and five additional Grade 1 races on dirt and turf before he retired to stud in Kentucky with extraordinary credentials as North America’s highest-earning runner in history and as Horse of the Year for 2014 and 2016. California Chrome stood three seasons domestically and shuttled twice to Chile before he was sold and exported to Japan in 2019.
The top performer to date from California Chrome’s three U.S.-sired foal crops is the Grade 1-placed Louisiana-bred Cilla, a Grade 2 winner out of 2020 Louisiana Broodmare of the Year Sittin At the Bar. Cilla won three stakes races and two championship titles in her home state and earned $509,000 overall.
“Faversham is a tailor-made fit for Louisiana,” said Perry Martin, who also bred and campaigned California Chrome in partnership. “I believe breeders in this state will appreciate his championship pedigree, his very reasonable stud fee and his ability to win on two different racing surfaces, a skill that should equip his Louisiana-bred foals to compete throughout the state’s racing circuit in the future.”
Faversham will be available for inspection during Clear Creek Stud’s 2024 Stallion Roster Presentation on December 16, 2023. He joins a quality line-up that is led by Star Guitar, a four-time leading sire of Louisiana-bred runners.
The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association (LTBA) office will be closing at noon Wednesday, November 22, and will be closed all day Thursday, November 23, for Thanksgiving. The office will resume regular hours, Friday, November 24.
The LTBA wishes all members and readers a blessed Thanksgiving.
Clearly A Test became Clearly Now’s first listed stakes winner when she captured the Donovan L. Ferguson Memorial Stakes race on the opening day card at Fair Grounds on Friday. Clearly A Test hit the starting gate when they opened but quickly secured a mid pack position. Coming around the turn she swung to the outside and began to pick up horses down the long Fair Grounds stretch to win the five and one half furlong race by and length and a half. The Ferguson Memorial is a prep race for Louisiana Champions Day on December 9th. Clearly A Test is a true homebred for the Brittlyn Stable of Evelyn Benoit, being by the multiple Graded Stakes winner Clearly Now, who was raced in the latter part of his career for Brittlyn. Clearly A Test is out of the Brittlyn daughter of Louisiana’s all time leading racer in Star Guitar, Testing One Two. Testing One Two was a multiple stakes winner for Brittlyn, winning six stakes races. Trained by Shane Wilson, Clearly A Test had earned $63,900 in her career which began at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. The Ferguson was Clearly A Test’s maiden win also.
Clearly Now and all of the Clear Creek Stallions will be on display at our Annual Stallion Show on December 16th. Come join us for some food, fun and see some great stallions. Clear Creek Stud can be contacted at 985-796-5563 or visit our web site at www.clearcreekstud.com.
Magnum with Corey Lanerie aboard wins the 2nd running of the Jacob V. Morreale Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir
Set-Hut’s Mangum Battles Back Who Took the Money in the Morreale
New Orleans, La (Nov. 18, 2023) – Three thrilling Louisiana-bred stakes rounded out opening weekend at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, but the most heroic performance came from Set-Hut’s Mangum. Winner of the $75,000 Jacob V. Morreale Memorial, the 3-year-old had his hooves full late as the 6-time stakes-winner Who Took the Money came flying from behind. The two went eyeball-to-eyeball in the final stages before Mangum put his older foe away, surging through the wire to win by a neck.
Getting the call from trainer Jeff Delhomme, veteran pilot Corey Lanerie guided Mangum the 1 mile 70 yards over the fast main track in 1:43.60. With four-wins in a row, the gelded son of Mo Tom is now 11:6-1-3 with $255,360 in the coffers. The public priced him at 4.50-1.
El Dinero Rallies to Win Joseph R. Peluso Memorial. Hodges photo
Overcoming Early Trouble, El Dinero Snags Peluso Purse with Late Rally
It would take a rail rally for the ages for Tav Enterprises’ El Dinero to win the $75,000 Joseph R. Peluso Memorial on Saturday at Fair Grounds. As the juveniles fought for early position, the son of El Deal took the worst of several bumps and struggled for footing. Soon trailing the field of nine males, in the far turn of the 5 1/2-furlong sprint the colt began to find his stride. By the 1/8th pole, jockey James Graham had El Dinero flying up the rail and with half the field still to pass, the Patrick Devereux trainee kept finding to be the first to cross the finish line. One length was the margin of defeat for Pop’s Peppysteper, who finished full of run himself. The final time of El Dinero’s phenomenal comeback clocked in at 1:05.56 and he rewarded his faithful at 2.70-1.
El Dinero’s two career wins have both been stakes and he has never finished out of the money, tallying a 5:2-1-2 record with $118,990 in earnings. Devereux reported after the race that the end goal is the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile on December 9 at Fair Grounds.
Autumns Strong Man with Angel Suarez aboard wins the 2nd running of the Larry D. Robideaux Memorial Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir
Autumns Strong Man Flexes at a Price to win the Robideaux
As the front runners began to tire, Autumns Strong Man began to flex the best run of his 21-race career to steal the $75,000 Larry D. Robideaux Memorial at odds of 32-1. Owner and trainer Gary Husak called upon jockey Angel Suarez to guide the gelded son of Strong Mandate, and he couldn’t have asked for a better trip. After saving ground, Suarez waited until the 1/8th pole to tip Autumns Strong Man out into the clear, and the 4-year-old responded in kind by kicking home with just enough to hold off the late-flying Langs Day by a diminishing head.
Making his third stakes attempt count, Autumns Strong Man’s bank bulged to $164,275. The new face on the Louisiana-bred stakes sprinting scene sports a 21: 4-3-2 career record.
Racing at Fair Grounds resumes on Thursday, Nov. 23. With ten races slated kicking off at noon central, the centerpiece 99th running of the $200,000 Thanksgiving Classic will go as Race 9.
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