Lone Sailor Nominated to the Super Derby by Trainer Tom Amoss
Bossier City, LA – A full field in last Saturday’s $60,000 Super Derby Prelude put on quite a show at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs. Three of the top four finishers from the Prelude now have their sights set on the Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derbyon Sunday, September 2. The richest race of the 2018 Louisiana Downs Thoroughbred racing season will also be contested on the main track at a distance of a mile and one-sixteenth.
Robert Guidry’s Autumn Hill Farms Racing Stable Inc’s homebred Autumn Warrior was sent off as the even-money favorite in the Prelude. Stretching out for the first time for trainer Al Stall Jr., the son of Orb out of the Posse mare, Kinsolving entered the Prelude off two convincing wins, but his trip on Saturday was far from simple! He stumbled out of the gate and found himself seventh heading into the far turn. Jockey Colby Hernandez remained patient and guided his charge to the outside where he was finally able to shake free, winning in a photo-finish.
Stall was at Saratoga on Saturday and had a few anxious moments as he watched the race.
“At the five furlong mark, I didn’t think he would even hit the board,” acknowledged Stall. “He missed the break, which was an issue as he had previously run forwardly placed. Colby did a good job, but I give a lot of credit to the horse. He handled adversity for the first time; that will help him as he goes forward.”
Stall added that Autumn Warrior came out of the Prelude in good order.
“He was on the muscle; sound and eating well,” he said. “He’s a bull of a horse!”
G’s Turn with rider Thomas Pompell in the saddle, ran a game second. Owned by Tom Galvin of Dallas, Texas, the son of Alternation was making his 14th career start in the Prelude. Campaigned on both turf and dirt by trainer Patricia West, G’s Turn was dismissed by the betting public at odds of 23-1. He had a similar challenging trip to that of Autumn Warrior, but finally got clear and rallied for second.
“He was stuck behind a wall of horses and couldn’t get clear,” said West. “Tom is a strong rider and makes good decisions; he did a good job on Saturday.”
West has 11 horses in her barn, and stated she will nominate G’s Turn for the Super Derby.
“We will run as long as he stays healthy and we feel he can be competitive,” she added.
Rosemont Farm’s homebred Zanesville ran third, by a nose, for trainer Tom Amoss. The son of Tiznow was ridden by Gerard Melancon.
“He made a brilliant move at the half-mile pole to the head of the stretch,” said Amoss. “He’s back in Kentucky now and we have not made a decision yet about the Super Derby.”
However, Amoss does have one of his top 3-year-olds possibly headed to the Super Derby.
“I nominated Lone Sailor this morning,” Amoss reported from his base at Saratoga.
G M B Racing’s Lone Sailor, a colt by Majestic Warrior, ran eighth in the Grade 1, Kentucky Derby and followed that with solid efforts in the Preakness Stakes, Ohio Derby and most recently, the Grade 1, Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, where he finished third.
Oakwood Stable Inc.’s McFeely completed the superfecta in the Prelude and is also on target for the Super Derby. The colt by Scat Daddy was making his stakes debut last weekend under jockey Ashley Broussard. He broke his maiden at Evangeline Downs on May 25, adding an allowance win three weeks later for trainer John Ney.
David Heitzmann, Louisiana Downs Director of Racing, was pleased with the quality of the Louisiana Cup Day card and response from horseplayers locally and across the country.
“We were up a little over 18% per race, from last year,” said Heitzmann. “The Prelude was an excellent race and served as a great springboard to the Super Derby. My staff is already working on the Super Derby Day card and we are hopeful that we will run 13 races on September 2.”
Noon Post Time Set for Super Derby Day
The Louisiana Downs racing office is preparing for their next big stakes day on Sunday, September 2. An early post time of 12:00 pm (Central) is planned for the Super Derby card. Nominations close on August 18 for the seven stakes, which include:
$60,000 Unbridled 3 YO & Up 1 1/16 miles (T)
$60,000 River Cities 3 YO & Up F&M 1 1/16 miles (T)
$60,000 Happy Ticket 2 YO Fillies One Mile (T)
$60,000 Sunday Silence 2 YO One Mile (T) $300,000 SUPER DERBY (G3) 3 YO 1 1/16 miles
$60,000 A. L. (Red) Erwin 3 YO LA-Bred One Mile (T)
$60,000 Elge Rasberry 3 YO Fillies, LA-Bred One Mile (T)
Super Derby Charity Golf Tournament Set for August 23
The Super Derby Charity Golf Tournament will be held on Thursday, August 23, at Querbes Golf Course in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The event will benefit Chaplain Jimmy Sistrunk & The Winner’s Circle Church, which provides assistance to the Louisiana racing community and backstretch workers. It serves as one of the special events saluting the annual Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby, the marquee race of the Louisiana Downs Thoroughbred season, set for Sunday, September 2.
Sign in for the event’s Four Person Scramble kicks off at 10:00 a.m. with tee off at 10:30 a.m. The fee is $80 per personor $320 for a four-person team. The fee includes green fees, golf cart, lunch, and Super Derby t-shirt/cap.
Attendees can register in person in the Louisiana Downs Racing office, or by mail. Checks should be payable to The Backside Benevolence Fund and mailed to: Jennifer Sokol, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, 8000 East Texas Street, Bossier City, Louisiana, 71111.
The deadline for registration is August 16. Hole sponsorships for $100, including a sign, are available, but must be purchased by August 1.
For further information, please contact Jennifer Sokol, Louisiana Downs Racing Office Manager at (318) 741-2512.
Trainer, Jockey and Owner Standings
As of August 7, Al Stall, Jr. and Karl Broberg top the trainer standings with 17 wins each. Danny Pish is second with 14 victories and Jorge Lara and Joe Duhon have each saddled 13 winners.
Emanuel Nieves has been steady throughout the 2018 Thoroughbred meet and is the current leader in the jockey standings with 52 wins. He guided Cabo’s Rumor to victory in Saturday’s $60,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile for Northpointe Thoroughbreds and trainer Steven Duke. Last year’s leading jockey Gerardo Mora is second with 47 trips to the winner’s circle and Joel Dominguez, who lost his bug on May 24, is third with 43 wins. Rounding out the top four is Richard Eramia, who has won 33 races this season.
End Zone Athletics, Inc. has won 11 races to take the lead in the owner standings. Dream Walkin Farms, Inc. follows closely with 10 wins and Jorge Gomez, Patti Turner and Indian Creek Thoroughbred Farms LLC are tied for third with seven wins each.
About Harrah’s Louisiana Downs
Located near Shreveport in Bossier City, Louisiana, Louisiana Downs opened in 1974 and was purchased by Caesars Entertainment in December, 2002. With annual Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing seasons, the track is committed to presenting the highest quality racing programs paired with its 150,000 square foot entertainment complex offering casino gambling, dining and plasma screen televisions for sports and simulcast racing.
