Category: 2019

Minit To Stardom Awarded Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint Win

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Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf
Fair Grounds, 12-14-19, 6 furlongs
Three Year Olds and Upwards, Accredited Louisiana Bred, Fillies and Mares, $100,000

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Minit To Stardom, with Alex Cintron on board, wins the 14th running of the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

MINIT TO STARDOM
Star Guitar–Wild About Marie
Breeder: Brittlyn Stables, Inc.
Owner: Brittlyn Stable, Inc.
Trainer: Jose M. Camejo
Jockey: Alex Cintron

2nd
Midnight Fantasy
Midnight Lute–St. Jean
Breeder: J. Adcock & Hume Wornall
Owner: Carl R. Moore Management LLC
Trainer: Joe Sharp
Jockey: Adam Beschizza

3rd
Ours to Run
Half Ours–Brown Eyed Baby
Breeder: Clifford Grum
Owner: Colonel Thoroughbreds LLC
Trainer: J. Larry Jones
Jockey: Gabriel Saez

 

Minit to Stardom capped a three-race win streak with a 1 1/2length victory in the July 24 GII Honorable Miss H. She was second in the Sept. 22 GII Gallant Bloom H. and most recently captured a Laurel allowance Nov. 8. The bay filly pressed Midnight Fantasy through fractions of :21.64 and :44.67. Minit to Stardom briefly got a head in front in upper stretch and, as Midnight Fantasy battled back from the inside, was bumped as that foe drifted out. Strides later, Midnight Fantasy once again drifted out and impeded Minit to Stardom. The pacesetter ultimately was two lengths in front at the wire, but was disqualified and placed second as Minit to Stardom was promoted to the victory.

Chimney Rock Victorious in Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes

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Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile
Fair Grounds, 12-14-19, 6 fulrongs
Two Year Old, Accredited Louisiana Bred, $100,000

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Chimney Rock, with Florent Geroux aboard, wins the 29th running of Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile. Hodges Photography / Ann Switalski

CHIMNEY ROCK
Artie Schiller–What’s Your Point
Breeder: Stargazers, LLC & Clear Creek Stud, LLC
Owner: Three Diamonds Farm
Trainer: Michael J. Maker
Jockey: Florent Geroux

2nd
Binding Agreement
Bind–Fairyland Lustre
Breeder: Columbine Stable, LLC
Owner: Columbine Stable LLC
Trainer: Albert M. Stall, Jr.
Jockey: Colby J. Hernandez

3rd
Outofmybind
Bind–Morning Memory
Breeder: Richard Ringo
Owner: Richard Ringo
Trainer: James E. Hodges
Jockey: James Graham

 

Chimney Rock, a maiden winner over the Saratoga turf Sept. 1, was a narrowly beaten second just a week later in the Sept. 7 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint S. and again in the Oct. 6 Indian Summer S. at Keeneland. He was beaten three-quarters of a length when second behind Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah) in the Nov. 1 GII Breeders= Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last time out. Making his first attempt on dirt since a third-place finish on debut in the Belmont slop in late June, the bay colt raced off the pace while three wide down the backstretch. He moved up four wide to challenge for the lead at the top of the stretch and powered clear to a much-the-best victory.

Vacherie Girl Wins Louisiana Champions Day Lassie

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Louisiana Champions Day Lassie
Fair Grounds, 12-14,19, 6 furlongs
Two-Year-Old, Accredited Louisiana Bred, Fillies, $100,000

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Vacherie Girl, with Florent Geroux aboard, wins the 29th running of Louisiana Champions Day Lassie at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir

VACHERIE GIRL
Tapiture–Saucey Officer
Breeder: Georgia Farms Inc
Owner: L. William and Corinne Heiligbrodt
Trainer: Steven M. Asmussen
Jockey: Florent Geroux

2nd
Our Lost Love
Half Ours–Lost Love Baby
Breeder: Tri-Star Racing LLC
Owner: Tri-Star Racing, LLC
Trainer: Joseph M. Foster
Jockey: Mitchell Murrill

3rd
Sincerity
Mucho Macho Man–Hartfelt
Breeder: Adcock’s Red River Farm, LLC & J. Adcock
Owner: Windylea Farm, LLC
Trainer: Danny Pish
Jockey: Kent J. Desormeaux

 

Vacherie Girl closed stoutly to record a 6 1/2-length debut win while facing state-bred foes going 5 1/2 furlongs at this track Nov. 28. The chestnut filly raced in the clear at midpack as the field split into two groups down the backstretch. She surged into contention on the turn and closed determinedly down the lane to get on top in the final strides. Vacherie Girl, the second stakes winner for her freshman sire (by Tapit), was purchased for $87,000 following a :10 1/5 work at this year’s OBS June sale.

Talamo Hits 2,000-Win Milestone Aboard Glatt Trainee Rizzi’s Honor At Los Alamitos

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More than 13 years after he collected the first win of his career in his native Louisiana, jockey Joe Talamo picked up his 2,000th  victory with Rizzi’s Honors in Thursday’s fifth race at Los Alamitos in Cypress, Calif.

The 3-5 favorite against five opponents in the $20,351 starter allowance, the 6-year-old With Distinction mare pressed the issue while wide early, but kicked clear inside the final eighth to win by four lengths for owners Lee Drummond and Joe Riso and trainer Mark Glatt.

Talamo, who will turn 30 Jan. 12, was joined in the winner’s circle by his wife Elizabeth and his two young sons Dominic and Vincent, longtime agent Scotty McClellan and several of his fellow riders.

“She’s such a neat mare, she always tries hard,” said Talamo. “I felt pretty confident down the lane she was going to win.

“Besides (Glatt), there are so many owners and trainers to thank that gave me the opportunities that led to this milestone. I’m so grateful.

“Scotty and I have been together for about 13 years so it was pretty special to have him here today. It’s hard to believe I’ve been riding this long.”

Talamo, who is going to ride in California through Jan. 5 before he begins competing at Oaklawn Park, which starts its meet Jan. 24, earned his initial victory July 7, 2006, aboard Well Heavens Sake at Louisiana Downs. His 1,000th win came April 5, 2012, at Santa Anita aboard Splendid Fortune for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Rizzi’s Honors, who paid $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10, has now won five of 25 and earned $134,359. It was her second win in five attempts at Los Alamitos.

Fracas, a 6-1 shot, was second and returned $4.60 and $2.40 while finishing a half-length in front of 7-2 second choice Rattle. The show price on Rattle was $2.40.

Pound for Pound Wins Louisiana Champions Day Classic

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Fair Grounds’ Dec. 14 feature first black-type win for trainer Andrea Ancil Ali.

 

By

 

Israel Flores Horses’ Pound for Pound edged Trevilion to take the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic, giving trainer Andrea Ancil Ali and jockey Aubrie Green their first black-type wins Dec. 14 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

The Classic was the highlight on a 13-race card for accredited Louisiana-breds, including three Quarter Horse stakes.

Read BloodHorse Article

Graded Stakes-Siring Peppered Cat Relocates To Louisiana

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Peppered Cat 2019

Peppered Cat, a veteran stallion whose offspring includes the multiple graded stakes winner Pepper Crown, has been purchased privately by Perry and Denise Martin of Martin Racing and relocated from California to stand at Val Murrell’s Clear Creek Stud in Folsom, Louisiana for the 2020 breeding season.

A California stalwart since he retired to the breeding shed as a multiple winner in 2005, the 19-year-old son of Tabasco Cat most recently stood at Daehling Ranch in Elk Grove. From 12 crops of racing age, he has sired 67 winners from 85 starters, and is represented by lifetime progeny earnings of $4,253,371 and average earnings per starter of $50,040.

His seven black-type runners are led by Pepper Crown, a $472,298-earner who won Golden Gate Fields’ Berkeley Handicap (G3) and San Francisco Mile Stakes (G3) in 2014.

Produced by Meadowlake’s Grade 3-winning daughter Morning Meadow, Peppered Cat is a half-brother to the dam of 2015 Hopeful Stakes (G1) winner Ralis and the multiple graded stakes-placed, multiple stakes winner B Squared.

Peppered Cat’s 2020 fee is $3,000 live foal guarantee, payable when foal stands and nurses, or $1,500 live foal guarantee, payable September 1, 2020. He stands for the partnership of Martin Racing and Clear Creek Stud, and is nominated to Breeders’ Cup.

29th Louisiana Champions Day to Run December 14

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  • 29th Annual Louisiana Champions Day, 7 stakes for Louisiana Bred Thoroughbreds, 3 stakes for Louisiana Bred Quarter Horses New Orleans Fair Grounds, 1st Post 12:30 p.m.
  • U.S. Military and Color Guard present the colors for Louisiana Champions Day. 11:30 a.m. Members of the military to be honored throughout the day as guests of the LTBA
  • Louisiana Champions Day, Race Central, 12:30 through last race, New Orleans Fair Grounds, Black Gold Room. Lunch is served from 1pm – 3pm.
  • LTBA Scholarship Drawings; two $1,000 scholarships for current college students. (Registration between 11:00 a.m. & 12:00 p.m. Drawings for two scholarships will occur at the winners circle after the 5th race. Must be present at winners circle to win.)

Six Scholarships to be Awarded on College Day and Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans

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New Orleans, La. – The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association and Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots will award six scholarships each valued at $1,000. Four scholarships will be awarded during College Day on Saturday, December 7. Two more scholarships will be awarded at Louisiana Champions Day on Saturday, December 14. Both events will take place at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La.
The requirements for the scholarship are as follows:
  • Must be a college student enrolled full-time for Spring 2020.
  • 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.
For College Day, December 7:
  • Registration: 1:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. at the designated booth
  • Races begin: 3:00 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.
For Louisiana Champions Day, December 14:
  • Registration: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. at the designated booth
  • Races begin: 12:00 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.
For more information, please call (504) 947-4676 or visit louisianabred.com.

2YO Eclipse Contender, Storm The Court, Demonstrates the Value of his Sire, Court Vision

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Championship Shot Brings Vision Back in Focus

Storm the Court | Eclipse Sportswire

By Chris McGrath

There’s been some pretty faint praise for the winner of what generally proves the key race to determine the best 2-year-old colt of his crop. So much so, that plenty of Eclipse voters were plainly hoping that Tiz The Law (Constitution) could pull the championship rug from under the feet of Storm The Court (Court Vision), shock winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, when odds-on for the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. last Saturday.

In the event, Tiz The Law succumbed to the same stage fright that unravelled more fancied horses when Storm the Court emulated his sire, 64-1 winner of the Mile in 2011, as a hear-a-pin-drop Breeders’ Cup winner. His defeat presumably restores Storm the Court to pole position, though the turf winners at the Breeders’ Cup may yet enter the equation. But whoever ultimately gains the laurels, it must be pretty irritating for connections of Storm the Court to hear his success treated as an aberration, sooner credited to inconsistencies in track and opposition than to his own merit.

Read TDN Article

Applications Now Open for 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover

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FBGroupAppsOpen20

The Retired Racehorse Project announced today that applications are open for the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Applications will be accepted through January 15, 2020, and accepted trainers will be announced on February 15, 2020.

Now in its sixth year, the Thoroughbred Makeover features competition in ten disciplines for recently-retired Thoroughbreds in their first year of retraining for a second career after racing. Disciplines include barrel racing, competitive trail, dressage, eventing, field hunters, freestyle, polo, show hunter, show jumper, and ranch work.

Horses and trainers will compete for more than $125,000 in total prize money, plus the coveted title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion, at the Kentucky Horse Park on October 7-10, 2020. The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium includes not just the competition, but educational seminars, a vendor fair, the Makeover Marketplace horse sale and the Makeover Master Class featuring demonstrations and insight from leading trainers. The Finale features the top five horses in each discipline and will be livestreamed for viewers at home.

“The Retired Racehorse Project was created to drive demand for Thoroughbreds after racing as sport horses, and the Thoroughbred Makeover is one of the most successful executions of this mission,” describes the RRP’s executive director Jen Roytz. “Each year the event has grown in both size and scope and we’re seeing more and more Makeover graduates representing the breed on the national stage.”
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2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Champion Cowboy Swagger, trained by Fallon Taylor. Photo by CanterClix

The Thoroughbred Makeover is open to professionals, amateurs, juniors (ages 12 and older) and teams. Applicants are required to provide information about their riding and competition background as well as references, including one from a veterinarian. Applicants are encouraged to provide links to riding video, which is a requirement for first-time competitors. Competitors do not need to have acquired their horse at the time of application, though must declare their horse no later than July 31, 2020.

Approved trainers may acquire eligible Thoroughbreds through whatever source they choose, or can ride under contract for an owner. Eligible horses must have raced or had a published work on or after July 1, 2018 and must not have started retraining for a second career prior to December 1, 2019 other than a maximum of 15 allowable rides. The 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover Rulebook outlines all rules and information relevant to the competition, with changes for 2020 marked in red and clarifying information marked in blue.

The Thoroughbred Makeover, produced by the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Retired Racehorse Project, is made possible each year by the generosity and support of sponsors and donors. In addition to the Makeover, the RRP publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, maintains the Retired Racehorse Resource Directory, the online Thoroughbred Sport Tracker (the only user-driven database for Thoroughbred bloodlines in second careers), and a library of educational materials online, and produces educational demonstrations around the country at clinics and expos, all with the goal of increasing demand for Thoroughbreds in second careers.

Thoroughbred Makeover Links:

▪ 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover Rules and Information
▪ FAQs About the Thoroughbred Makeover
▪ Sponsorship and Advertising Opportunities
▪ 2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Results
▪ 2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Finale Videos
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2019 Thoroughbred Makeover Recap
▪ 673 trainers were accepted to compete in 2019. The accepted trainers represented 44 states and four Canadian provinces.
▪ 474 horses were entered by the Aug. 15 registration deadline. Taking into account last-minute scratches, 359 horses completed.
▪ The most-raced horse entered in the competition had 150 starts. The highest money-earner had career winnings of $1,050,400.
▪ Total number of horses entered in each discipline, as of Aug. 15: Barrels, 31; Competitive Trail, 80; Dressage, 177; Eventing, 93; Field Hunters, 26; Freestyle, 44; Polo, 16; Ranch Work, 29; Show Hunters, 178; Show Jumpers, 136.
▪ Approximately 150 horses were entered in the ASPCA Makeover Marketplace.
▪ More than 115 volunteers helped staff the competition.
▪ 50+ companies were Makeover sponsors.
▪ 70+ vendors took part in the Sponsor Fair.
2020MakeoverLogoTCA
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RRP logo

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization working to increase demand for off-track Thoroughbreds and build the bridges to second careers. It publishes Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine, hosts the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, maintains the Retired Racehorse Resource Directory, manages the online Thoroughbred Sport Tracker, and presents programs at major horse expos across the country. Visit the RRP online at RetiredRacehorseProject.org.