A G’s Charlotte with Marcelino aboard wins the 48th running of the Red Camelia Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Amanda Hodges Weir
Tom Galvin’s homebred A G’s Charlotte toyed with her six statebred rivals before taking over in the homestretch to win the $100,000 Red Camela at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots on Saturday. Sensing her dominance over the field, the 6-5 favorite shifted from tracking the leader to a fierce stalk, making her run at the eighth pole and drawing away to win by 2 1/2 lengths.
Trained by Patricia West, the daughter of Mo Tom received the services of Marcelino Pedroza Jr. With the day’s races taken off the turf, A G’s Charlotte went 1 mile 70 yards in 1:44.78 over a main track labeled “muddy.”
“I wasn’t disappointed that the race was taken off the turf,” West said. “I think she is better on the dirt. It seems like she just keeps getting better with age, so we’ll keep going with her.”
Speedy Dudette gained control of the lead out of the gate set :24.28 and :47:84 opening quarters. A G’s Charlotte dropped to the rail in tracking position as Vale Male stalked the leader. Looking to assert herself, A G’s Charlotte began moving up the rail to split those two forward foes and begin breathing down Speedy Dudette’s throatlatch. Keeping her measured up through the far turn, A G’s Charlotte set down a run and bid past Speedy Dudette at the eighth pole. The front runner was able to hold on for second as Spirited Beauty came charging up the rail late for third.
“Thank you to Patricia West for this mount,” Pedroza said. “It was a perfect trip. I was right where I wanted to be, behind the speed. She took me to the front earlier than I wanted to. I know how she is, she likes a little competition in the end, but it all worked out.”
Three of A G’s Charlotte’s four stakes wins have come at Fair Grounds and she boasts the proud title of having earned West her first career stakes victory in the 2022 Big World Stakes. With a career record of 25-9-8-3, the 5-year-old mare has $458,410 in the bank.
The 2023 Evangeline Downs Thoroughbred season kicked off with a pair of stake races Friday night. A G’s Charlotte picked up a stylish looking victory in the Spotted Horse, while Taylors Tap rallied in the final yards to capture the Acadiana. The opening night card was contested over a track listed as muddy after substantial overnight rains.
A G’s Charlotte, owned by Thomas Galvin, broke alertly from her inside post position and was quickly in front as the field entered the first turn. Sassy Beast was her closest pursuer in the early stages, with Another Hot Mess saving ground along the rail in third. Jockey C.J. McMahon had A G’s Charlotte traveling comfortably through an opening quarter-mile in 24.35 seconds and a half-mile in 48.61. As the field entered the far turn, the Patricia West trainee was a half-length in front of Sassy Beast, with Majestic Ways splitting rivals to move into contention alongside Another Hot Mess.
Through six furlongs in 1:13.49, A G’s Charlotte, still traveling smoothly, continued to fend off a stubborn Sassy Beast, as the pair kicked clear of the rest. Inside the final furlong A G’s Charlotte spurted clear with a burst to finish 4-1/4 lengths clear of Sassy Beast. It was another 2-1/2 lengths back to Another Hot Mess in third. The final running time for the mile distance for the 3-year-old and upward fillies and mares was 1:39.10.
A G’s Charlotte earned $36,000 in capturing her sixth victory from 16 career starts. Her career bankroll now stands at $263,160.
The winner is a 4-year-old bred in Louisiana by the owner. The dark bay or brown filly was sired by Mo Tom and is out of the Indygo Shiner mare Adrianne G.
A G’s Charlotte returned $4.80 to win as the wagering favorite, $2.80 to place and $2.20 to show. Sassy Beast paid $6.40 to place, $3.60 to show and Another Hot Mess paid $2.60 to show.
Touchuponastar, with Timothy Thornton aboard, wins the 31st running of the Louisiana Champions Day Classic. Hodges Photography / Jamie Newell.
NEW ORLEANS, La. (December 10, 2022) – The commanding speed in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic, Set-Hut’s Touchuponastar overcame a slow break to lead through all calls and pour it on late to win by 4 3/4 lengths over Behemah Star. The Star Guitar-sired exacta had plenty in the tanks after coasting through soft fractions, keeping the odds-on favorite Who Took the Money at bay.
Touchuponastar, a lightly raced-3-year-old trained by Jeff Delhomme, ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.66 to collect his first career stakes win. Timothy Thornton rode the winner for Delhomme family, Jerry, Jeff, and ex-NFL quarterback Jake.
Pausing for an instant after the gates flew upon, Touchuponastar recovered quickly, hustling by the early challenger Highland Creek in the early going to set fractions of 24.55 and 49.34. He received no pressure as Highland Creek kept 1 1/2 lengths back to his outside. Behemah Star made his move to take over in second through the final bend but never menaced Touchuponastar who extended his lead to six lengths at the stretch call. Who Took the Money stalked wide in sixth before beginning a late move that never threatened the winner but was game enough to beat Ballinonabudjet for third.The rest finished well back.
“We knew he was a special horse all along,” Timothy Thornton said. “We knew we were coming here to beat Who Took the Money, but when I was able to get that first quarter as slow as I was going, I thought Calhoun’s horse (Highland Creek) was going to pressure me. When they left me alone, I knew I was going to have plenty left, and he was definitely able to show how special he is today.”
Touchuponastar is a son of Guitar Star out of the Lion Heart mare Touch Magic and was bred in Louisiana by Coteau Grove Farms. The four-time winner returned $12.40, $5.60 and $3.00 as the 5-1 third betting choice in the field of seven older males.
Cosmic Train, Highland Creek, and Maga Man completed the order of finish. Beauregard was scratched.
Touchuponastar netted $60,000 for owner Set-Hut LLC and now boasts career earnings of $163,100 from a record of 4-1-1 in 6 starts.
“He’s young and has a big future ahead of him,” trainer Jeff Delhomme said. “We were leaning towards the Classic the entire time (instead of the Sprint). We didn’t run in the prep because earlier in the career we swung back in three weeks and we think that ended up being a little too fast. It opens a lot of doors for us to be able to get nine furlongs, even outside Louisiana-bred horses.”
In other stakes action on the Louisiana Champions Day Card, Kendel D. Standlee’s Big Chopper rolled from off a 44.79 opening half mile to win the $100,000 Sprint going away at 6-1 for trainer Scott Gelner and jockey Corey Lanerie. He was followed home in the trifecta by longshots Relentless Dancer (15-1) and Mike J (46-1). After pressing into a hot pace, 2-1 favorite Bertie’s Galaxy finished last of the 12.
In the $100,000 Ladies Distaff, Thomas Galvin’s A.G’s Charlotte proved her upset win in the Big World last month was no fluke, but this time she was forced to close into moderate fractions instead of having the table set for her. The circumstances were different, but the results were the same as she scored by a narrow margin under a heady, rail-skimming ride by Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. as the 5-2 second choice for trainer Patricia West. The pacesetter Winning Romance, who walked through an opening half-mile in 49.19, battled gamely but finished secondas the 3-5 public choice. Fort Polk, last year’s Distaff winner, settled for third.
In the $100,000 Ladies Sprint, Brittlyn Stables’ Ova Charged made short work of her overmatched rivals, rolling home in gate-to-wire fashion to score by 4 ¾ effortless lengths at the 1-5 chalk for Jose Camejo. Free Like a Girl, Spirited Beauty and Snowball completed the order of finish. With the win, Evelyn Benoit’s Brittlyn Stables extended their record of Champions Day wins to 15.
In the $100,000 Juvenile, Kevin Stedman’s Late September (5-1) broke inward from the starting gate, wired the field, and eventually survived a claim of foul to give trainer Jose Camejo his first of two Champions Day wins on the card. It was one of three scores on the day for Fair Grounds’ leading rider Jose Luis Rodriguez. Tumbarumba, the 3-5 favorite, was severely compromised at the start, but he rallied on nicely to be second in front of Calicoco, who checked in third.
In the $100,000 Lassie, Mansfield Racing’s Free Drop Maddy (6-5 second choice) battled for the lead from the rail, took over on the turn for home and built the lead in the stretch before holding off the slow starting 1-1 favorite Norah G to win by a diminishing neck. It was far back to Tensas Candy in third.
The two starter races were won by the mare Zydeco Music (7-5) for owner Richard Anthony Tompkins, jockey Jose Rodriguez and trainer Shane Wilson and the gelding Dixie Street for owner Vanessa Motta, trainer Sean Alforish and jockey Tracy Hebert respectively.
A G’s Charlotte (left) with Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. aboard gets in front of Winning Romance to win the inaugural running of the Big World Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Jan Brubaker
The first stakes win for trainer Patricia West was a sentimental one for the connections. Named after owner Thomas Galvin’s granddaughter, their filly A G’s Charlotte stole the show in the 1st running of the $75,000 Big World Stakes at 1 mile 70 yards for older Louisiana-bred females.
“It’s been a little bit of a challenge for her,” West said in the winner’s circle. “With her running style she is always chasing fillies and we’ve been waiting for her to get more and more mature. She got there today.”
The set-up was perfect for the 9.90-1 closer to make a late splash. Front runner Cheapskate Diva ran off under Colby Hernandez making the rounds in 23.58, 46.98, and 1:12.65 while leading by as many as 5 lengths. Betting-favorite Winning Romance let her go, but she began to reel her back in little by little, eventually grabbing the lead at the stretch call. A G’s Charlotte’s jockey Marcelino Pedroza Jr. let her loose at the perfect moment to nail Winning Romance at the wire in 1:43.56, winning by a neck.
“Those were hot fractions today,” Pedroza Jr. said. “Patricia (trainer West) told me to not get her into gear too early because she would make her move. When I put her into gear, she was right, and she got there in time.”
Adding another win for a career record of 11-4-1-2, A G’s Charlotte surely made her namesake proud and maybe she’ll share a portion of her $124,660 lifetime earnings with her, too.
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