Category: Meredith Daugherty

Pelican State Returns to OBS With Strong Contingent

louisianathoroughbred

Terry Gabriel’s Pelican State Thoroughbreds has returned to the two-day Ocala Breeders’ Sales Winter Mixed Sale with a strong group of short yearlings and the hope that the consignment will be able to generate the same kind of success they enjoyed in 2020.

Gabriel, who sold last year’s $165,000 sale topper, a son of Union Rags —La Milanesa, by Mr. Greeley, has barely had time to think ahead of the Jan. 26 start and hopes that foot traffic will be congruent to bidding action come Tuesday morning.

 

Read BloodHorse Article

Negative COVID-19 Tests Required for Keeneland Sale

louisianathoroughbred

Tests must be performed on attendees within five days of the sale.

 

In a July 29 announcement targeted toward those planning to attend the upcoming Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Keeneland president-elect Shannon Arvin informed patrons and horsemen that any party entering the grounds will be required to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

Further requirements state that the negative test must be performed within five days of arriving at the sale, which starts Sept. 13 and runs through Sept. 26. For any sales participant who does not have access to testing ahead of the auction, Keeneland has made arrangements for onsite testing to be available.

Read BloodHorse Article

Half Ours Colt a Bargain Find for O’Neill

louisianathoroughbred

Juvenile was purchased for $185,000 July 15 at the OBS July Sale

Bloodstock agent Dennis O’Neill made his move early during the July 15 second session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale for what many might consider an unlikely horse.

Consigned as Hip 383 by Blue River Bloodstock, agent, the colt by Louisiana stallion Half Ours  fell O’Neill’s way on a final bid of $185,000 after a brief battle inside the pavilion. For O’Neill, the asking price was a steal for a horse who showed tremendous aptitude during the under tack show, working a quarter-mile in :20 1/5.

Read BloodHorse Article

No Parole Returns to Sprinting in Oaklawn Allowance

louisianathoroughbred

Violence colt last finished off the board in the Rebel Stakes (G2).

Maggi Moss and Greg Tramontin took a gamble with their talented Louisiana-bred sprinter No Parole in March when they entered him in the Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park. Described as an “experiment” by trainer Tom Amoss, the move was designed to give the 3-year-old Violence  colt, who had already proved himself as a more-than-competent sprinter, a shot at the Triple Crown trail.

But an off-the-board finish in the March 14 Rebel told the team all they needed to know. With six furlongs comfortably in No Parole’s sweet spot, the colt will return to Oaklawn for an allowance optional claiming race April 24 at his preferred distance.

No Parole was unbeaten in three starts upon entering the Rebel, his longest win coming at a mile in the Feb. 8 LA Bred Premier Night Prince Stakes at Delta Downs. Though the colt broke sharply in the 1 1/16-mile Rebel, he managed only a brief duel with winner Nadal before fading at the six-furlong mark to finish eighth.

 

Read BloodHorse Article

UNDERPRESSURE POWERS HOME IN LA CHAMPIONS DAY CLASSIC

louisianathoroughbred

By Meredith Daugherty

 

Underprressure_12-8-2018-F
Underpressure with Corey Lanerie aboard wins the 28th running of the Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.

With storm clouds looming over Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Dec. 8, a sloppy track and the threat of continued rain did nothing to deter Underpres- sure, who claimed his first stakes win since 2017 in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes.

Sent out from post 2 in the headlining race on the Champions Day card, Underpressure broke well under jockey Corey Lanerie and settled back on the rail off the pace in fourth.

First to the front from the break, Ready Prospector maintained a comfortable 1 1/2-length lead and set fractions of :23.83, :47.98, and 1:13.34 for the first
six furlongs. Zenucci tracked the pace in the three path on the outside, a slim head in front of Autumn Warrior in third.

Still well back by 3 1/2 lengths as the six-horse field entered the final turn, Underpressure ignored the onslaught of mud kicked back from his competition and angled out four wide to make his bid for the lead. Taking command in the stretch, the 4-year-old colt drifted toward the rail and wobbled as Grande Basin moved up to his
outside to issue a late challenge.

Coming under the left-hand whip, Underpressure dug in and turned back Grande Basin to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Final time in the 1 1/8-mile test for Louisiana- breds was 1:52.82.

Grande Basin took second, followed by Mageez another five lengths back in third. It was another four lengths back to Autumn Warrior in fourth, a neck ahead of Ready Prospector in fifth. Zenucci rounded out the order of finish, more than 19 lengths behind the winner.

 

It was the third win of the year for Underpressure,
a three-time stakes winner owned by Mallory Greiner and trained by Chris Richard. The son of Birdstone took a pair of allowance races at Canterbury Park over the summer. Underpressure finished third in last year’s Classic behind Mobile Bay and Grand Basin.

Bred in Louisiana by James McIngvale out of the Charismatic mare Charming Colleen, Underpressure is a half brother to the stakes-winning filly Goodprofit. He improved his record to 8-6-6 from 25 starts, with earnings of $468,132.

The 13-race Champions Day card awarded a total seven Thoroughbred stakes winners Saturday. The 2-year-old filly Midnight Fantasy took the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie Stakes in Race 5 for trainer Joe Sharp to remain unbeaten in two starts. Valene Farms’ Classy John ran away with the Juvenile Stakes two races later by 4 1/4 lengths. His victory was followed by that of Magic Vow in the Turf Stakes.

Al and Bill Ulwelling’s Remember Daisy followed Underpressure’s runaway success with her own impressive triumph in the Ladies Stakes. It was the third consecutive victory for the 3-year- old daughter of Misremembered, who entered the race off a win in the Nov. 15 Tom Benson Memorial Overnight Stakes at Fair Grounds.

 

Givemeaminit and Ours to Run closed out the day with wins in the Sprint Stakes and Ladies Sprint Stakes. BH

Goldencents, Apriority Get First Black-Type Winners

louisianathoroughbred

Pickett and Atchata won editions of the D.S. Shine Young Futurity July 14.

Spendthrift Farm’s Goldencents  was represented by his first black-type winner July 14 when his son Pickett scored a nine-length, gate-to-wire romp in the D.S. Shine Young Futurity for colts at Evangeline Downs.

Trained by Glenn Delahoussaye, the 2-year-old gelding broke sharply in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint, shook free from the rest of the pack as they hit the turn, and drew off in the stretch under a brisk drive to finish in 1:05.37.

Saturday’s win was the second for Pickett, who broke his maiden May 30 with an equally speedy 6 1/2-length win going 4 1/2 furlongs.

Goldencents, whose three grade 1 wins included consecutive Breeders’ Cup Dirt Miles, is the son of fellow Spendthrift stallion Into Mischief . The now 8-year-old horse broke his maiden on debut at Del Mar and competed in graded stakes races for the rest of his career.

Goldencents retired in 2014 with a record of 7-7-0 from 18 starts and career earnings of $3,044,000. His advertised fee for the 2018 breeding season was $12,500.

Also taking home the first black-type win for her sire Saturday was Atchata, a 2-year-old daughter of Apriority. Competing in the filly division of the D.S. Shine Young Futurity for Louisiana-breds, she dueled for the lead and kicked away in the lane to win by 6 1/2 lengths.

The win was the second in three starts for the bay filly, who debuted May 24 on grass for trainer Steve Asmussen. She finished third in that maiden special weight debut at Belmont Park. Atchata won next time out going six furlongs on the Belmont inner turf but was switched to the dirt for the Futurity.

Bred in Florida out of the Storm Bird mare Midway Squall, Apriority was his best at 4, when he won the Mr Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park for trainer David Fawkes. The Donald Dizney homebred started 36 times and retired at 7 with a record of 6-9-3 and earnings of $525,829.

The son of Grand Slam entered stud in 2015 at Elite Thoroughbreds in Louisiana, where he stands for a fee of $2,000.