Friday, February 03 2012

Raiseanothergator Wins South Mississippi Owners & Breeders

NEW ORLEANS (Friday, February 03, 2012) – Pop-A-Top LLC’s Raiseanothergator, away alertly and quickly in command, made or forced the pace with William Reed’s Surley throughout the early going but drew off in the stretch run to win Friday’s 16th renewal of the $40,000 South Mississippi Owners and Breeders Stakes at Fair Grounds by 4 1/4-lengths.

Trained by Tom Amoss and ridden by James Graham, Raiseanothergator returned mutuels of $6.20, $2.80 and $2.40, accomplished the six furlongs in 1:10.90 after alternating for early splits of 22.30 and 43.75 and increased his career earnings to $69,691 with his third career win in six lifetime starts.

Wednesday, February 01 2012

Joyful Victory Working Toward Feb. 11 Tiffany Lass

NEW ORLEANS (Wednesday, February 01, 2012) – Fox Hill Farms’ Joyful Victory, post time favorite for last spring’s Grade I Kentucky Oaks after winning Oaklawn’s Grade II Fantasy and Grade III Honeybee stakes, breezed five furlongs Monday in 1:01.40 at Fair Grounds in preparation for the upcoming $75,000 Tiffany Lass Stakes Feb. 11 at the New Orleans oval.

“That was a very nice work she had the other day,” said trainer Larry Jones Wednesday morning during training hours. “She’s pointing up to the Tiffany Lass just fine.”

Monday, January 30 2012

Fast Tip Wins Sunday Feature

NEW ORLEANS (Sunday, January 29, 2012) – Luxair Properties’ Fast Tip, allowed to settle early, commenced a rally entering the lane, took command at the furlong grounds and drew off for a two-length tally in Sunday’s $53,000 allowance/optional $62,500 claiming sprint for older fillies and mares.

Trained by Bret Calhoun and ridden by Miguel Mena, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Najran increased her career earnings to $154,402 with her fifth lifetime win in 10 career starts, toured the three-quarter mile distance in 1:10.19 and returned mutuels of $9.60, $3.80 and $3.40.

Zimmerman Relishing Chance to Ride Again

NEW ORLEANS (Sunday, January 29, 2012) – Jockey Ramsey Zimmerman knew that coming back to Fair Grounds this winter would not be easy.

“If it was up to me, I would have crawled back to some little track where nobody knew anything about me but my wife wouldn’t let me,” said Zimmerman Sunday morning at Fair Grounds, shortly after attending mass with Jenny and their 11-month old daughter Race Hannah. “She said I was too good a rider to do that. She believed in me, and after what I put her through last summer, I had to do whatever she wanted. She stuck by me and went through all this with me. I owe her everything for that.”

Friday, January 27 2012

Napravnik Stays Ahead in Jockey Standings

NEW ORLEANS (Friday, January 27, 2012) – Jockey Rosie Napravnik maintained her 12-win lead in Fair Grounds’ current jockey standings entering Friday’s 45th day of racing despite missing three race days earlier this week.

The 23-year-old native of Morristown, N.J., won last Saturday’s $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes aboard Brereton Jones’ Believe You Can for trainer Larry Jones. However, she cancelled off all her mounts Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday at Fair Grounds to allow herself time to recover from two sore legs suffered in a pre-race starting gate mishap earlier this month before returning to riding Friday.

Tizanexpense Wins Thursday Feature

NEW ORLEANS (Thursday, January 26, 2012) – After being allowed to settle early, George and Tiffany Veloudis’s Tizanexpense found running room inside turning for home and was up to best Mutual Fun Stable and Ken Mahler’s speedy Sky Alert by a neck in Thursday’s Fair Grounds headliner, a $49,000 allowance and optional $50,000 claiming event that was transferred to the main track and run at a mile and 70 yards.

Cleverly ridden by Miguel Mena, the Mike Maker-trained Tizanexpense toured the distance in 1:43.67, increased his career earnings to $54,451 with his second career win in four lifetime starts and returned mutuels of $19.60, $9.80 and $7.60.

Bucktown Gets Edge in Sprint Feature

NEW ORLEANS (Thursday, January 26, 2012) – Ed Wright Cattle Co. and Miles Childers’ Bucktown, an accredited Louisiana-bred sophomore who had the misfortune of facing Brittlyn Stable’s highly-regarded Beanwah’smachine in his last three starts, finds an easier spot this weekend and has been pegged as the tepid 7-2 choice in Saturday’s featured six-furlong allowance sprint at Fair Grounds.

The $41,000 allowance-optional claiming event, restricted to accredited Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds, has attracted a field of nine, only one of which is entered for the claiming price of $30,000.

Thursday, January 26 2012

Cactus Son Wins Wednesday Turf Feature

NEW ORLEANS (Wednesday, January 25, 2012) – Dwight Sprague’s Cactus Son, placed just behind the early leaders, rallied outside those after the furlong grounds and drew off for a two-length victory in Wednesday’s grass dash feature at Fair Grounds.

The $51,000 allowance optional $40,000 claiming event for older horses was contested at about 5 1/2-furlongs over a Stall-Wilson turf course rated “good” to headline the last Wednesday racing program of New Orleans’ 2011-2012 Thoroughbred season.

Cindy Jones Says, ‘It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This’

NEW ORLEANS (Wednesday, January 25, 2012) – Assistant trainer Cindy Jones was fulfilling her sometime role of spokesperson for the Cindy and Larry Jones Barn as the Fair Grounds track was closing for training hours on Wednesday morning.

Husband Larry, trainer of last Saturday’s Grade III Lecomte Stakes winner Mr. Bowling as well as $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes heroine Believe You Can – both owned by Brereton Jones – had left minutes earlier.

Monday, January 23 2012

Toxis Takes Filly Feature

NEW ORLEANS (Sunday, January 22, 2012) – Dixiana Farms’ Toxis, a 3-year-old daughter of 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, rallied boldly outside the leaders in mid-stretch and was up to best Richard, Bertram and Elaine Klein’s Ocean Bertie by a half-length in Sunday’s $46,000 mile and 70-yard feature for maiden sophomore fillies at Fair Grounds.

Trained by Steve Margolis and ridden by seven-time Fair Grounds jockey champion Robby Albarado, Toxis toured the distance in 1:44.79, returned mutuels of $13.20, $6.20 and $3.60 and increased her career earnings to $48,928 with her first win in five lifetime starts.

Joneses ‘Celebrate’ Two Stakes Wins

NEW ORLEANS (Sunday, January 22, 2012) – Trainer Larry Jones was all smiles during training hours at Fair Grounds Sunday morning – and that for at least two reasons.

Late Saturday afternoon, Jones saddled former Kentucky Governor Brereton Jones’s Mr. Bowling to register a tenacious head victory in Fair Grounds’ Grade III Lecomte Stakes in the centerpiece race of Fair Grounds’ Road to the Derby Kickoff Day Presented by Hotel Monteleone.

Sunday, January 22 2012

Mr. Bowling Rolls in Lecomte, Thiskyhasnolimit Takes Louisiana ‘Cap, Inspired Wires Pan Zareta

NEW ORLEANS (Saturday, January 21, 2012) – Giving trainer Larry Jones his second victory in Saturday’s two stakes restricted to sophomores, Brereton Jones’s Mr. Bowling rallied from just behind the early leaders to gain the advantage in upper stretch and then withstood a late bid by Zayat Stables’ Z Dager and capture the 68th running of Fair Grounds’ Grade III Lecomte Stakes by a head on the New Orleans oval’s Road to the Derby Kickoff Day.

After winning Saturday’s $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes for 3-year-old fillies with Brereton Jones’s Believe You Can earlier in the afternoon, Jones saddled Mr. Bowling to win the Lecomte, first leg of Fair Grounds’ three-race series for sophomores with designs on a Triple Crown campaign later this spring.