Fair Grounds

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-OP, $90K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1m, 2:26 p.m. A daughter of prolific broodmare Tamboz (Tapit), MADLY DANCING (Curlin) is a half-sister to eight winners from as many to race including GI Preakness S. third Creative Minister (Creative Cause), MGSP Battalion Runner (Unbridled's Song), MGSP Oceanwave (Harlan's Holiday), GISP Dolder Grand (Candy Ride {Arg}), and MSP Late Nite Mischief (Into Mischief). Tamboz herself is a full-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile victor and sire Tapizar. Madly Dancing, a $525,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, races for...

7th-Fair Grounds, $54,000, Msw, 12-3, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:46.90, ft, 7 1/2 lengths. TAPIT SHOES (c, 2, Tapit--Awesome Flower {MSW & MGSP, $556,593}, by Flower Alley) made the most of a troubled trip at first asking, tackling a sloppy track at Churchill Oct. 30 to wind up sixth after trailing most of the race. With the addition of both blinkers and Lasix Saturday, the half-brother to Cyberknife (Gun Runner), MGISW, $2,087,520 had the betting public's favor, going off at 8-5 over the same distance as his debut. Racing again off...

The Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale will be held Apr. 5 next year at Lone Star Park, while the auction's breeze show will be held Apr. 3. "We've already had a lot of interest in our 2023 sale season," Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. "Our 2-year-old sale has certainly gotten stronger in terms of quality in the past few years and those horses have been performing well at tracks around the midwest and south." Free Drop Maddy (Free Drop Billy), who topped this year's sale after a...

Lousiana-bred Ninety One Assault (Artie Schiller) was a bit of a hometown hero at Fair Grounds, where he scored seven of his eight lifetime victories, including three stakes wins for trainer Tom Morley. However, he was also a familiar face in New York as well, calling Belmont home for part of the year. The hard-knocking gelding was a family favorite for Morley, his wife Maggie Wolfendale and their two daughters, Grace and Willow. So, when it came time for him to retire, there was no question that he would remain...

With the approval of the Louisiana State Racing Commission, Fair Grounds is lowering the takeout on its Pick 5 from 25% to 15% and adding a new Pick 6 at the same 15% rate with a $1 minimum. "We are very excited about both of these new wagering opportunities for horseplayers," said Gary Palmisano Jr., the newly-appointed Executive Director of Racing for Churchill Downs Incorporated, which owns Fair Grounds. "Fair Grounds has not had a Pick 6 in many years. After monitoring the success of this same wager at the...

Jane Goldstein will be recognized with a special award at the inaugural edition of the Horse Racing Women's Summit (HRWS) at its luncheon Thursday, Sept. 29. The presentation will honor Goldstein for her role as a groundbreaking leader and inspirational example to women in racing. A native of New Orleans, Goldstein had an early introduction to the racetrack through her father, a writer and reporter with the Times-Picayune newspaper. She attended the University of Kentucky and Louisiana State University. Following graduation, she was hired to work in the publicity department...

A total of 65 stakes worth a combined $8.5 million, up more than $700,000 from last season, will be offered during Fair Grounds's 80-day, 2022-23 Thoroughbred meet, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots announced Tuesday. In each of the 13 unrestricted, non-graded stakes, purses have been increased by $25,000. In addition, 12 new Louisiana-bred stakes have been added to the schedule, including six over the first two days of the meet. "We worked with the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association and Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association to come up with these...

When the .69-to-1 favorite returned $3.38 to win at Ellis Park in the first race on July 15, the to-the-penny payoffs represented a massively positive paradigm shift for horseplayers. Under a new Kentucky law that eliminates dime breakage at the state's tracks, bettors will no longer be subject to the disadvantageous, industry-wide practice of down-rounding that, in the above instance, would have sliced the return on that winning $2 wager to $3.20. Yes, penny breakage looks a bit odd to the eye. But getting used to the concept will be...

Editor's Note: Bryan Krantz is an owner and breeder, as well as a former owner of Fair Grounds. He shares this story about Chris Owens, the longtime famed New Orleans entertainer and club owner who passed away Tuesday. Chris Owens was a regular Thanksgiving Day attendee for Fair Grounds opening day. Usually there were three in her group: Chris, her mom and boyfriend. She was a local celebrity and wanted to be seen. She usually requested a table across the dining room from the maitre d' stand. This insured she...

Let's hear for mature females running the show--and running in the show! They work hard for the breed, especially when they race past their first youth. Was Walt Whitman maybe thinking a little about older mares when he wrote: "The female contains all qualities and tempers them, she is in her place and moves with perfect balance"? And also: "She is to conceive daughters as well as sons, and sons as well as daughters"? HEAVENLY PRIZE INVITATIONAL S., $121,250, Aqueduct, 3-6, 4yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:39.51, ft. 1--BANK STING, 120, m,...

Ron Faucheux, James Graham and Evelyn Benoit's Brittlyn Stable locked up titles for leading trainer, jockey and owner, respectively, at the Fair Grounds, where the 2021-2022 meeting concluded Sunday, Mar. 27. A native of Louisiana, Faucheux won his second consecutive training championship at the New Orleans oval, sending out 43 winners, a total 10 greater than Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox. Faucheux won three stakes at the meet. James Graham won 72 races during the meeting to reign as champion jockey for the third straight season and fourth overall. Among...

With the GI Kentucky Oaks fast approaching, the racing world has been anxiously awaiting the return of 2021's leading lady, undefeated champion juvenile filly Echo Zulu (Gun Runner). Hammered down to 1-9 favoritism in what appeared to be a group of overmatched rivals, Echo Zulu left her fans holding their breath in the lane when confronted by a determined Hidden Connection (Connect). However, the Eclipse winner summoned all her class to eke out the victory, keeping her perfect record in tact and stamping her ticket to the First Friday in...