Fair Grounds

Racing fans didn't have to wait long for the New Year's first 'TDN Rising Star' as Juddmonte homebred Impel (Quality Road) sat off hot early fractions and pounced into the lane to graduate at first asking Monday. Facing a field of mostly first-time starters, all making their 3-year-old debuts, Impel took money into the teeth of race favorite Tipsy Tammy (Arrogate), breaking at 7-2 and going right out to be three wide with that rival along with Golden Degree (Goldencents) on the rail. That trio sped through an opening quarter...

Track Phantom (Quality Road) had 10 points deposited into his Road to the Kentucky Derby account by winning Saturday's featured Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. After a pair of good efforts to try and break his maiden in October at Churchill Downs, the bay got his picture taken with a front-running score by 4 3/4 lengths under the Twin Spires Nov. 25. As a 9-2 shot here, the colt came out firing from his outside post and dueled into the first turn with GISP Next Level...

Alpine Princess (Classic Empire) did not disappoint her backers as she lived up to favoritism and won Saturday's Untapable S. in New Orleans. The bay broke her maiden at second asking by a head at Saratoga Sept. 3, but was well-beaten in the GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland Oct. 6. Returning to her winning ways against allowance company after her race was taken off the grass at Churchill Downs Nov. 26, the filly went off at 8-5 here. The Brad Cox trainee was in-tight along the rail before the...

Taking home his first black-type win this Saturday at Fair Grounds, Legalize (Constitution) broke his maiden at second asking in gate-to-wire fashion by 1 1/2 lengths at Churchill Downs Nov. 25. Sent on his way as the 8-5 second choice here, the chestnut raced to the outside of two others up the backstretch and clung to that spot around the far turn. At the top of the lane, the 2-year-old colt geared up, grabbed the lead at the eighth pole and never looked back to win by 2 3/4 lengths...

2nd-Fair Grounds, $55,000, Msw, 12-23, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.98, ft, 5 1/4 lengths. ETHAN ENERGY (c, 2, Uncle Mo--Sass and Class, by Harlan's Holiday), a well-beaten sixth on debut sprinting at Keeneland Oct. 22, took a major step forward stretching to two turns at second asking here. Removing blinkers and adding Lasix for this, the 2-1 chance chased in fifth rounding the clubhouse turn. Racing under a tight hold by Florent Geroux, he began to settle down the backstretch in that same slot, made a flashy four-wide blitz approaching the...

A longtime racetrack employee and the current Clerk of Scales at Churchill Downs Inc.-owned Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pennsylvania was suspended by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission's Bureau of Thoroughbred Horse Racing for 30 days beginning Jan. 8. Danny Hamilton was found by the stewards to have neglected to weigh-out jockeys before the eighth race Oct. 11. Director of Enforcement Jason Klouser, who led the investigation, said, "The Racing Commission's investigators observed Danny Hamilton failing to weigh-out the jockeys for race 8, which is a violation of numerous...

Angel of Empire (Classic Empire), a powerful winner of this spring's GI Arkansas Derby and a rallying third as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby, has returned to training at WinStar Training Center and is expected to rejoin trainer Brad Cox at either Fair Grounds or Oaklawn Park within the next month. The Albaugh Family Stables colorbearer was given a freshening after concluding his six-race sophomore campaign with a dead-heat fourth-place finish in the GI Belmont S. June 10 and a close third-place finish in a roughly run renewal...

James Graham earned his 3,000th career win when he piloted Vortex to victory in the second race at Fair Grounds Sunday. "It's quite emotional actually," Graham said. "I came here in 2002 and all I ever wanted was a shot. I wish my mom was still alive to see this. Thank you to everybody who has ever put me on a winner throughout my whole career. This is all because of you guys. Thank you to my wife. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be where I am. Fair...

Owner Jordan Wycoff was victorious with his only two entrants on Saturday's Claiming Crown card, executing a similar strategy with both favored winners. Each had met their respective starter-allowance eligibility conditions by only once having raced at or below the required minimum claiming price. And both recently had been running against tough competition on the New York and Kentucky circuits before overpowering their fields at Fair Grounds in a rain-soaked renewal of the annual event nicknamed "the blue-collar Breeders' Cup." One of Wycoff's wins Dec. 2 was delivered by Money...

With the team at Juddmonte still "floating on air" after a pair of wins on Breeders' Cup Saturday, the blue-blooded Mullion (c, 3, Into Mischief--Brooch, by Empire Maker) added to a banner weekend for the international operation with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Churchill Downs Nov. 5. Sidelined for more than 14 months following a strong debut second--beaten just a nose--going six furlongs at Ellis Park in late August of his 2-year-old season, the full-brother to promoted GI Kentucky Derby winner and Juddmonte stallion Mandaloun proved well worth the...

Edited Press Release Ken Ramsey is back at the Claiming Crown. If he has only three horses (in two races) running in the program designed to showcase American horse racing's blue-collar horses, it's not for a lack of effort. The 88-year-old Ramsey is the winningest owner in the history of the Claiming Crown, which will be staged for the 25th time this Saturday at the historic Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. But his last starter came with Peru (GB) (Motivator {GB}), whose victory in the 2018 Claiming Crown Tiara...

A total of 90 horses spread over eight races were entered Saturday for next Saturday's 25th Claiming Crown, to be held for the first time since 2011 at New Orleans' Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Trainer Mike Maker--whose all-time record 21 Claiming Crown victories include two last year at Churchill Downs--and Robertino Diodoro lead the way with seven entries apiece. For Maker, that includes four in the 12-horse $150,000 Claiming Crown Emerald at 1 1/16 miles on turf, headed by GI United Nations winner Therapist (Freud). Diodoro's trio in...