'Catching' Up With the Joneses

The TDN's Christie DeBernardis caught up with trainer Larry Jones to discuss his stable's established stars and promising up and comers. Find out the latest on Carolyn and Fletcher Gray's GI Cotillion S. winner I'm a Chatterbox (Munnings), who was last seen finishing eighth in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff Oct. 30. Jones also provides updates on the Fox Hill Farms contingent, comprised of last term's GII Amsterdam S. winner Coup de Grace (Tapit); “TDN Rising Star” Cassatt (Tapit); recent Zia Park Distaff winner Thirteen Arrows (Indian Charlie), a half-sister to GISW Cross Traffic (Unbridled's Song); “TDN Rising Star” Southern Girl (Tapit), a 2-year-old half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno); and fellow juvenile Scarecrow (Summer Bird), a son of MGISW Jostle (Brocco). Last, but certainly not least, the conditioner speaks about a trio of Airdrie Stud runners who have not been seen in a while: GI Kentucy Oaks winner Lovely Maria (Majesticperfection), 2014 GIII Pegasus S. winner Albano (Istan) and “TDN Rising Star” Chief Istan (Istan).

CD: What is the plan for I'm a Chatterbox? Is she getting time off?

L J: “She is getting time off. She is in Lexington and will probably be off for a big part of this month and then come back some time close to the holidays and get back to us in New Orleans.”

CD: Do you have any races in mind for her for next year yet?

L J: “No, not really. We will just kind of let her take us along and see how things are going. There is nothing that we are going to be pointing to right away.”

CD: How do you feel about her run in the Distaff?

L J: “Well, I mean it was not what we wanted. We wanted to win the thing. But, you know she drew the one-hole and didn't have the speed to go to the front. We were somewhat in a predicament there of needing some room to race and just weren't getting it when we wanted it. Everyone seemed to be having a good finish, but she wasn't able to close in. We needed to be kind of making a middle move in the race that we weren't able to do, but that's horse racing. That's what happens and I can understand it. Those are big races. Nobody is going to give anybody anything.”

CD: While we are on the topic of 3-year-old fillies, how is Lovely Maria?

L J: “I assume well. You will have to call Gov. [Brereton] Jones [of Airdrie Stud] and find out about that. [laughing] I sent her to Airdrie Stud.”

CD: She didn't seem quite the same after the Oaks, finishing off the board in the GIII Delaware Oaks July 11, the GI Alabama S. Aug. 22 and the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Oct. 4. Was she injured?

L J: “She actually got a little sick after the Kentucky Oaks when we had her at Delaware. We felt like maybe we ran her back a little quick in the Delaware Oaks off the sickness. I think the distances are just getting far for her. You know, she is bred to be a sprinter, but thank goodness she was able to get the mile and an eighth in the Kentucky Oaks and mile and a sixteenth in the [GI] Ashland. She did things even then that she wasn't supposed to be doing. But, as far as injury, no and I don't know what the plans are for her.”

CD: We haven't seen Albano since the GIII Philip H. Iselin S. in August. Is he also turned out at Airdrie?

L J: “Albano is still at Airdrie Stud as well. We are waiting on Albano and another little horse by the name of Chief Istan that has only raced twice, but he won them both by big margins [breaking his maiden by 7 1/2 lengths at Delaware in September 2014 and winning a Keeneland allowance by 8 3/4 lengths Apr. 17]. We are waiting to get them both back.”

CD: Chief Istan is one our Rising Stars, so we have been looking for him ourselves. Was he injured after his last race?

L J: “Chief Istan, he always ends up getting hurt every time he runs. The ones that are that fast always seem to come out of [their races] with issues. It's nothing major. It's been very time consuming, but nothing that needed surgery, nothing that needed fixing other than some healing. Albano I think the same thing. I think his biggest problem, that they finally found, was just bone bruising. Both horses are expected to come back and still be at full potential to come back and be at their best. Nothing was major, just needed time.”

CD: Coup de Grace is another horse you have on the comeback trail. I saw he had his first published work since the GIII Salvator Mile July 5 Sunday at Fair Grounds (covering three furlongs in :37). How did you feel about the work and how has been doing since you got him back?

L J: “We are just trying to get him loosened back up and started back. He did very well. He came out of [the Salvator Mile] not well. We sent him to the clinic and they couldn't find anything. With me galloping, I never felt like he got back to galloping the way that he used to be, but finally after the Salvator Mile, we were able to find that he had some bone bruising, but he is training well now. We are just getting him started back, but we are hoping and expecting a big year out him when he comes back.”

CD: Cassatt had several wins over the winter and made her first start back from a layoff at Keeneland last month (finishing fifth in an optional claimer Oct. 18). How is she doing and where will she go next?

L J: “She actually breezed [Tuesday] morning and had a very nice breeze [firing a five-panel bullet in :59.80 at Fair Grounds]. Our goal is to head back for the Houston Ladies Classic in January, but we are going to get a race in her before that. They have the Tiffany Lass here, which she won last year. They also have a race in Remington that we are thinking about, the She's All In S. So we are going to get a race in her in the next two or three weeks.”

CD: Thirteen Arrows won an allowance at Keeneland in October and had a win in the Zia Park Distaff (video) last week. What are the future plans for her?

L J: “The sprint division for fillies is kind of tough in the area that we are. We do have another little stake here in New Orleans to kind of keep her in the motions of running towards the end of this month. As far as anything picked out for next year, nothing is set in stone by any means as far as whether we take her to Gulfstream for some racing or not, we will see. Maybe we will go up to Oaklawn. We will just kind of sit and watch. We are in no huge hurry. She is almost 5 years old. No need to get in a hurry now.”

CD: “TDN Rising Star” Southern Girl is entered for main track only Sunday at Fair Grounds. How do you feel about her going into this race off a third at Keeneland last time?

L J: “She's doing good. We blew her out [Tuesday] morning [five furlongs in 1:02.40 at Fair Grounds] for the race and all is good. Hopefully, we get the condition where we can get in and get her to run. They have room in the condition book, that ought to be going by the end of this month. Once again, no need to start getting in a big hurry now. We want her starting to go, but if we can get a race by the end of this month, we will be set for where we are wanting to go after the first of the year.” (Click here for video of Southern Girl's impressive debut win at Delaware Park Sept. 14)

CD: The other Fox Hill 2-year-old Scarecrow is also entered in a one-mile and 70-yard maiden special Friday at Fair Grounds after finishing eighth on debut sprinting at Keeneland. Do you think the added distance will make the difference this time around or have you done something different with him?

L J: “Well, you have to look at the breeding. He is a Summer Bird and Summer Bird won the Belmont going a mile and half. Summer Bird himself didn't start racing until the spring of his 3-year-old year and that was going long. He comes out of Jostle, who won the mile and a quarter [GI] Alabama and she won the [GI] Coaching Club [American] Oaks, which [was a mile and a half] the year she won it. So, you don't expect those horses to run six furlongs and be real successful. They kind of have to be a freak if they are. But, we think going long is going to be what he is designed to do and this will give him an opportunity to show it. The distance is going to be the thing that will make him turn around. If we get him turned around, it is going to be the distance doing it.”

CD: While I have you on the phone, do you have any other promising 2-year-olds we haven't seen or that you are excited about?

L J: “I think you have seen everything that we have. We are just kind of slow on 2-year-olds. We have that filly Midnight on Oconee, that Midnight Lute filly. We have raced her three times and she has two wins and a second. We think she is going to be somebody some day. She seems to be a pretty nice filly. That's one reason we might take Cassatt to Remington because we are pretty sure we are taking her to Remington for the Trapeze [S. Dec. 13]. See if we can get her started out on the same route that Lovely Maria took and just try to follow in the footsteps of her.”