Fair Grounds

4th-FG, $55K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 2:30 p.m. ET. A $1.15 million buy for Mike Rutherford during Keeneland September, BUNDLE (Volatile) makes her debut for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. Bred by Three Chimneys, the gray is out of MGISW Love and Pride (A.P. Indy), who is responsible for a pair of stakes winners in Princesinha Julia (Pioneerof the Nile) and Bella Runner (Gun Runner). Bundle's third dam, GISW Cara Rafaela (Quiet American), produced generational sire Bernardini (A.P. Indy). TJCIS PPS 4th-GP, $94K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 1:47 p.m. ET....

Simply Joking was failed by 17 vets at the Keeneland September Sale, but Geoff Nixon had an inside track into the filly's history. The daughter of Practical Joke had spent some time at his farm, Grantley Acres, as a yearling and Nixon had liked what he saw. Plus, he knew that her half-brother Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) was showing promise as a 2-year-old. Nixon took a chance and bought the filly from his friends at Ballysax Bloodstock for $65,000. "To the Thoroughbred world it's not a ton of money,...

Lou Hodges, Jr., a second-generation photographer who has captured horse racing images at the Fair Grounds since 1976, has announced his retirement. Hodges, Jr., who took over the family business in 1978, will now hand the reins over to his daughter, Amanda Hodges Weir. "Fair Grounds has been lucky to have Lou Hodges," Senior Director of Racing Jason Boulet said. "Our racetrack, our horses, and our horsemen have come to life through the fantastic photos he has taken. We are very grateful for everything he and his family has given...

Preparing to make their sophomore debut in the GII Risen Star Stakes on Louisiana Derby Preview Day, both Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) and East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) breezed at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Saturday. The nine-furlong Kentucky Derby prep will award 50-25-15-10-5 Derby points to the top five finishers. Firing the bullet for his trainer Phil Bauer, Rigney Racing's Jonathan's Way breezed 5/8ths in 1:00.20 on Saturday, going in company with stablemate Kalahari Dreams. "[Jonathan's Way] sat right off of him going away from the pole," Bauer said of...

5th-FG, $58K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 4:15 p.m. ET. Whisper Hill homebred STRAIGHT FORWARD (American Pharoah) makes her first start for Mandy Pope and trainer Steve Asmussen. The filly's dam, Aloof (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), was acquired by the farm at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale for a cool $3.9 million. Herself out of English Group 1 winner Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}), Aloof is a half-sister to the dam of full-siblings MG1SW Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1SW Clemmie. Set for her unveiling is another homebred, Good Going (Mendelssohn),...

This could only happen to Brad Cox. He trained the best 2-year-old filly in the country last year as Eclipse Award winner Immersive (Nyquist) whipped everything she faced, including eight challengers in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Earlier this year, she looked like the runaway leader among the fillies eyeing the GI Kentucky Oaks, but came down with a minor injury and will not be ready in time for the Oaks. For most other trainers that would have been a severe setback, losing out on a chance they may...

Bidding has officially opened for the flash sale of GSW Gigante (Not This Time) on Fasig-Tipton Digital and will close Friday, Jan. 31 at 12:00 p.m., the auction house announced Monday afternoon. The son of Not This Time claimed the 2023 GII Secretariat Stakes at Colonial Downs, and continued to be a frequent face in the black-type rankings, including most recently with back-to-back stakes victories to his name in the Dec. 21 Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes and Jan. 18 Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes at Fair Grounds. He has won...

Florent Geroux, who won both graded stakes Saturday on the "Road to the Derby Day" card at Fair Grounds, earned 'Jockey of the Week' for January 13 through January 19 by a vote of the panel of racing experts.The weekly honor recognizes jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild for significant riding accomplishments. Riding for Brad Cox, Geroux first guided Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) to victory in the GIII Louisiana Stakes and then took the GIII Lecomte Stakes aboard Disco Time (Not This Time) to close out the...

Frigid temperatures and snowy conditions continued to cause cancellations this week, with both Parx and Mahoning Valley abandoning live racing Tuesday. It was the second day in a row both tracks were forced to cancel races as they joined Oaklawn Park in abandoning Monday cards. Turfway Park has moved its Wednesday racing card to Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. ET first post due to extreme cold temperatures. The program will not be redrawn and will run in its entirety on Sunday. Racing at the Kentucky track is scheduled to resume...

Rigney Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) breezed an easy five-eighths of a mile in 1:03 1/5 Monday morning at the Fair Grounds as he continues towards his seasonal comebacker in the GII Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 15. "Mother Nature has dealt us a few different tracks (conditions-wise) the last couple of days so I was happy with the work," trainer Phil Bauer said. "I wasn't too concerned about the final time. The gallop out was very good. We are still pointing to the Risen Star as our...

Due to extreme weather conditions that are anticipated over the next several days in southeastern Louisiana, officials at the Fair Grounds have announced that the nine-race program originally scheduled for this Thursday, Jan. 23 will be moved to next Monday, Jan. 27. The next scheduled card will now take place on Friday, Jan. 24, with racing to continue Saturday, Sunday and now Monday with a first post time of 12:45 p.m. Central time. Wintry weather on the eastern seaboard resulted in the cancellation of live racing Monday and Tuesday at...

Hardly a secret to the betting public at the Fair Grounds Sunday, Pretty Sassy (Medaglia d'Oro--Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit) blasted back from a last-out fifth sprinting at Churchill Downs in November to score like a good thing, stamping herself a 'TDN Rising Star' in the process. Settled in a stalking third as Queen Jubilee (Authentic) and Ruby's Ghost (Ghostzapper) led them through opening splits of :23.91 and :48.22, the grey sister to 3-year-old champion filly Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) looked like she was itching to go on the far...