Fair Grounds

Dazzling Blue (Into Mischief--Blue Violet, by Curlin) came into the Letellier Memorial S. as the 1-2 favorite and ran to her odds, securing her second daylight score in two tries to remain unbeaten. The Juddmonte runner--a $500,000 purchase as a Keeneland September yearling from WinStar--rushed up to take the lead under Florent Geroux after being bumped by her inside rival out of the gate and giving ground as she found her stride. She found it quickly and had measured control of the pace while registering a :22.18 first quarter and...

Off as the heavy chalk in Monday's $97,000 Sugar Bowl S., Stonestreet Stables LLC's Corona Bolt (Bolt d'Oro) led not long after the start and kicked away in the final furlong to become a sixth black-type winner for his leading freshman sire (by Medaglia d'Oro). Adding Lasix off strong one-length debut score at Churchill Downs Nov. 19 (82 Beyer Speed Figure), the $225,000 Keeneland November weanling speared through from between rivals to lead and covered the opening couple of furlongs :22.24 under an easy Florent Geroux hold and turned them...

The annual Dec. 26 start of the Santa Anita season has a natural, anticipatory, turn-the-page vibe to it. But this mark-your-calendar Opening Day mainstay hasn't always been a post-holiday tradition. Although Santa Anita has kicked off its winter/spring meet on the day after Christmas every year since 1977, the track originally opened in 1934 on Christmas Day itself, and did so for the first four years of its existence. "Filmdom entirely forgot its world of make-believe to migrate to the Santa Anita track yesterday for the renewal of horse racing...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 8th-FG, $50K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 5:45 p.m. Purchased for $650,000 out of the OBS April Sale after a sharp :9.4 breeze, ROXY'S BALL (Bolt d'Oro) was the most expensive filly and the second-most expensive overall by her freshman sire (by Medaglia d'Oro) from the sale. From a heavily-Australian influenced family, her third dam produced MG1SW Toledo (Aus) (At Talaq). Closer up, her own dam is a multiple stakes winner and multiple graded-stakes placed in her native Australia before being imported in 2018. Conditioned by...

Turf racing will return to Fair Grounds for the track's "Road to the Derby Kickoff Day" card, to be held Monday, Dec. 26. Officials at Fair Grounds previously suspended turf racing Nov. 25 to allow the Stall-Wilson course to recover from damage to its inner portion. With the portable rail set at 34 feet, fields will be limited to eight runners for the Blushing KD S.and Buddy Diliberto Memorial S. With the same parameters, turf racing will again be conducted Dec. 31 with the runnings of the Pago Hop S....

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...