Fair Grounds Barn Notes: New York-Based Horses Are Clear To Enter Fair Grounds Backside

By Ryan Martin —-

NEW ORLEANS (January 28, 2018) – Following negative tests for equine herpes virus-1 involving a horse based at Belmont Park, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots have announced that as of Sunday, January 28, all horses based in the state of New York are clear to enter the premises.

Theriot Accepts Unique Opportunity To Ride In Mauritius
• Will Call ‘Ready For The Next Step’; Possible For Feb. 17 Colonel Power
• Foley Looks Forward To The Future With Allowance Winner May Lily

THERIOT ACCEPTS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO RIDE IN MAURITIUS

In over 20 years of riding, jockey Jamie Theriot has had some incredible experiences. Perhaps the best experience is awaiting him following the conclusion of the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Winter Meet when he moves to the Southern Hemisphere to ride full time at Champ de Mars Race Course in Port Louis, Mauritius.

Theriot, 38, will ride for Ramapatee Gujadhur who was a two-time champion trainer in in the south African island in 2012 and 2015.

“I’m very excited and it’s very humbling to get this once in a lifetime opportunity to go experience something like this,” Theriot said. “(Ramapatee Gujadhur) is on the same level as Chad Brown here in the United States. His operation is nothing but family. It came from his father to him and his sons are involved, but one is a lawyer and one is a doctor. I’m going to be around some great people.”

Theriot explained how the opportunity was presented to him.

“The trainer and (Lanes’ End Farm owner) Bill Farish are really good friends from what I understand,” Theriot said. “Bill Farish sent (jockey) Robby Albarado an email and said, ‘Try to find us a good American rider’ and Robby talked to me about it, called Bill and told him, ‘Jamie would go’. So they mentioned my name to the guy and he looked up my stats and he said, ‘I want him’.”

The plan for Theriot is to ride in Mauritius for seven months and return to United States to possibly ride at the Fair Grounds.

“It works out perfect;” Theriot said. “I’ll leave at the end of the meet and be back in November for Fair Grounds if I want to ride, if I want to take off. It will be (emotional) leaving everyone here and going there, it’s not right around the corner. I know I’m not going there for years; I’m going for seven and a half months and back. (Gujadhur) said something about riding the jockey challenge while I’m there. It could open up opportunities in other areas and you never know what’s waiting.

“I’ll ride one day a week, all turf racing,” Theriot added. “This man is taking very, very good care of me and I’ll be bringing my boys and put them in school down there. I’ll have to ride the other way which is something that I’m going to get to experience. I think it’s just like riding a bike just after I work a couple of horses going the wrong way and change a couple of tactics here and there, I think that I’ll be fine.”

Theriot is just four wins shy of reaching the 2,500 mark. He has been based at numerous circuits across the United States and has won riding titles at Evangeline Downs (2001) and Oaklawn Park (2003). Some of his career highlights include two Breeders’ Cup victories in 2010 aboard Dubai Majesty (Filly and Mare Sprint) and Chamberlain Bridge (Turf Sprint), both for trainer Bret Calhoun.

WILL CALL ‘READY FOR THE NEXT STEP’; POSSIBLE FOR FEB. 17 COLONEL POWER

Trainer Brad Cox sees a bright future with Friday allowance winner Will Call and will likely point the 4-year-old son of Country Day to the $50,000 Colonel Power Overnight Stakes on Feb. 17.

“It looks like he’s ready for the next step to a stakes so we’ll look at the ($50,000 Colonel Power Overnight Stakes),” Cox said. “It’s back maybe a touch quick but we’ll let him tell us whether or not he’s ready for it. We’ll dream a little bit with him and maybe look at the (Gr.II $200,000 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland on Apr.7) and the (Gr. III $200,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on May 4).”

Guided by Shaun Bridgmohan and owned by Klein Racing, Will Call is now a perfect 2-for-2 on grass, both starts took place over the Fair Grounds’ Stall-Wilson Turf Course. He broke his maiden by 10 ¼ lengths over the Indiana Grand main track in October 2016 at first asking and defeated winners two starts later over the Fair Grounds main track last January.

“The pedigree suggested that he would like the turf,” Cox said. “He was good on dirt but he didn’t appear as though he would be a stakes horse on the dirt so we thought we would move to the turf and see if he was able to show a little more and I think that he definitely has.”

FOLEY LOOKS FORWARD TO THE FUTURE WITH ALLOWANCE WINNER MAY LILY

Following a Friday allowance victory off a six-month layoff with May Lily, trainer Greg Foley is beginning to have high hopes for the daughter of Broken Vow.

“I liked her a lot,” Foley said. “She’s a pretty nice filly, she a couple of little minor deals after her race at Ellis and it was a month after the race. I just kind of took her time getting her back and ready to race. She’s out of a pretty decent mare (Bobby’s Babe) and she’s a half to (stakes-placed) Zapperini. She’s got some future. She wants two turns but she had been off a while so I wanted to sprint her today. She was doing so well that I thought she would be hard to beat.”

Prior to Friday, May Lily broke her maiden fourth time out over the turf at Ellis Park going two turns. Foley plans on stretching her back out for her next start.

“I would say we would (stretch out to two turns),” Foley said. “If you watch that race at Ellis she got stopped what seems like ten times that day and still won. I like her; I think she’s got some future.”