Fair Grounds Barn Notes

By Ryan Martin —-

Monte Man Seeks Seven Straight Wins In Saturday’s Heitai
• My Miss Chiff Exits Eight-Month Layoff In Sunday’s Happy Ticket
• Declan Carroll Excited for First Winter at Fair Grounds

3/24/2018 – Monte Man with jockey Adam Beschizza (right) aboard wins the 8th running of the Costa Rising Stakes at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.

Ivery Sisters Racing’s Monte Man has done no wrong since being claimed by trainer Ron Faucheux last October and will attempt to keep a perfect record with his current conditioner alive in Saturday’s $50,000 Heitai Overnight Stakes, where he faces six other Louisiana-breds.

The 5-year-old son of Custom For Carlos spent over a year-and-a-half running at the claiming level in New York, but showed a major turnaround in form after being acquired by Faucheux, for whom he has won all six of his starts. Monte Man captured two allowance optional claiming events over the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots main track against fellow state-breds at the Heitai’s six-furlong distance.

“We ran him for the first time last December and just got up to win (by a half-length) but he had been off quite a bit,” Faucheux said. “His first race for us really put a light bulb in his head. Since then, he’s gone on a tear. When we claimed him he had bled on us so we’ve been patient with him over the summer through the Louisiana heat. We only ran him twice but it was kind of because of a lack of races as well.”

Following his pair of victorious allowance efforts, he made his stakes debut a winning one in the Louisiana Bred Premier Night Sprint at Delta Downs on February 10. He then switched to the turf in the Costa Rising Stakes over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course and moved back to the main track to win the May 26 Louisiana Legends Sprint Cup Stakes at Evangeline Downs and did not race again until the August 4 Louisiana Cup Sprint Stakes at Louisiana Downs, which he won over fellow Heitai aspirants Cheers To Berti and Divine Bean.

Faucheux recalled feeling slightly concerned during his last effort in the Louisiana Cup Sprint Stakes, where Monte Man set the pace.

“That last race was kind of set up a little differently,” Faucheux said. “He found himself on the lead which is uncharacteristic for him since we’ve had him, but that’s what good horses do, they find ways to win. When he got pressure he just spurred them off. He had that other gear to hit the sire first. He’s such a cool horse, beautiful horse too.”

Monte Man will break from the rail and will be guided by jockey Gabriel Saez as the 8-5 morning line favorite.

MY MISS CHIFF EXITS EIGHT-MONTH LAYOFF IN SUNDAY’S HAPPY TICKET

Town and Country Racing’s two-time stakes winner My Miss Chiff will make her first start since March when she seeks a second straight win in Sunday afternoon’s $50,000 Happy Ticket Overnight Stakes – a six-furlong event for fillies and mares bred in Louisiana.

Trained by Al Stall, Jr. the 4-year-old Louisiana-bred daughter of Into Mischief will break from the rail as the 5-2 morning line favorite under Mitchell Murrill. Her last start took place in the Correction Stakes at Aqueduct on March 17, where she was a well-beaten eighth. Following her lackluster performance, she received quite a bit of time off and has not raced since. My Miss Chiff also entered her victory in last year’s Happy Ticket off of a layoff Her prior start was a third-place finish in the Grade III Miss Preakness Stakes in May 2017 behind Vertical Oak.

“She just got outran that day,” Stall said. “We were rolling the dice and trying to get some open company black type. She’s Grade 3 (placed) with the Miss Preakness but we were trying to do something else and it didn’t work out. She came out of it fine and we gave her the summer off to point her for where we are today.”

My Miss Chiff will take on seven other fillies in mares for Sunday’s race, including the likes of two-time Louisiana-bred stakes winner Ours To Run, who also enters the Happy Ticket off of a layoff.

“(Ours To Run) drew the outside so they have an advantage right off the bat,” Stall said. “But our horse is her normal self. She’s an Into Mischief filly with a big old heart. This is a prep race for Louisiana Champions Day. She had it all her way last year, but it looks like the road is a bit bumpy this year with the competition and the draw.”

The $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint Stakes will be run on December 8 and was won by My Miss Chiff last year following her win in the Happy Ticket. Should she race on Champions Day as planned, My Miss Chiff will be joined by stable mate Minit To Stardom, who won last year’s Louisiana Champions Day Lassie Stakes as a 2-year-old.

My Miss Chiff was bred by Steve Holliday and was purchased by Kings Equine for $110,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Select Yearling Sale in 2015. She was consigned by Select Sales.

DECLAN CARROLL EXCITED FOR FIRST WINTER AT FAIR GROUNDS

Apprentice rider Declan Carroll has got off to a good start since making his riding debut in late September and could not be any more excited to be spending what he hopes to be a successful winter the Fair Grounds.

Carroll, 19, grew up in Louisville, Ky. and spent quite a bit of time on the backstretch of Churchill Downs. His father David was a trainer and now oversees trainer Mark Casse’s string of horses at Fair Grounds.

“I’m looking forward to coming into the Fair Grounds meet,” Carroll said. “It’s a very tough jockey colony and there are a couple of bug riders that I appreciate very much. One being Ezequiel (Lara), he’s coming down in top form and he’s a great rider I look up to as a bug. Edgar Morales is another I look forward to riding with. Now I just hope to come in, get lucky and learn a lot. It’s going to be a big opportunity for me. I’m very excited to be here at the Fair Grounds, it’s a great place to be and there are great trainers, owners and horses.”

So far Carroll has ridden three winners in 20 mounts, including two at Churchill Downs during their Fall Meet. He is anxious to ride more winners and hopes that he gets plenty of opportunities to do so this winter.

“It’s all about getting experience and learning from everybody,” Carroll said. “I’ve made some mistakes and I’ve learned from them. I’m sure I’ll make more but I’ll just keep trying to learn and become a better rider. It’s great to be down here with a great jockey colony. I’m just trying to learn every day which is all I can do.”

Carroll is set to break his Fair Grounds maiden on Friday November 16, where he is named rider on three mounts: Cheap Shot (Race 1, 6-1), Bank On Andy (Race 2, 5-2) and Briar Jumper (Race 3, 20-1). He is scheduled to pilot two on the following day with Old Rubbed Bronze (Race 5, 8-1) and Fuhr a Slam (Race 6, 6-1).

“I’m looking forward to getting started. I’m breaking in with a bunch of new trainers giving me the opportunity. I couldn’t have asked for better people. Everyone that I have met down here has been nice to me, now I just have to prove to them that they would want to ride me again.”
Carroll’s is represented by jockey agent Joe Paulley who also handles the riding engagements of jockey Joe Rocco, Jr.

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Photo Courtesy of Hodges Photography