FOUR UNDERCARD STAKES SUPPORT ROAD TO THE DERBY KICKOFF DAY

By Ryan Martin —-

NEW ORLEANS (January 17, 2019) – While the main focus of Road To The Derby Kickoff Day are sophomore colts and fillies chasing points on Churchill Downs’ Road To The Kentucky Derby and Road To The Kentucky Oaks, four other competitive stakes events will make up the action packed card.

The $75,000 Louisiana Stakes is a mile-and-a-sixteenth event for older horses on the main track and also kicks off a $100,000 Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 4. Scheduled as Race 9 with a 4:22 CT p.m. post, the Louisiana Stakes is highlighted by Honorable Duty – a three-time stakes winner over the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots main track. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the 7-year-old son of Distorted humor collected a trio of stakes triumphs during the 2016-17 racing season, which earned him the title of Horse of the Meet. These wins took place in the Tenacious Stakes, Grade III Mineshaft Handicap and Grade II New Orleans Handicap. The Louisiana Stakes will be his first race over the local going since the New Orleans ‘Cap, but since then he won the2017 edition of the Grade III Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs and put up back-to-back runner-up efforts in the Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap at the Louisville oval.

“He’s doing great, he loves it here,” Walsh said. “Last year, we brought him back from injury and sent him down here to train about six weeks before the meet ended because he did so well here the year before. He came back this year and I think he is as good as he was the year before. He was third in the Lukas which was a tough, tough race this year. If he does well next Saturday, we’ll go to the Mineshaft and hopefully the New Orleans Handicap.”

Honorable Duty has acquired a total of $956,796 in career earnings and will be guided by jockey Joe Bravo. He breaks from post seven as the 5-2 morning line favorite.

Breaking from post five is Tom Durant’s Silver Dust who will target his third straight victory. Trained by Bret Calhoun, the 5-year-old son of Tapit was an emphatic eight-length winner in a first level allowance race over the main track at Churchill Downs before scoring a one-length victory on December 15 over the local main track in his most recent effort. Silver Dust was cross-entered in the Colonel E.R. Bradley Stakes later on the card but will only race in said event if it comes off the turf. The National Weather Service calls for a 100% chance of rain in Saturday’s forecast.

“I got it entered in the grass race in case it comes off,” Calhoun said. “We might catch some turf horses running on the dirt. He’s always been extremely talented. He’s a bit of a head case but he’s won two in a row now so hopefully he’s getting it.”

He will be guided by jockey Robby Albarado.

Rounding out the Louisiana Stakes field are Snapper Sinclair (post one, 9-2, Ricardo Santana, Jr.), Harlan Punch (post two, 4-1, Fernando De La Cruz), Phat Man (post three, 5-1, Adam Beschizza), Pioneer Spirit (post four, 6-1, Florent Geroux) and Hawaakom (post six, 8-1, Joe Rocco, Jr.).

The following race in the $125,000 Colonel E.R Bradley Handicap, a mile-and-a-sixteenth event scheduled for the Stall-Wilson Turf Course which is headlined by Great Wide Open (Ire.). A three-time winner over the Fair Grounds lawn, the Conor Murphy trainee scored his first stakes victory last time out in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes, which he won in wire-to-wire fashion over fellow Colonel E.R. Bradley aspirants Big Changes (post two, 9-2, Joe Bravo) and Sir Dudley Digges (post six, 8-1, Tyler Gaffalione). He won his prior start in the same front running fashion over the local turf course on November 21. Three starts back, the 7-year-old son of Starspangledbanner (Aus.) was second at odds of 81-1 in the Grade I Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. Great Wide Open will be guided by jockey James Graham in the Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap, who piloted the horse in his last six starts.

Completing the field for the Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap are Teodoro (Ire.) (post one, 20-1, Colby Hernandez), All Right (post three, 20-1, Channing Hill), First Premio (post four, 7-2, Brian Hernandez, Jr.), Team Colors (post five, 8-1, Adam Beschizza), Silver Dust (post seven, 8-1, Robby Albarado) and Pioneer Spirit (post nine, 8-1, Florent Geroux).

The Colonel E.R. Bradley is named in honor of the Thoroughbred owner who was a part of the inaugural class of inductees into the Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame in 1971. A native of Johnstown, Penn., Bradley owned four Kentucky Derby winners: Behave Yourself (1921), Bubbling Over (1926), Burgoo King (1932) and Brokers Tip (1933).

The Colonel E.R. Bradley has a scheduled post time of 4:51 CT p.m.

A field of ten fillies and mares will kick off Saturday’s stakes program in the $75,000 Marie Krantz Memorial Stakes, a mile-and-a-sixteenth event over the Stall-Wilson Turf Course.

Qatar Racing Limited and Hunter Valley Farm’s Dubara (GB) is the lukewarm 7-2 favorite for the event and is still in search of her first victory in the United States. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the 5-year-old daughter of Dubawi (Ire.) made her American debut five starts back when she ran a close third in the Ellis Park Turf Stakes on July 8. When racing in Great Britain, she was trained by Luca Cumani for whom she won two races, the most recent of which took place in August 2017 at Goodwood. Last time out, Dubara was a close third behind Beau Recall (Ire.) in the Blushing K.D. Stakes on December 22. She will break from post eight under international champion rider Jamie Spencer, who has never ridden at Fair Grounds.

Promise of Spring (post one, 12-1, Gabriel Saez), Auspicious Babe (post two, 12-1, Edgar Morales), Lion in Wait (post three, 9-2, Joe Bravo), Hanalei Moon (post four, 8-1, Tyler Gaffalione), Miss Southern Miss (post five, 10-1, James Graham), Coachwhip (post six, 10-1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.), Kabella (post seven, 8-1, Shaun Bridgmohan) America’s Tale (post nine, 9-2, Colby Hernandez) and Hachi (Chi.) (post ten, 6-1, Florent Geroux) complete the field.

The Marie Krantz Memorial Stakes is named in honor of the late chairman of the board for Fair Grounds, who held that position from 1990 until her passing in 2003. Krantz was among some of the first female racing executives in the United States and dedicated 45 years of service to the Thoroughbred industry in New Orleans.

The final stakes event on Road To The Derby Kickoff Day is the $75,000 Duncan F. Kenner Stakes, a six-furlong sprint stakes for older horses.

The heavy 3-5 morning line favorite for the event is the ultra-consistent Illinois-bred Wynn Time who has already won two stakes during the current Fair Grounds meet. Trained by Hugh Robertson, the 5-year-old son of Three Hour Nap won the Thanksgiving Handicap two months back before winning his turf debut in the Bonapaw Stakes on December 22. Wynn Time has won seven of his ten career starts and has never finished worse than third and never been beaten by more than one length. He is owned by John Metz and will be guided by regular rider Marcelino Pedroza.

Completing the field are Kowboy Karma (post one, 6-1, Gabriel Saez), Speightsong (post two, 20-1, James Graham), Control Stake (post three, 8-1, Ricardo Santana, Jr.), Balandeen (post four, 9-2, Florent Geroux), Colonelsdarktemper (post five, 6-1, Corey Lanerie).

About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots (“Fair Grounds”), the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, LA, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN). Fair Grounds also operates 14 OTBs (12 with video poker facilities) throughout southeast Louisiana. Live racing at Fair Grounds returns in the fall with the 147th Thoroughbred Racing Season – highlighted by the 106th running of the Louisiana Derby in March of 2019. More information can be found online at www.fairgroundsracecourse.com.