Barn Tour: Meet-Leading Trainer Joe Sharp Highlights Key Runners at Fair Grounds Midpoint

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Barn Tour: Meet-Leading Trainer Joe Sharp Highlights Key Runners at Fair Grounds Midpoint

NEW ORLEANS (Jan. 29, 2026) — Midway through the 2025-26 Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots meet, trainer Joe Sharp continues to set the pace atop the standings, positioning himself to defend last season’s training title with a deep and versatile stable.

“I’m really grateful for how well the meet has gone so far,” Sharp said. “We’ve had some nice maidens step up and a couple of first-time starters win. We’ve shown a lot of variety, and the key has been consistency — having horses show up for us day after day. The (race) conditions have been good for us, and the turf course has been in great shape.”

As of Sunday, Jan. 25, Sharp leads all trainers with 23 wins, 10 more than Bret Calhoun and Shane Wilson, as he looks to defend last season’s Fair Grounds training title. The strong start follows a career-defining stretch from 2024 to 2025 where Sharp won titles at Churchill Downs, Kentucky Downs, as well as locally.

“We just want to have good days that lead into good weeks, that lead into good months, that lead into a great meet,” Sharp said. 


Sharp credits careful planning and individualized placement for the barn’s sustained success.

“At different meets, we target different goals,” Sharp said. “A meet like Fair Grounds where you come down here for the winter and you have certain horses that are on break from Kentucky, you come down here and want to make a splash, make a run for the title. You’re aiming for a lot of base hits — claiming a horse and running him back at the same level in 21 days, not trying to get cute, just improving them and entering them right back at the same level where you got them.”

That philosophy is reflected in a Fair Grounds stable that continues to deliver across divisions.

“For as large a barn as we have, I really pride myself on individualizing the training and placement for each horse,” Sharp said. “Even with a big operation, it’s a very personalized approach.”

Furio 4-year-old preparing for comeback after promising sophomore campaign “We’re waiting for a two-other-than condition to come up in the next book. He’s doing great. We gave him some time off after the Maxfield at Churchill, and he’s come back really well. I’m excited about him this year — I think he’s bigger, stronger, and healthier. He’s a big horse who just needed time to mature. I’ve always thought he would stretch out. The only time we tried was in the Louisiana Derby, and I think he deserves another chance going long. First off the layoff, he’ll likely sprint, but all the signs point to him being a horse who wants more distance.

Bohemian recently finished a narrow second against males in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile Stakes.
“She almost won — she lost by a nasty nose. She’ll likely come back in the LaCombe Memorial.”

Presider exits a runner-up effort in the Connally Turf Cup Stakes.
“He ran a very good second. We’ll probably wait and bring him back in the Muniz Memorial.”

Heart Headed recently ran 6th in Kenner Stakes “We wheeled him back quickly, and he ran some very big numbers. Because of that, I don’t think we’ll rush him back. We’ll likely wait and try to catch an allowance race in March.”

Stepping Stones is expected back in first-level allowance after impressive maiden win
“She’ll come back in about two and a half weeks. I do think she’s a filly who can stretch out, so we’ll try her against winners and then possibly look ahead to the $100,000 Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial Stakes.”

Creole Chrome two-time winning 3-year-old Louisiana-bred could target stakes “He’s a nice horse, even outside of Louisiana. We’ve nominated him to a few spots, and I’d really like to see him run in the $100,000 Louisiana Stallion of the Year Star Guitar Stakes. We want to try him around two turns — everything he’s shown us suggests he may be better routing.”

Sock Dollager will receive a brief freshening following a recent victory “That was an impressive win here,” Sharp said. “There were a couple of races we weren’t able to fill at the right condition, and he’s had some minor things pop up. Nothing major — we just want to give him some time. He’ll head back to the farm later this week.”

Lahainaluna, a turf-bred son of Kitten’s Joy, continues to wait for the right conditions “He ran green first time out and was just kind of galloped around, but he’s a horse I really like. Hopefully in the next book we’ll be able to get him a race. He has all the pieces to be a good horse.”

Betty’s Dance is slated for upcoming turf sprint allowance.“We’re entering her for next Friday in that same first-level allowance, going 5½ furlongs on the turf. She’s really run two big races so far this meet. She won here last year but was disqualified, then had a small setback when we got back to Kentucky. Her owners were incredibly patient — this was the first horse they ever bought. I purchased her for them at the OBS sale, so it’s been really special to see them here for a win and to have success with a filly this talented as their first racehorse. That makes it a lot of fun.”

Aurora Sky, lightly-race maiden “She ran second first time out at Churchill going short, then we tried her back long, but it was no good. We entered her today, and she’ll run next Thursday. She’s a big, fancy filly who ran huge on debut. Since then, she’s had some bad luck — one race didn’t suit her, and last time she was taken off the turf on the way to the paddock. We’re really looking forward to getting her back to a turf sprint, which should eliminate any excuses. I worked her myself this morning, and she had a very nice work.”

Awesome Sauce, 4-year-old filly with two in-the-money finishes in as many starts “She’s a really nice filly. It’s funny — we always seem to have one good Ohio-bred each year, and she’s the one this year. It’s fun thinking about taking her back up there in the spring. For now, we’re going back to the same maiden special weight, routing on the turf here. Hopefully this time she can get it done. She’s definitely talented and actually worked in company with Aurora Sky this morning, and she also had a very good work.”

Aegis 3-year-old Essential Quality filly entered in Race 4 on Friday at Fair Grounds “I chose to run her against older horses because I thought this race would come up a little softer than the straight three-year-old maiden race (on the stakes undercard). She ran well first time out here and did everything right, and Axel handled her perfectly. Last time, Paco came back and said he felt she was better suited to go shorter, so we’re cutting her back. I like drawing the one hole — there’s some speed, and she should be able to sit the pocket and pounce turning for home. She’s a nice filly. ”

Thrill Seeker 3-year-old Louisiana-bred filly entered in Race 6 on Friday at Fair Grounds
“Louisiana-breds have really improved over the years, and some top barns seem to get one or two quality ones every season. The bar keeps getting raised with these Louisiana-breds. I like my filly a lot, but she’s definitely in good company. One thing we’ve always wanted to do is give her more distance, so we’re looking forward to that.

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.