Assistant trainer Cindy Jones
was fulfilling her sometime role of spokesperson for the Cindy and
Larry Jones Barn as the Fair Grounds track was closing for training
hours on Wednesday morning.
Husband Larry, trainer of last Saturday’s
Grade III Lecomte Stakes winner Mr. Bowling as well as $125,000
Silverbulletday Stakes heroine Believe You Can
– both owned by Brereton Jones – had left minutes earlier.
Of
course, as almost everyone in the Thoroughbred racing world already
knows, the last 10 days for the Joneses have been far from ordinary.
One week ago Sunday, the couple flew out to Southern California for racing’s annual
Eclipse Award ceremonies. On the next night, the Jones-trained
Havre de Grace, owned by Fox Hill Farm and currently in training at Fair Grounds, was named
2011 Horse of the Year.
That Tuesday, the Joneses flew back to
New Orleans
and were back at their barn Wednesday of last week. Thursday and Friday
they trained and ran horses successfully, but last Saturday they became
headliners again, winning both sophomore
stakes on Fair Grounds’ Road to the
Derby Kickoff Day. Then, they followed that up Sunday by winning with
Robi Jo, a 3-year-old filly they own together.
“It
doesn’t get any better than this,” said Cindy Jones Wednesday. “I do
admit that I’m finally feeling a little bit of jet lag this morning.
On Monday and Tuesday I was fine – because my feet hadn’t hit the
ground yet – but today it’s finally hit me.”
Mr. Bowling will be pointed for the
Grade II Risen Star Stakes on
Louisiana
Derby Preview Day Feb. 25, and Believe You Can is headed for the
Grade III Rachel Alexandra Stakes that same afternoon.
“They
both jogged this morning and they will gallop and jog tomorrow,” Mrs.
Jones said of her latest sophomore stars. “As for Havre de Grace,
she’s been galloping every day lately and she’s up to a mile and half
now. All three of them are doing just fine.”