Photo: Steve Queen
Brittlyn Stable’s Star Guitar broke new ground in
Louisiana Thoroughbred history at Fair Grounds on Saturday when he repeated his
win of a year ago in the $150,000 Louisiana
Champions Day Classic, becoming the first horse to win four Louisiana
Champions Day stakes races on an afternoon that was the 20th anniversary of
Champions Day.
However, in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies
run earlier in the afternoon, Ladyzarbridge, owned by Charles Zacney and
Eddie Johnston and trained by Johnston, went to the front and never
looked back under lady jockey Rosie Napravnik to upset Jac Mac Stable’s Superior
Storm in her bid for her fourth Champions Day victory.
As the odds-on choice in the richest race of the afternoon,
Star Guitar – dominant in his four-length tally – paid mutuels of $2.40, $2.10
and $2.10, accomplished the nine furlongs Saturday in 1:51.12, and went over
the $1 million mark in lifetime earnings ($1,065,958) with his 15th
victory in 21 career starts.
“This feels great,” said trainer Al Stall Jr. in the
winner’s circle amidst the large group surrounding owners Evelyn and Maurice
Benoit and winning jockey Robby Albarado after Star Guitar’s win. “This
is his (Star’s) home track where he can stretch his legs a little bit.”
Stall, incidentally, is also wrapping up an amazing second
half of the breakthrough year in his career, topped by Blame’s win in
the Breeders’ Cup Classic after Apart’s victory in the Super
Derby six weeks before that.
In addition two his two Classic wins, Star Guitar won the
2008 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint and the 2007 Louisiana Champions Day
Juvenile.
Meanwhile, Ladyzarbridge’s victory over Superior Storm in
the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies was a surprise to many, but not her jockey
or her trainer.
“We get along with each other very well,” said jockey
Napravnik in even tones while speaking of Ladyzarbridge in the winner’s circle
after her filly’s upset front-running tally by 2 1/4-lengths for a $23 win
payoff. “I was happy to get out there and see we didn’t have too much pressure.”
Co-owner and trainer Johnston concurred: “She
(Ladyzarbridge) thrives on this racetrack. She loves training on it. I expected
her to run good today but I didn’t know she’d run that good against a great
filly (in Superior Storm).”
Jockey Albarado, aboard runner-up Superior Storm, offered
no excuses in defeat, other than the soft pace Ladyzarbridge was able to enjoy.
“I had a great trip, just couldn’t get to the horse in
front,” Albarado said. “Soft quarter, equally soft second quarter. (Superior
Storm) just couldn’t get to the winner.”
Two races later in afternoon, trainer Johnston and jockey
Napravnik combined their talents again, winning the $100,000 Louisiana
Champions Day Turf by 1 3/4-lengths with Steve Hartman’s favored Snakebite
Kit for a $5.60 payoff, accomplishing the about 1 1/16-mile distance over a
firm Stall-Wilson turf course in 1:44.13.
Wachtel Stable, Brous Stable and J. D. Lee’s 7-year-old Desert
Wheat, defending champion in the Turf and the second choice in the
wagering, never launched a serious bid and finished fifth.
Also saddling two winners on the Champions Day program was
trainer Tony Richey.
In the $50,000 Starter, which opened the
Thoroughbred stakes portion of Saturday’s program, James Hanna’s favored Grey
Papillon ($5.40) won by an ever-widening 16 3/4 lengths. Grey Papillon is
trained by Richey, was ridden by Richard Eramia, and covered the 1
1/16-mile distance in 1:44.80.
In the $100,000 Louisiana
Champions Day Lassie, Richey returned to the winner’s circle to pose with
Danny Ray Butler’s Reyina, ridden by Jamie Theriot, who paid
$38.60 to win as the longest price of the afternoon while getting the six
furlongs in 1:12.23.
In the $100,000 Louisiana
Champions Day Juvenile, favored Su Casa G Casa, owned by Thomas
Galvin, trained by Bret Calhoun and ridden by Carlos Gonzalez,
was kept to pressure but proved no disappointment to those who backed him,
winning the dash by 2 3/4-lengths for a $5.20 straight price while touring the
six furlongs in 111.86.
In the $100,000 Louisiana
Champions Day Sprint, Lee Young Farm’s Flashy Wise Cat, trained by Troy
Young and ridden by Kerwin Clark, repeated his victory from last
year’s Champions Day Sprint while getting the three-quarters in 1:10.58 and
paying $11 to win.
In the $100,000 Louisiana
Champions Day Ladies Sprint, Southern Equine Stables’ Cajun Conference,
trained by Eric Heitzmann and ridden by Miguel Mena, got up in
the late stages for a 2 1/4-length win and a $20.80 win payoff while going six
furlongs in 1:12.45.
The day began with three Grade 2 stakes for Louisiana-bred
Quarter Horses, with Zoobilee ($13.60) winning the Quarter Horse Derby
as the opener, Fast Dashin Dude ($9.60) taking the Quarter Horse
Juvenile in the second half of the Daily Double, while Zupers Quick Dash
($6) captured the Quarter Horse Classic.