NEWS
Star Guitar delivers in stakes-packed card at Fair Grounds
Posted: Saturday, December 19, 2009 7:31 PM
STAR GUITAR
Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges Jr.
by Tim Nichols
A week’s postponement did nothing to slow down the impressive Star Guitar in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
The Classic and three other Louisiana Champions Day races for state-bred horses were canceled on December 12 and rescheduled for Saturday, creating a stuffed card that featured nine stakes races.
Brittlyn Stable's Star Guitar cruised to his third career victory on a Louisiana Champions Day card, scoring by 7¾ lengths. Trained by Al Stall Jr., Star Guitar tracked in third under jockey Curt Bourque as Star Production led through six furlongs in 1:12.52 (video).
Entering the stretch, Star Guitar effortlessly raced past his challengers and cruised to victory as the 1-to-5 favorite. The four-year-old Quiet American colt covered 1 1/8 miles on a track rated as fast in 1:52.15.
Star Guitar improved to 11 wins from 14 career starts and earnings of $708,458. He added the Classic win to victories in the 2007 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes and ’08 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint Stakes.
Cool Bullet won the first of the nine stakes scheduled on the Super Santa Saturday card, taking the $60,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes for two-year-olds (video).
Trained by Steve Margolis, Cool Bullet took the lead at the quarter pole and held off hard-charging Big Texas Daddy by a head for the victory at odds of 6.40-to-1. The Red Bullet gelding covered six furlongs in 1:10.85 under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. for the victory in his stakes debut.
Grade 3 winner War Echo received a patient ride from jockey Shaun Bridgmohan en route to a 3½-length romp in the $96,000 Daily Racing Form Distaff Stakes (video). A Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred trained by Steve Asmussen, War Echo raced unhurried in third before darting through a hole along the rail entering the stretch and pulling away to victory.
The three-year-old Tapit filly, a half sister to Grade 1 winner Pyro, covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:52.20 as the 3-to-5 favorite.
Heiligbrodt Racing Stables’ Seven Seventythree scored perhaps the most visually impressive victory of the day with an eight-length romp in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint Stakes (video).
Trailing by more than 11 lengths at the quarter pole, the Littleexpectations filly unleashed a powerful rally in the stretch. Ridden by Bridgmohan, Seven Seventythree split horses and pulled away to the authoritative win at odds of 3.60-to-1 for Asmussen. She covered six furlongs on a track rated as fast in 1:11.53.
Destiny Oaks’ She’s Our Annie did her best imitation of distant relative Rachel Alexandra with a front-running 2½-length victory in the $60,000 Esplanade Stakes (video). She’s Our Annie and Rachel Alexandra share a common sire, Medaglia d’Oro, and broodmare sire, Roar.
The three-year-old filly covered 5½ furlongs on a fast track in 1:03.97 as the 11-to-10 favorite under Jon Court. She’s Our Annie has won her last five starts by an average of 3.3 lengths.
Desert Wheat powered down the middle of the stretch en route to a four-length win in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf Stakes (video). The six-year-old Wheaton horse, who won the 2006 edition of the Louisiana Champions Day Turf, covered about 1 1/16-miles on yielding turf in 1:49.45 as the 9-to-10 favorite.
Mimicry Partnership’s Grand Traverse closed from fourth to take the $60,000 Bonapaw Stakes by two lengths at odds of 18-to-1. The six-year-old Pioneering gelding covered about 5 ½ furlongs on yielding turf in 1:05.81 (video).
In the $60,000 Letellier Memorial Stakes for two-year-old fillies, Windmill Manor Farm’s My Jen, a Fusaichi Pegasus filly, mustered all of her energy to hold off favorite Visavis by a nose, covering six furlongs in 1:11.55 to capture her stakes debut (video).
Flashy Wise Cat pulled away to take the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint Stakes, covering six furlongs in 1:09.80 in his stakes debut (video). The four-year-old Catastrophe colt overtook pacesetter Lee City Slew in early stretch and ran off to a 4½-length win.
For Equibase charts, click here.
Tim Nichols is internet content editor of Thoroughbred Times
