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Three Quarter Horse Stakes on Fair Grounds’ Louisiana Champions Day


AQHA Racing Champion Open Me A Corona will be looking to rebound when he faces a strong field in the RG2 $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic on Saturday.

© Coady Photography

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

NEW ORLEANS, LA—-DECEMBER 5, 2016—The 440-yard Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes (RG2) is one of three graded $100,000 Quarter Horse stakes on Fair Grounds’ Louisiana Champions Day program on Saturday.

The first three races on the New Orleans track’s 13-race card will be for Quarter Horses. Post time for the first race is set for 12:30 p.m. (CST).

Louisiana Champions Day Classic (RG2)

Open Me A Corona will be looking to rebound from an eighth-place finish in his most recent out in this race, which has drawn a field of nine state-bred sprinters.

Trained by Bobby Martinez for owners Charles Forbes Jr. and Tommy Hays, Open Me A Corona has won 15 of 20 starts and has earned $882,758, and he has failed to make the trifecta in only three of his outs. A three-time stakes winner this year, the 6-year-old Coronas Leaving You stallion drew post 5 and will be ridden by David Alvarez.

Other contenders include TM Ranch’s Heza Louisiana Dash, a 4-year-old Heza Fast Dash gelding trained by Kenneth Roberts Sr. Heza Louisiana Dash has won two races, both stakes, during the current fall meet at Evangeline Downs.

Heza Louisiana Dash drew post 2 and will be ridden by John Hamilton.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments---

  1. Icanonlyemagine (Donald Watson)
  2. Heza Louisiana Dash (John Hamilton)
  3. Scooter Prize (Everardo Rodriguez)
  4. Running Game Patriot (Alfonso Lujan)
  5. Open Me A Corona (David Alvarez)
  6. Heza Bell Perry (Antonio Alberto)
  7. Louisiana Legends (Randy Edison)
  8. Oak Hill Streak (Gilbert Ortiz)
  9. JLS Dashn And Zoomn (Raul Ramirez Jr.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile (RG2)

A dozen state-bred 2-year-olds, topped by graded stakes winner Watergirl B, have been entered in this 350-yard dash.

Trained by John Stinebaugh for owner Vanessa Bartoo of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, Watergirl B is a sorrel daughter of Game Patriot who broke her maiden at odds of 42-1 in the 350-yard, $690,000 Lee Berwick Louisiana-Bred Futurity (RG1) at Delta Downs on July 9. The filly drew the rail post and will be ridden by Gilbert Ortiz.

Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity(RG1) winner Watergirl B will look to return to the winner's circle in the RG2 $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile. © Coady Photography
Fired Up Perry, a son of Game Patriot owned and trained by Guadalupe Tristan, is coming off of a second-place finish, a neck behind winner Tf Racee Runaway, in the 400-yard, $1-million Louisiana QHBA Futurity (RG1) at Evangeline Downs on November 19. The gelding has banked $264,477 from nine outs this season.

David Alvarez will ride Fired Up Perry from post 6.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. Watergirl B (Gilbert Ortiz)
  2. Lil Bro Big Streak (Alfonso Lujan)
  3. Jess A Big Deal (Eddie Aceves)
  4. Tellem Im Pumped (Joe Badilla Jr.)
  5. One Hot Flame (Manuel Gutierrez)
  6. Fired Up Perry (David Alvarez)
  7. Blue Eyed Cartel (Juan C. Garcia)
  8. Hez Kwik (Ricardo Hernandez Jr.)
  9. Jrs Coronas Shadow (Lucas Constantin)
  10. San Lorenzo Corona (Randy Edison)
  11. Shatto Stoli (Antonio Alberto)
  12. Tf Ms Perrys Runaway (Manuel Garcia).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Louisiana Champions Day Derby (RG2)

Jet Black Rogue, a Jet Black Patriot filly owned and trained by Michael Taylor, drew post 6 for this 400-yard stakes.

Louisiana Breeders' Derby winner Jet Black Rogue looks to end the year with back-to-back stakes victories if she can take the RG2 $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Derby.
© Coady Photography
Jet Black Rogue is just two weeks removed from her half-length win in the 400-yard, $275,000 Louisiana QHBA Derby (R) at Evangeline Downs. The filly has earned $145,871 from five starts this season.

Jet Black Rogue drew post 6 and will be ridden by Joe Badilla Jr. Her opponents include Bobby D. Cox’s Jessa Louisiana Zoom, a daughter of champion Jess Louisiana Blue trained by Kenneth Roberts Sr. Jessa Louisiana Zoom already has a stakes win over this track, as the filly scored a half-length victory in the 350-yard, $50,000 Treme Derby (R) for state-bred 3-year-olds during the Fair Grounds summer Quarter Horse meet.

Donald Watson will ride Jessa Louisiana Zoom from post 5.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. Jetz A Streakin (David Alvarez)
  2. Gone Cartel (Gilbert Ortiz)
  3. Ricky Rockstar (Eddie Aceves)
  4. Cute Mic Jagger (Raul Ramirez Jr.)
  5. Jessa Louisiana Zoom (Donald Watson)
  6. Jet Black Rogue (Joe Badilla Jr.)
  7. Telarosa (Lucas Constantin)
  8. Toastin With Coronas (John Hamilton)
  9. First Corona Down (Alfonso Lujan)
  10. My Favorite Blue (Rolando Cabrera)
  11. Jet Black Zoomer (Antonio Alberto)
  12. Zoominforgrady (J.R. Ramirez)
  13. AE-Blues Favorite Fish (Randy Edison).


Courtesy Ses