Superior Storm aptly named winner on Louisiana Champions
Day
Jac Mac Stable’s SUPERIOR STORM (Stormy Atlantic) scored her third
consecutive victory on Louisiana Champions Day when defending her title in the
$100,000
Louisiana Champions Day Ladies S. under Robby Albarado on Saturday in rainy
conditions. No one was prepared, though, for just how appropriate that win would
turn out to be.
The event, which featured eight Thoroughbred stakes and three graded tests
for Quarter Horses, was canceled after the running of the 8TH race when severe
thunderstorms featuring torrential rain, lighting and heavy winds invaded the
New Orleans area. Racing was first postponed as track officials tried to ride
out the storm, but they were eventually forced to cancel the remainder of the
card, leaving the Louisiana Champions Day Classic, Turf, Sprint and Ladies
Sprint uncontested. Those four races have been rescheduled for next week on
December 19, Santa Super Saturday, instead.
“We’re devastated to have to cancel these championship races on one of our
best days of the year,” Fair Grounds Vice President and General Manager Eric
Halstrom said. “It was the right decision, though, for the safety of all the
participants. We appreciate the input and cooperation of everyone involved in
the decision, especially the stewards, the jockeys, the owners, the trainers
and, of course, our fans.”
Full refunds are available for advance wagers on the 9TH, 10TH, 11TH and 12TH
races. Consolation payoffs have been issued for multi-race wagers in which a
bettor held a live ticket.
The Louisiana Champions Day Ladies took place as the 6TH race on the card,
leaving Superior Storm with plenty of time to make her way through the sloppy,
sealed, conditions. The Richard
Jackson-trained four-year-old tracked just to the outside of early
pacesetter Miss Bean Wah (Afternoon Deelites), easily took over from that one nearing the drive and posted a 1 1/2-length score
in a final time of 1:48 2/5 for 1 1/16 miles.
“Any time you win, it helps substantiate your belief in your horse,” Jackon
said. “But the way the track was today, I was a little concerned. She seemed to
struggle with it a little bit, but in the end her class stood out.”
Superior Storm began her Louisiana Champions Day threepeat with a victory in
the 2007 Lassie and captured last year’s edition of the Ladies by two lengths.
She suffered her first non top-two placing from her past 13 starts on October 10
at Keeneland, running seventh in the First Lady S. (G1). Now boasting 11 stakes
scores, as well as runner-up efforts in this season’s Apple Blossom H. (G1) and
Ouija Board Distaff H. (G3), on her resume, the dark bay filly boosted her
earnings to $861,498 to go along with a 22-14-4-1 career mark.
Merrill R. Scherer, Dan Lynch and Ken Sentel’s entry of RED RALLY (Reformer)
and Devilish Due (Devil His Due) vindicated their even-money status in the
$100,000
Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile S., running one-two by easy margins in the
six-furlong test. Francisco Torres piloted Red Rally to the 3 1/4-length win
after sticking close to the pace, stopping the teletimer in 1:11 3/5, while Victor Lebron guided Devillish Due to a
rallying second by 4 1/4 lengths over 17-1 Heavenville (Offlee Wild).
“Luckily, the same guy (Dan Lynch co-) owns ’em both, so I didn’t get anybody
mad at me,” quipped Scherer, who trains both Red Rally and Devilish Due.
Red Rally earned his first stakes score by 9
1/2 lengths in the Louisiana Stallion S. on October 3, and ran second in the
Louisiana Legacy S. prior to this one, which moved his line to 8-4-2-1,
$232,826.
One race later, and right before the heavens opened up to unleash their fury
on New Orleans, Carl R. Moore Management’s SPEEDACIOUS (Yankee Gentleman)
dominated the $100,000
Louisiana Champions Day Lassie S.. Battling it out from the moment the gates
opened, the two-year-old lass was headed only once during the early running but
quickly opened up and put away her rivals by 12 lengths on the wire with Carlos
Gonzalez in the irons. Conditioned by Bret Calhoun, the bay miss dominated
her maiden as well, scoring by 6 3/4 lengths on November 6, and completed this
three-quarters display in 1:11 1/5. Speedacious owns just one loss from three
lifetime starts now, with that coming as a runner-up effort in her debut on
September 17, and has banked $92,900 in earnings.
The Thoroughbred stakes action got started in the $50,000
Louisiana Champions
Day Starter H., with Hardy Farm’s TWILIGHT ROSS (Twilight Agenda) taking down the top prize.
Settled on the rail by Albarado, the Keith Bourgeois trainee stalked the early
pace set by Leestown Legacy (Leestown), took command with just over a furlong
remaining and pulled
off for the 3 3/4-length score. Finishing up 1 1/16 miles in 1:48 2/5, Twilight Ross moved his record to 30-7-7-4, $208,082.