Barn Notes
Jockey Eddie Castro to Ride Stevil in Louisiana Derby
FAIR GROUNDS BARN NOTES
Headlines for Thursday, March 06, 2008
· Jockey Eddie Castro to Ride Stevil in Louisiana Derby
· Blackberry Road Needs Less Traffic
· Extensive Radio, TV Coverage For Derby Day
· Barn Assignments for Visiting Horsemen La. Derby Day
Jockey Eddie Castro to Ride Stevil in Louisiana Derby
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Jockey Eddie Castro, famous for setting a national record by riding nine winners on a single card on June 4, 2005 at Calder Race Course, has been named as a late jockey change aboard Robert LaPenta’s Stevil in Saturday’s Grade II Louisiana Derby.
Born in Los Santos, Panama, on April 10, 1984, Castro was Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockey in 2003, won his 1,000th race on Nov. 15, 2006, at Churchill Downs and won his first Breeders’ Cup race astride Miesque’s Approval in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Calvin Borel was initially listed aboard Stevil, who is trained by Nick Zito. The change is reflected in program information for Saturday.
Blackberry Road Needs Less Traffic
Dogwood Stable’s Blackberry Road lost all chance in Fair Grounds’ $300,000 Risen Star Stakes when trapped behind rivals throughout the running, but trainer David Carroll remains optimistic about his future.
“We just want him to get a chance to run his race,” Carroll said. “That’s all we’re looking for. As they stretch out in distance, you’ll see him come into his own.”
Blackberry Road will be the only horse to run in all three of Fair Grounds’ graded stakes for 3-year-olds this winter.
Extensive Radio, TV Coverage For Derby Day
For those fans who can’t make it to Fair Grounds for Louisiana Derby Day on Saturday, the action of Louisiana’s richest day of racing is as close as a radio or television.
HorseRacing TV (HRTV) will offer expanded coverage of Saturday’s 12-race card, headlined by the 95th running of the Louisiana Derby. HRTV’s Jon White will be at Fair Grounds with reports, interviews and the latest information throughout Saturday’s card. HRTV is broadcast in the New Orleans area on Cox Communications channel 313 on its sports and information tier.
The Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) returns to Fair Grounds for the second straight year. HRRN’s live two-hour broadcast will air from 3-5 p.m., featuring coverage of all four Grade II stakes on the card, and is hosted by Mike Penna.
The HRRN broadcast, as well as Penna’s Saturday morning (7-9 a.m.) talk show, “Equine Forum,” will air in New Orleans on WGSO (990 AM). Both broadcasts will also be available on the Internet at wgso.com.
WGSO will also originate its regular Saturday morning sports talk show from Fair Grounds. “The Tailgaters,” with co-hosts Ken Trahan and Ed Daniels, will discuss the Louisiana Derby and other sports topics of the day. It airs from 10 a.m.-noon.
Barn Assignments for Visiting Horsemen La. Derby Day
Prominent horsemen are shipping to New Orleans from all parts of the nation for Saturday’s four Grade II races that make up this weekend’s Louisiana Derby Day program, and as of Thursday, the following Fair Grounds barn locations had been assigned for those visiting trainers.
Conditioner Barclay Tagg, who trained 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide and will saddle the Louisiana Derby’s morning-line second choice Tale of Ekati Saturday, will be stabled in trainer Neil Howard’s Barn No. 4B. Tagg is also scheduled to be represented by the Irish-bred Fracas in the Mervin Muniz Memorial Handicap.
Four-time defending Eclipse Award trainer Todd Pletcher, although without a Louisiana Derby starter, has last year’s local Derby hero Circular Quay as well as Magna Graduate in the New Orleans Handicap and will be stabled in the Barn No. 29 shedrow of Bobby Frankel. Pletcher also has Twilight Meteor in the Mervin Muniz Memorial Handicap, King of the Roxy in the $200,000 Duncan F. Kenner Stakes and both Chagall and Iron Lips in the $100,000 Bienville Stakes.
California-based trainer Bob Baffert, who won the Kentucky Derby in 1997 with Silver Charm, in 1998 with Real Quiet and in 2002 with War Emblem, will saddle Fair Grounds Oaks morning-line favorite Indian Blessing on Saturday and will be stabled in trainer Bret Calhoun’s shedrow at Barn No. 32.
Fellow West Coast conditioner Patrick Gallagher, who will saddle undefeated Yankee Bravo in the Louisiana Derby, will also be stabled in Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel’s Barn No. 29.
West Coast trainer Dan Hendricks, who will saddle Mervin Muniz Memorial morning-line favorite Daytona on Saturday, will be stabled in trainer Mike Stidham’s Barn No. 36.
Trainer “Buff” Bradley, who saddled Brass Hat to win the 2006 New Orleans Handicap when in was run at the abbreviated Fair Grounds-at-Louisiana Downs meeting, will try to win that same race with Brass Hat at Fair Grounds, and is stabled at Larry Robideaux Jr.’s Barn No. 15.
Trainer Ron Moquett, who will saddle Silver Lord in the New Orleans Handicap, will be stabled in trainer Bernie Flint’s Barn No. 28.
Trainer Cam Gambolati, who saddled Spend a Buck to win the 1985 Kentucky Derby and will saddle Buffalo Man in the Mervin Muniz Memorial, will be stabled in trainer Al Stall Jr.’s Barn No. 10.
Trainer Marty Wolfson, who won the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Mile with Miesque’s Approval, has South African-bred Elusive Fort starting in the Mervin Muniz Memorial and will be stabled in trainer Malcolm Pierce’s Barn No. 20.
Trainer Dale Romans, with Yate’s Black Cat starting in the Mervin Muniz Memorial, will be stabled in trainer Cody Autrey’s Barn No. 37.
Trainer Kelly Von Hemel, with Semaphore Man slated for the Duncan F. Kenner, will be stabled in trainer “Spanky” Broussard’s Barn No. 6.
Trainer Mark Hennig, who will be represented by Argentine-bred Jazzy in the $100,000 Bienville Stakes, will be stabled in Ralph Nicks’ Barn No. 38.
