Hit Show Throws Down in Stretch to Score Grade 3 Mineshaft
NEW ORLEANS (Feb. 14, 2026) — Put into the race early, Hit Show prevailed late in a hard-fought stretch drive to take the Grade 3 $250,000 Mineshaft presented by Hagyard on Saturday at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
The 2025 Dubai World Cup titleholder covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.49, just off the track record of 1:42.01, set by Olympiad in the 2022 edition of the Mineshaft.
Trained by Brad Cox and piloted by Florent Geroux, Hit Show is owned by Wathnan Racing.
“He’s a fighter,” Geroux said. “When he’s in a fight, he’ll give it his all the entire way. He’s always been regarded as a nice horse. He was on the Kentucky Derby trail as a 3-year-old. Now as he’s gone on to become more mature, both physically and mentally. That development has helped him continue to step his game up from his 2-year-old season to now.”
Hustled from the gate, Hit Show tracked Accelerize while Time to Win sat just behind the leader. After Accelerize posted opening fractions of :23.53 and :47.04, Hit Show and Time to Win launched their bids at the top of the stretch. Accelerize drifted out, hampering Time to Win and squaring off with Hit Show, but Hit Show surged in the final strides to beat that foe by a head. Time to Win finished third.
“We knew coming into this race Accelerize was the horse to beat,” assistant trainer Ricky Giannini said. “He beat a nice one of ours, Just a Touch, in his last start. It was a dog fight the entire way. Hopefully we can get lucky to get another Dubai World Cup win. We’ve had him since he was a 2-year-old when he was with Gary and Mary West. Now with Wathnan Racing, we really appreciate them keeping him in our care.”
Sent off as the favorite, Hit Show returned $4.20, $3, and $2.10.
With the Mineshaft win, Hit Show boosted his career earnings to $9,052,183. The 6-year-old, bred by Gary and Mary West, improved his lifetime record to 24-12-2-1.
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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.
