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Strobe Wins Again “Ready for Stakes Company”

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  • Warrant Wires the field for Flo’s 2,000th

  • Early possibles for Risen Star

  • Recent worktab standouts


New Orleans, La (Jan 27, 2023) – After letting the keen inside front runners go, Godolphin’s Strobe cruised by and never looked back, winning Friday’s sprint feature by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:10.25 for six furlongs, defeating notable foes Therideofalifetime, Tulane Tryst, Long Weekend, Ready to Pounce, and High Cruise. Trained by Brad Cox, the 4-year-old by Into Mischief is now a perfect four-for-four on a fast dirt track in five starts. His lone second came over a sloppy track in November at Churchill Downs.

Piloted by Florent Geroux, Strobe’s victory marks career win 2,001 in North America for the native of France who notched win 2,000 on Thursday above Warrant.

“He’s nice, he’s very fast,” Geroux said. “It was a nice race, nice for his experience and his spirit, good for his mind. It was a nice boost of confidence and I think now he’s ready to go into stakes company, for sure.”

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Thursday’s feature went to Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Warrant who won on the lead saving ground throughout and earned an 89 Brisnet Speed figure. While only the fourth win for the Brad Cox trained 5-year-old, the 1 mile 70 yards trip was jockey Florent Geroux’s 2,000th victorious North American ride. 

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The 51st running of the $400,000 Risen Star (G2) is slated for Saturday Feb. 18, one of six stakes on the “Louisiana Derby Preview Day” program. The 1 1/8 miles Kentucky Derby prep race is the first in the next stage to offer 50-20-15-10-5 qualifying points to 1st through 5th place finishers. 


An very early list of possible runners (with current Derby points) is starting to take shape: Instant Coffee (32), winner of the Lecomte (G3) and Kentucky Jockey Club (G2); Curly Jack (17), the Iroquois (G3) winner and 2nd place finisher in the Kentucky Jockey Club; Two Phil’s (10), the runner-up in the Lecomte and Street Sense (G3) winner; Verifying (4), second in the Champagne Stakes (G1) and last-out allowance winner at Oaklawn Park; Determinedly (3) third-place finisher in the Gun Runner and last-out local allowance winner; Disarm, unraced since breaking his maiden going seven furlongs at Saratoga, but training locally at Fair Grounds.


“I’m thinking with Instant Coffee, just leave him here. Risen Star then Louisiana Derby, or maybe skipping the Risen Star and just going straight into the Louisiana Derby.”


A full list of nominated horses can be found on Equibase: https://bit.ly/3kJ4xdf. Following the Risen Star is the $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), the only North American Derby prep race run at 1 3/16 miles.


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Here is a round-up Morning workouts from Thursday, Jan 26 and Friday, Jan. 27.


Friday, Jan. 27


Just Might returned to the worktab, breezing 3 furlongs in :40.40 for trainer Michelle Lovell. Taking it easy after returning to the track from his winter freshening, the versatile sprinter went slowest of 13 Thoroughbreds at that distance. Lovell anticipates the 7-time stakes winner in 2021 alone will be ready to race near the end of March. The Griffon Farms & Michelle Lovell homebred sits just shy of $1 million in career earnings at $976,100.


An interesting 3-year-old colt trained by Mark Casse caught the eye on Friday morning firing a bullet in his second local workout. With four runs under his belt as a 2-year-old, the maiden flashed through 4 furlongs in 48 seconds flat, the best of 105 morning workers. By Bolt d’Oro and out of the Scat Daddy dam Elandess, Boltoro is owned by John Oxley and was bred by Mr. Ben Sangster in Kentucky.  


Thursday, Jan 26


In his second work since returning from a freshening, Curly Jack breezed four furlongs in :50.40 for trainer Tom Amoss (36th fastest of 48). Currently in third with 17 points on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, the son of Good Magic won the Iroquois (G3) and finished second to Lecomte-winner Instant Coffee in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). He finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. With $348,120 in career earnings, Curly Jack is targeting the Risen Star (G2) for his next start. 


The impressive Damon’s Mound made his local debut morning work, breezing three furlongs in :37.60. The Florida-bred trained by Michelle Lovell made three starts as a 2-year-old, including beating Gulfport in the Saratoga Special (G2) and finishing sixth in the Iroquois (G3). Lovell reports he will likely be ready to kickstart his sophomore campaign in late March or early April. 


Winner of the Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1), Classic Causeway worked three furlongs in :36.20, the third fastest of nine. Trained by Kenny McPeek, Classic Causeway earned a spot in the 2022 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve before transferring over to the turf. Last out he finished sixth in the Bryan Station (G3) at Keeneland. 

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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 15 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 151st Thoroughbred Racing Season – highlighted by the 110th running of the Louisiana Derby – will run from Nov 18, 2022 through March 26, 2023. More information is available online at www.fairgroundsracecourse.com.

Strobe Wins Again “Ready for Stakes Company”