News and Notes for August 2, 2019

MR MONEY BAGS IN SUPER DERBY PRELUDE
The $60,000 Super Derby Prelude for 3-year-olds will be contested at the distance of a mile and one-sixteenth on the main track at Louisiana Downs. Leading the seven-horse field for the Prelude is Roy W. Cobb’s homebred Mr Money Bags who began his year with three consecutive wins, including back-to-back stakes scores at Sam Houston Race Park.

The son of Silver City out of the Miss Photogenic mare was Triple Crown nominated by his connections, trainer Mike Neatherlin and Cobb, who teamed up with multiple graded stakes colt Kip Deville over a decade ago. The Oklahoma-bred won the 2007 Breeders’ Cup Mile, earning over $3.3 million in his career.

Following his front-running scores in the Texas Stallion Stakes and Groovy Stakes at Sam Houston, Neatherlin shipped Mr Money Bags to Prairie Meadows, where he ran sixth in the $250,000 Iowa Derby.

“This horse likes to run on the front end and wins most of his races that way,” said Neatherlin. “In the Iowa Derby, he stumbled out of the gate and got into trouble from there.”

Mr Money Bags will be ridden by Texas-based jockey Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez on Saturday, breaking from post position three as the 8-5 morning line choice.

The winner as well as the second, third and fourth-place finishers, will receive a fees-paid berth to the Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby on Saturday, September 7, which is the richest race of the 2019 Louisiana Downs racing season.

OTHER ATB’S IN WEEKEND STAKES
Nova Boy (Boys at Tosconova – Jealous Forum) is in a field of 8 for the $75,000 West Virginia Legislature Chairman’s Cup Stakes for 3-year-olds and up going 4 ½ furlongs at Mountaineer on Saturday.

Bred by Wesley Melcher, the 4-year-old gelding runs for Armonte Craig. With a career record of 18-6-5-3 and earnings of $119,469 he has odds of 6-1.

AUGUST 26 TEXAS SUMMER YEARLING AND MIXED SALE
Catalogs are available online at www.ttasales.com and print copies are in the mail for the August 26 sale at Lone Star Park, and new horses are still being added.

Important consignor information along with Buyer Request forms and Authorization of Agent forms can also be found online.

NOTES: Please be aware that industry funding from House Bill 2463 DOES NOT create any new taxes for horsemen.  The bill takes a portion of the money collected by the state on any taxable sale of horse feed, supplement and tack to create an incentive fund that would increase purses to bring quality race horses and breeding operations back to Texas. Many horsemen in the state currently do pay tax on these products. If you do not currently pay sales tax on these products, you will not pay sales tax under this bill.