STARS OF TEXAS DAY AT LONE STAR PARK
Four stakes races are on tap for Saturday at Lone Star Park, including the $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes for Accredited Texas-bred fillies and mares, 3-and-up going six furlongs, the $50,000 Assault Stakes for Accredited Texas-breds, 3-and-up going a mile, and two $100,000-estimated divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity (formerly known as the TTA Sales Futurity) for 2-year-olds going five furlongs.
The Valor Farm Stakes has a competitive field of 7, starting with 3/5 favorite Promise Me Silver (Silver City – Uno Mas Promesa), a graded stakes winner bred and owned by Robert and Myrna Luttrell. Trained by Bret Calhoun, the filly is coming off a win in a 6-furlong allowance race on May 20 at Louisiana Downs. She has a career record of 12-9-0-0 and high money in the field with $456,015 in earnings.
Mindy Willis will send out Jack Cook’s homebred Valid Bride (Valid Expectations – Cancel the Wedding). She is coming off an impressive 8 ½ length win in a Lone Star Park claiming race on May 22 and has been given odds of 3/1.
Hall’s Family Trust has two homebreds by Too Much Bling in this race: Everything Bling, who finished 2nd in last year’s race, and Too Much Prada, who is a full sister to Prada’s Bling, now owned by Adriel Gonzalez. Completing the field are Seven Violets (Four Sevens – Mattie M.) owned and trained by Darrell Bravenec and Bling’s Ace (Too Much Bling – Castelli’s Ace), owned and trained by Michael Whitelaw.
The Assault Stakes also has a tough field of 7, and provides a rematch for the 1st and 2nd place finishers from the 2014 and 2015 editions of the race: Hall’s Family Trust homebred multiple stakes winner Texas Bling (Too Much Bling – Anythingmore) and Paul Rigali Jr’s homebred graded stakes winner Texas Air (Texas City – Malaysian Air). The 9/5 favorite is Super Mason (Grasshopper – Folksy), a multiple stakes winner bred by W. S. Farish and trained by Bret Calhoun for Brad Grady.
Completing the field are Johnny Evans’ and Terry Eoff’s graded stakes-placed F J Uncle Vic (Uncle Abbie – Let Her Reign), Fletcher Properties Inc.’s homebred Lonesome Wind (Grasshopper – Dehere’s Dream), Ronald Podraza’s stakes-placed homebred Special Praise (River Squall – With Praise) and Terry Propps homebred stakes winner Spider’s Alibi (Lookin at Lucky – Miss Missile).
The filly division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity is led by 8/5 favorite Bling on the Music (Too Much Bling – Soft Music), who won her first out by 4 /34 lengths at Lone Star on May 19th. Purchased for $95,000 at the Texas 2-Year-Old Sale in April by Danny Keene, the filly is trained by J. R. Caldwell. Caldwell will also send out $16,000 purchase, Shez For You (Macho Uno – Shebelongstoyou), who he owns in partnership with Mojo Racing Partners.
Pure Grey (Too Much Bling – Folksy), a $20,000 sale purchase, broke her maiden with a 13-length win at Indiana grand on June 15. Trained by Steve Asmussen, she runs for Clark Brewster and has been given odds of 9/5. Asmussen will also saddle More Than Gone (Intimidator – Readylight) who was kept by her sale consignors Keith Asmussen and Connie Scherr
I’ve Got Rhythm (Sing Baby Sing – Smoke Buster) was an $11,000 sale purchase by Circustown Stables, Inc. and is trained by Bret Calhoun. Calhoun also has Gold Shock (My Golden Song – Shocktime), bred by Clarence Scharbauer III and owned by Douglas Scharbauer,.
Completing the field of 8 are Pretty Lil Flyer (Early Flyer – Kachinga), bred by Diamond D Ranch, owned by Triple Diamond Stables and trained by Jimmy Dodwell and Colonial Kendra (Intimidator – Kendras Jones) is a sale graduate purchased for $20,000 by David Albert, trained by K. Morgan, Jr.
The colt/gelding division of the TTF also has a field of 8, starting with 7/5 favorite Shaded (Too Much Bling – Fast Find), who was a $36,000 sale purchase by Clark Brewster from the consignment of Asmussen Horse Center. The colt won by 3 ¾ lengths at first out here on June 17 and is trained by Steve Asmussen. Boomer’s Boy (Eaton’s Gift – Boom Baby) was purchased by Raymond Todd White & Duane Coker from the Benchmark Training Center consignment for $27,000. Trained by Karl Broberg, the colt has odds of 7/2. Broberg also trains 9/2 Singing Aces (Sing Baby Sing – Castelli’s Ace), a homebred for Larry S. Huntsinger and Phil Head, and 12/1 Sir Papa John (Oratory – Detonate), a homebred for Champion Equine Performance Horses.
Danny Pish will saddle two colts that he owns in partnership with Dennis E. Foster: 4/1 Too Much Gone (Too Much Bling – Going Away Baby) and 10/1 Contrarytoordinary (Valid Expectations – Frieda Frau). Rounding out the field are Checker Czech (Valid Expectations – Smokin N Jokin) who was a $21,500 sale purchase from the consignment of Inside Move., Inc., now owned by Linda and Michael Mazoch and trained by Jimmy Dodwell, and Right Lane Lukasz (Temple City – Wrenice), a homebred for Stewart Hamblen who now owns the colt in partnership with Denice Small, trained by Bobby Jenkins.
ROSES TO RIBBONS OTTB EVENT
Saturday morning will be busy in the paddock of Lone Star Park as the Roses to Ribbons off-track Thoroughbred placement event gets underway at 10 a.m. Lynn Reardon with LOPE Texas will present a buyer seminar at 10:30 and available horses will be brought up to the paddock for showing at 11:00.
Prospective buyers are welcome to talk to the handlers about horses of interest, and all transactions are strictly between buyer and seller. Some purchases are completed that morning, while others may make arrangements to see the horse again or arrange for a vet check prior to purchase.
This is a great opportunity to see a large number of available horses in one place at one time, as we expect to have 25 – 30 horses or more. There will also be vendor booths with tack, clothing, artwork, etc. and concessions are available.
The Paddock Foundation table will have information packets, magazines and complimentary passes to Saturday evening’s races, as well as a prize drawing.
We hope to see you there!