Louisiana Champions Day 13-race card, saluting Louisiana-bred racehorses, is set for Saturday, December 11. Three Quarter Horse stakes will kick off the afternoon.

© Hodges Photography

NEW ORLEANS, LA—DECEMBER 7, 2021—One of the premier days of the annual Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots live racing season is Louisiana Champions Day. The 13-race card, saluting Louisiana-bred racehorses, is set for Saturday, December 11. Three Quarter Horse stakes will kick off the afternoon, with full fields in each of the features.

Two-Time Champion Lightemupwithcharm Returns in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day QH Classic Stakes (RG2)

Lightemupwithcharm will attempt the three-peat in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Quarter Horse Classic Stakes (RG2), the opening day feature at Fair Grounds Race Course.

The 7-year-old gelded son of Sizzlin Cartel was bred by Jumonville Farms, out of the Feature Mr Jess mare Grace Filled Charm. The $4,000 LQHBA Yearling Sale graduate has won ten of his 34 career starts, banking $402,720 for owner Saul Dorado. Trainer Willie Simien, Jr. will give a leg up to Luciano Duenez, who guided the gelding to victory last December.

His rivals include Paragon Farms LLC’s Lifeinthefastlanes, a multiple-stakes winning filly trained by Kenneth Roberts, Sr. The 4-year-old daughter of Jess Louisiana Blue exits a victory in the 400-yard $40,000 Opelousas Stakes (RG3) on November 13.

She drew off under jockey David Alvarez, who has been her pilot in each of her previous five stakes victories. Lifeinthefastlanes is the high earner in the field with $481,881 banked in 16 starts.

Apollitical B Snow had won four consecutive stakes for trainer Rosendo Valdez, Jr. this year prior to running fourth in the Opelousas. The gelded son of Apollitical Blood is owned by Christopher A. Villatoro. Everardo Rodriguez, currently the leading 2021 Quarter Horse rider by wins in North America, has the return call.

Tuckers Prize, winner of the 2019 Louisiana Champions Day Derby, will make his sixth start at Fair Grounds for owner/trainer Preston Jourdan. The 5-year-old gelding by Fast Prize Dash will be ridden by Ubaldo Luna.

Everardo Rodriguez will compete against his two younger brothers in the Classic. Jose will guide Jose O. Barron’s Maggies Runaway from the far outside post and Leonardo, the youngest of the trio, has the call aboard Hezjessmagic for owner Elizando Racing.

Here is the field for the Louisiana Day QH Classic, in post position order, with riders:

1. Jrs Coronas Toast (Juan C. Garcia
2. Eyeondaprize (Noe Castaneda)
3. Apollitical B Snow (Everardo Rodriguez)
4. Lifeinthefastlanes (David Alvarez), 8-1
5. Tuckers Prize (Ubaldo Luna)
6. Lightemupwithcharm (Luciano Duenez)
7. Heza Bell Perry Jr (Mario Trujillo)
8. Hezjessmagic (Leonardo Rodriguez)
9. Maggies Runaway (Jose Rodriguez)

Full Field Entered in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day QH Juvenile Stakes (RG2)

Mardi Gras Futurity winner Kk Sandra Patriot takes on 11 rivals in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Quarter Horse Juvenile Stakes (RG2) Saturday afternoon at Fair Grounds.

The Ruse Ranch LLC homebred daughter of Game Patriot broke her maiden when she captured the first official futurity of the year on March 6 at Louisiana Downs. Trained by Josue Huitron, Kk Sandra Patriot will break from the rail in the 350-yard event, in hopes of securing her second victory this year.

Several juveniles who competed in the $827,000 Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity (RG1) at Delta Downs on July 31, will make their Fair Grounds debut. They include Tdz Royal Runaway, who finished third for breeder/owner Tony Doughtie.

Trained by Kenneth Roberts, Sr., the son of Sir Runaway Dash exits a trial for the 400-yard LQHBA Louisiana Million and has earned $139,126 in seven starts.

Railroad Jimmy, owned by GR Stables LLC, ran fourth at odds of 28-1. Roberto Madrigal trains the son of Freighttrain B. Also, Jess Louisiana, a Jess Louisiana Blue gelding owned by Jose U. Oviedo.

Jess Louisiana is trained by Fernando Lopez, who won last year’s edition of this race with Ought To Go Tee. The Lee Berwick offers the second highest purse for Louisiana-bred 2-year-old Quarter Horses, next to next weekend’s LQHBA Louisiana Million at Evangeline Downs.

Amazing Blood ran third in the $382,000 LQHBA Sale Futurity on October 30 at Evangeline Downs. Owned by Jose Alfonso Ramos, he is sired by Apollitical Blood and will make his eighth start for trainer Miguel Rodriguez.

Soft on the Freight, a filly by Freighttrain B, also exits that final. She finished seventh for trainer Luis Martinez.

Several late blooming juveniles will also make their stakes debut including Return The Queen who brings a three-race win streak for owner Dale Rogers and trainer Trey Ellis. The filly by Sir Runaway Dash reunites with regular rider Juan Garcia, Jr.

The Louisiana Day QH Juvenile runs as the second race. Here is the field, in post position order, with riders and morning-line odds:

1. Kk Sandra Patriot (Arturo Alvarez), 20-1
2. Jess Louisiana (Luciano Duenez)
3. Tdz Royal Runaway (David Alvarez)
4. Return The Queen (Juan Garcia, Jr),
5. Railroad Jimmy (Rolando Cabrera)
6. Sheza Knockoutcartel (Bryan Candanosa)
7. Gamefaceprize (Jose Rodriguez)
8. Soft On The Freight (Guadalupe Lucio, Jr)
9. Amazing Blood (Leonardo Rodriguez)
10. Kp Prospect (Ubaldo Luna)
11. Quid Pro Quo (Bobby Ransom)
12. Jess Sweet Enough (Everardo Rodriguez)

Three Offspring of Tee Cos Headline the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day QH Derby (RG3)

The final Quarter Horse feature on Saturday’s Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds is the 400-yard $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Quarter Horse Derby (RG3).

One year ago, Ought to Go Tee pulled a mild upset to win the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Quarter Horse Juvenile Stakes (RG2). The gelding is sired by Tee Cos, who ran third in the 2011 All American Futurity(G1) at Ruidoso Downs, and out of the Bigtime Favorite mare Vf Ought to Go Max.

He scored a three-quarter length victory in the 350-yard event for trainer Fernando Lopez and owner Jose U. Oviedo. The bay gelding will make his sixth start of his 3-year-old season under rider Rolando Cabrera.

Another son of Tee Cos, Tee Britt will travel to Fair Grounds for trainer Cody McDaniel. She was a Quarter Horse jockey in Texas and Louisiana for 15 years and has been training since 2019. Tee Britt, owned by Ground Shakers Race Team LLP, is her most successful runner to date, with a runner-up finish in the Retama Park Derby on July 31 and earnings of $96,053.

The third Derby contender sired by Tee Cos is Tee Zo, a filly, owned by Joseph Landreneau, who will make her 15th career start for trainer Lanny Keith.

Rosendo Valdez, Jr. will saddle Dirtwater Dash, who ran third in the $197,000 Firecracker Derby last July at Delta Downs. The gelded son of Sir Runaway Dash has won six of his seven starts this year and will be ridden by Everardo Rodriguez from the far outside post.

Other entrants looking for their first stakes score of 2021 include Jettin Cartel, owned by Rogelio Marquez, Jr. and trained by Hector Alcala. Sired by Carters Cartel, he won back-to-back races at the claiming level at Delta Downs prior to a third-place finish in an allowance at Evangeline Downs on October 7.

Pete Scarmardo’s Apollitical Chais exits an impressive 440-yard allowance score on October 22 at Evangeline Downs for trainer Kenneth Roberts, Sr. The son of Apollitical Blood was a $33,000 LQHBA Yearling Sale purchase and completed his 2-year-old campaign with a win the LQHBA Louisiana Million Invitational one year ago.

Here is the field for the Louisiana Day QH Derby, in post position order, with riders:

1. Jetttin Cartel (David Alvarez)
2. Bayou Kue (Guadalupe Lucio, Jr)
3. Apollitical Chais (Ubaldo Luna)
4. Cason (Noe Castaneda)
5. Get It Done Babe (Leonardo Rodriguez)
6. Tee Zo (Arturo Alvarez)
7. Tee Britt (Claudio Aguilar)
8. One Fast Cajun Bryan Candanosa)
9. Ought to Go Tee (Rolando Cabrera)
10. Dirt Water Dash (Everardo Rodriguez)

Post time for Louisiana Champions Day is 12:00 pm (Central). Quarter Horse publicist and handicapper Martha Claussen will join Fair Grounds racing analyst Joe Kristufek for previews of each of the three Quarter Horse features. Ten Thoroughbred stakes for accredited Louisiana-bred races follow with more information available on the Fair Grounds Race Course website: fairgroundsracecourse.com.

StallioneSearch contributor Martha Claussen served as publicity director at Sam Houston Race Park for ten years. She continues to be active in writing, fan education and Quarter Horse racing publicity in Louisiana, Texas, Indiana and other regions in North America.