Grade 2 winner Minit to Stardom will look to close a strong 4-year-old season when she faces an expected seven other Louisiana-bred fillies and mares in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint Stakes Dec. 14 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
A homebred for Evelyn Benoit's Brittlyn Stable, Minit to Stardom delivered a front-end upset victory in this year's Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) at Saratoga Race Course, the highlight of a season during which the daughter of five-time Louisiana Champions Day winner Star Guitar has won four of seven starts—finishing second in her other three races—and earned $278,140.
The Ladies Sprint is one of seven stakes for Louisiana-bred Thoroughbreds on the Fair Grounds card, topped by the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes. The seven races will award $750,000.
Minit to Stardom's 20-1 upset win in the Honorable Miss is etched in Benoit's memory.
"Going to Saratoga and winning that race was a lifelong dream," Benoit said. "I could not have asked for more. To show up with a homebred from here in Louisiana and face that competition and walk away with a win, it was the biggest dream come true.
"It was me and my husband's (the late Maurice) dream," she continued. "The greatest high you could ever have. As a breeder in Louisiana for so many years, and having owned the stallion Star Guitar and praying that he could prove that he was a world-class stallion, and getting his opportunity to prove it with Minit to Stardom, and having her win that race on what happened to be my birthday, you couldn't have written it up any better."
Minit to Stardom is the 8-5 favorite in the six-furlong test, but she'll have to defeat Ours to Run, who posted a five-length win over Minit to Stardom in last year's race. That was part of a six-race winning streak—all stakes—for Colonel Thoroughbreds' Ours to Run, a 5-year-old daughter of Half Ours who has earned $504,488. Ours to Run also finished a close third in this year's Honorable Miss, a head behind Chalon.
In Saturday's other stakes races:
Champions Day is marked on the calendar of every Louisiana breeder.
"I try my best to promote our Louisiana breeding program," Benoit said. "Champions Day at Fair Grounds is our day as Louisiana breeders to showcase our horses. I remember the first Champions Day, I had a horse I had bought for $500, and I got beaten a nose. It was so thrilling that day, and I can honestly say it's still just as thrilling now. It doesn't matter what type of horse, whether $500 or a $500,000 purchase, it's just as hard to win a horse race, and that's what makes it so exciting."
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2019, Race 5 Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2019, Race 7 Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2019, Race 8 Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2019, Race 9 Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2019, Race 10 Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2019, Race 11 Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, December 14, 2019, Race 12Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Lassie S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Distractor Factor (LA)
Shaun Bridgmohan
122
Lee Thomas
8/1
2
2Sincerity (LA)
Kent J. Desormeaux
122
Danny Pish
10/1
3
3Schiff's Corner (LA)
Colby J. Hernandez
122
Ricky Courville
6/1
4
4Sebs Princess (LA)
James Graham
122
Steven Duke
7/2
5
5Royal Priority (LA)
Corey J. Lanerie
122
Lee Thomas
4/1
6
6Vacherie Girl (LA)
Florent Geroux
122
Steven M. Asmussen
5/2
7
7Our Lost Love (LA)
Mitchell Murrill
122
Joseph M. Foster
6/1
8
8Jet Sweep (LA)
Kevin J. Smith
122
Ralph J. Dore
12/1
Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Play Unified (LA)
Florent Geroux
118
Ron Faucheux
10/1
2
2Midnight Fantasy (LA)
Adam Beschizza
116
Joe Sharp
7/2
3
3Minit to Stardom (LA)
Alex Cintron
124
Jose M. Camejo
8/5
4
4Ours to Run (LA)
Gabriel Saez
122
J. Larry Jones
2/1
5
5Diamond Crazy (LA)
Miguel Mena
116
Dallas Stewart
12/1
6
6Diamond Cutter (LA)
Robby Albarado
118
Dwight J. Viator
20/1
7
7Tenpins Tempo (LA)
Colby J. Hernandez
118
Lee Thomas
15/1
8
8Tiz the Faith (LA)
Diego Saenz
118
Anthony Arey
20/1
Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1The Minit I See U (LA)
Alex Cintron
122
Jose M. Camejo
20/1
2
2Binding Agreement (LA)
Colby J. Hernandez
122
Albert M. Stall, Jr.
4/1
3
3Harper's Deelite (LA)
Marcelino Pedroza
117
Joseph M. Foster
20/1
4
4Richard Ronald (LA)
Mitchell Murrill
122
Gary M. Scherer
8/1
5
5Pickens (LA)
Shaun Bridgmohan
122
Steven M. Asmussen
5/1
6
6Outofmybind (LA)
James Graham
122
James E. Hodges
6/1
7
7Chimney Rock (LA)
Florent Geroux
122
Michael J. Maker
8/5
8
8Flash Me Back (LA)
Corey J. Lanerie
122
Allen Landry
8/1
9
9Palvera (LA)
Adam Beschizza
117
Joe Sharp
12/1
Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Turf S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1In the Navy (LA)
Adam Beschizza
122
Scott Gelner
7/2
2
2Ninety One Assault (LA)
Shaun Bridgmohan
118
Thomas Morley
4/1
3
3Make Me Smile (LA)
Miguel Mena
115
Keith G. Bourgeois
12/1
4
4Afleet Ascent (LA)
James Graham
118
Patrick Devereux, Jr.
12/1
5
5Magic Vow (LA)
Marcelino Pedroza
118
Justin Jeansonne
12/1
6
6Lucky Andy (LA)
Chantal Sutherland
118
Corale A. Richards
15/1
7
7Theoryintopractice (LA)
Florent Geroux
122
Steven M. Asmussen
9/2
8
8Im a Cowboy Too (LA)
Mitchell Murrill
118
Gary M. Scherer
12/1
9
9Budro Talking (LA)
Colby J. Hernandez
118
Karl Broberg
6/1
10
10Remembermis (LA)
Corey J. Lanerie
118
Thomas M. Amoss
10/1
11
11Star Fitzstall (LA)
Alex Cintron
115
Jose M. Camejo
12/1
Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Classic S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Underpressure (LA)
Corey J. Lanerie
122
Chris Richard
5/2
2
2Make Me Smile (LA)
Colby J. Hernandez
115
Keith G. Bourgeois
12/1
3
3Mageez (LA)
Gabriel Saez
118
Delmar R. Caldwell
4/1
4
4Trevilion (LA)
Diego Saenz
121
Victor Arceneaux
7/2
5
5Grande Basin (LA)
Miguel Mena
118
Edward J. Johnston
6/1
6
6Pound for Pound (LA)
Aubrie Green
118
Andrea Ancil Ali
10/1
7
7Star Fitzstall (LA)
Alex Cintron
115
Jose M. Camejo
6/1
8
8Bistraya (LA)
Adam Beschizza
118
Keith G. Bourgeois
10/1
Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Turf S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Miss Billie K (LA)
Aubrie Green
118
Eric D. Nelson, Jr.
20/1
2
2Room to Finish (LA)
Shaun Bridgmohan
120
Wayne M. Catalano
5/1
3
3Savvy Shipman (LA)
Corey J. Lanerie
118
Michael J. Maker
10/1
4
4Tenpins Tempo (LA)
Gerard Melancon
118
Lee Thomas
12/1
5
5Marywood (LA)
Robby Albarado
115
Lee Thomas
20/1
6
6Eskenformore (LA)
James Graham
124
James E. Hodges
5/1
7
7Emily Jo (LA)
Adam Beschizza
118
Albert M. Stall, Jr.
12/1
8
8Mariah's Galaxy (LA)
Kevin J. Smith
118
Victor Arceneaux
6/1
9
9Is Too (LA)
Colby J. Hernandez
122
Edward J. Johnston
3/1
10
10Mr. Al's Gal (LA)
Alex Cintron
118
Jose M. Camejo
9/2
11
11Net a Bear (LA)
Florent Geroux
121
Allen Landry
15/1
12
12Fugitive Lady (LA)
Jack Gilligan
115
Joe P. McKellar
8/1
13
13Special Blessing (LA)
Miguel Mena
118
W. Bret Calhoun
8/1
14
14Yonna She Goes (LA)
Chris R. Rosier
118
Lee Thomas
12/1
Entries: Louisiana Champions Day Sprint S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Hunker Down (LA)
James Graham
118
Ron Faucheux
10/1
2
2Double Barrel Man (LA)
Jack Gilligan
118
Karl Broberg
8/1
3
3Laughingsaintssong (LA)
Colby J. Hernandez
120
Allen Landry
9/2
4
4Win Lion Win (LA)
Gerard Melancon
118
Allison Ramsay-Banks
6/1
5
5Treys Midnite Moon (LA)
Mitchell Murrill
118
Corale A. Richards
15/1
6
6Classy John (LA)
Corey J. Lanerie
116
Dallas Stewart
12/1
7
7Monte Man (LA)
Adam Beschizza
118
Ron Faucheux
3/1
8
8Flashy Brew (LA)
Florent Geroux
120
Ron Faucheux
6/1
9
9Takes Two to Tango (LA)
Diego Saenz
116
J. Luis Garcia
20/1
10
10Stand Him Up (LA)
Gabriel Saez
118
Howard Alonzo
20/1
11
11My Friend Flavin (LA)
Marcelino Pedroza
118
Leo G. Gabriel, Jr.
12/1
12
12Inspector Eddie (LA)
Miguel Mena
116
Edward J. Johnston
10/1