Cox Earns Third Fair Grounds Title in Banner Meet

Trainer Brad Cox completed a banner 2019-20 meet at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots March 21 and capped off the last day of racing by winning the final three stakes, and four races in total, topped by Wells Bayou in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2).

Cox, who led all trainers with 12 stakes wins at the meet, took home his third consecutive trainer's title winning with 40 of his 147 starters.

Fair Grounds returned to the traditional Thanksgiving Day opening for the start of the 148th racing season, but the meet concluded six racing days prior to the scheduled March 29 closing date due to a "stay-home" order issued by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, following public health concerns in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some eight days earlier March 13, Fair Grounds was ordered to conduct live racing with no patrons, only essential employees, licensed horsemen (including owners), and credentialed media were allowed on track.

On what would be the final racing day of the meet, in front of an empty grandstand with only essential employees and horsemen with a horse in the race allowed to be present, Clint Gasaway, Lance Gasaway, Madaket Stables, and Wonder Stables' Wells Bayou captured the 107th running of the Louisiana Derby in front-running style, earning 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. A week earlier the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) was pushed back to Sept. 5.

The Louisiana Derby, extended to the 1 3/16-mile distance for the first time this year, drew a full an overflow field, and 14 horses started. 

On the Louisiana Derby undercard Cox won the Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes (G2T) with Gaining Ground Racing's Factor This and the Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) with Juddmonte Farms' homebred Bonny South. Earlier in the meet he won the first division of the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) with Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Doheny Racing's Mr. Monomoy, a half brother to 2018 champion 3-year-old filly Monomoy Girl.

The Risen Star, which was extended to 1 1/8-miles for the first time, drew 23 entrants and thus was split into two divisions. The original $400,000 purse and Kentucky Derby qualifying points (50-20-10-5) remained the same for both divisions. 

Behind Cox in the trainer standings, locally-based Ron Faucheaux, who won his 500th career race during the meet, finished second with 34 wins. Tom Amoss (29), Steve Asmussen (26), and Bret Calhoun (22) rounded out the top five. 

James Graham (63 wins) held off Mitchell Murrill (60) and Colby Hernandez (60) to take his second Fair Grounds' jockey title, with the first coming during the 2014-15 meet. 

Florent Geroux, who finished fourth in the standings with 56 wins, led all jockeys in purses earned with $2,939,706 and stakes victories with 10. Shaun Bridgmohan was second with nine stakes scores.

Brian Hernandez Jr., who completed the top five in the standing with 45 wins, scored career victory 2,000 Dec. 19, when guiding the Jimmy Baker-trained Afleet Roger to the winner's circle. 

In what was a tight owner's race, Winalot Racing, edged Maggi Moss 13-12, finishing ahead of Godolphin (11), Earl Hernandez, Keith Hernandez, and John Duvielh (11), and Calumet Farm (10). 

Prior to her disappointing fourth place finish as the 1-5 favorite in the Fair Grounds Oaks, Winchell Thoroughbreds, Thomas Reiman, William Dickson, and Debbie Easter's Finite won both the Silverbulletday Stakes and Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2). Her victory in the Silverbulletday represented the 1,000th career stakes win for Hall of Fame trainer Asmussen, who joined D. Wayne Lukas and Todd Pletcher as the only trainers to achieve this feat. 

Fourteen horses won three races at the meet. In addition to Finite, Factor This (both graded), Bobby's Wicked One, Play On, Hieronymus, and Louisiana-breds Net a Bear, Vacherie Girl, and Ninety One Assault each won two stakes. 

Allied Racing Stable's By My Standards returned to the scene of his 2019 Louisiana Derby win to take the New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) for trainer Bret Calhoun and jockey Gabriel Saez on closing day.

John Oxley's Enforceable, prior to finishing fifth in the Louisiana Derby and second in the first division of the Risen Star, won the Lecomte Stakes (G3). The race was extended from one mile and 70 yards to 1 1/16-miles. 

For the 2019-20 racing season, Fair Grounds eliminated handicap conditions for stakes races. These races are now weighted under allowance conditions.