BackTrack: Demons Begone Wins 1987 Southwest Stakes

John Ed Anthony's Loblolly Stable has campaigned 15 stakes winners, a half-dozen of them bred by the Arkansas horseman. Cox's Ridge was the first stakes winner raced by the stable, and the others included champions Temperence Hill and Vanlandingham. Loblolly was represented by six stakes winners in 1986, including homebred Demons Begone, which in taking the Southwest Stakes became the stable's first 1987 stakes winner.

Anthony purchased Rowdy Angel, Demons Begone's dam, for $85,000 at the 1980 Saratoga yearling sale. Rowdy Angel was consigned by Mrs. Bernard Daney, with Derry Meeting Farm as agent. Ramhyde, Demons Begone's second dam, won a stakes at Bowie and placed in four other stakes. Ramhyde produced stakes winner Ramten. Unraced Castle Hyde, Demons Begone's third dam, was produced from the Fighting Fox mare Bold Irish. Castle Hyde is a half sister to stakes winners The Irishman and Knocklofty.

Making his 3-year-old debut, Demons Begone won the Southwest by eight lengths. Time for the eight-furlong race was one-fifth of a second slower than Whitebrush's track record.

The Southwest marked Demons Begone's first start in four months. As a 2-year-old, Demons Begone won three races from six starts. The colt won Monmouth Park's Ahoy Stakes and finished second in the Champagne (G1) and Futurity (G1) stakes. On the Experimental Free Handicap for 2-year-old males of 1986, Demons Begone was ranked at 121 pounds. Champion 2-year-old Capote was high-weighted at 126 pounds.

Philip Hauswald is the trainer of Demons Begone. An assistant trainer to Claude (Shug) McGaughey before going out on his own last year, Hauswald saddled six stakes winners in 1986, including Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Bachelor Beau.

Elocutionist, Demons Begone's sire, won three stakes at 2 and 3 and placed in two other stakes. As a 3-year-old Elocutionist won the Preakness Stakes (G1) and Arkansas Derby (G2). He finished third in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The stallion is owned by a syndicate and stands at Brereton Jones' Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky. Elocutionist has sired 21 stakes winners, including champions Recitation and Prima Voce, plus other 1987 stakes winner Talk's Cheap.