Havre De Grace to make seasonal return in New Orleans Ladies Stakes
According to the new plan, Havre De Grace will make her seasonal return in next month’s New Orleans Ladies Stakes.
The five-year-old mare, the reigning US Horse of the Year, was scheduled to start her 2012 campaign in the Azeri Stakes, to be held on March 17, 2012.
However, her connections made a drastic change to the program, deciding that the New Orleans Ladies Stakes would be the race for their ace mare to resume her journey. Both high profile competitions are scheduled to take place on the same day.
Fair Grounds’ step to raise prize money for the New Orleans Ladies Stakes to $150,000 promoted the owner Rick Porter and trainer J. Larry Jones to change their mind.
Porter revealed that the management of Fair Grounds offered him to increase the purse to $150,000 - the same as the Azeri.
Writing on his website, Porter said:
"The management of Fair Grounds called me and offered to raise the purse to $150,000 matching the Azeri's purse if Havre De Grace runs in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes.”
Another thing that urged Porter and Larry to take their ace mare to New Orleans was that Havre De Grace is quite familiar to the nature of that track. The owner also hoped that the raging mare will resume her journey on a winning note.
"Larry and I discussed the change and felt it was worth staying in New Orleans since she had been training there very well. She is used to the track, is travelling nicely over it and we avoid shipping a horse of the calibre of Havre De Grace. I hate to change
my mind after posting on the website but it is the best for Havre De Grace," he added.
After Havre De Grace’s sudden entry to the New Orleans Ladies Stakes, her stable mate, Joyful Victory has been switched to the Azeri Stakes.
Havre De Grace performed superbly last year, winning five out of her seven outings. The latest of her triumphs came at Belmont Park where she displayed a wonderful act to win the Beldame Invitational Stakes in October 2011.
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