Havre de Grace Inches closer to her 2012 debut in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes
Finally the reigning Horse of the Year, Havre de Grace, makes some news, as the 5-year-old mare continues to prepare towards her 2012 debut in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course, run over a distance of 1 1/16 mile on dirt on 17 March,
2012.
J. Larry Jones trained filly is at Fair Grounds, where she turned in her most recent work. She breezed five furlongs in 59 3/5 seconds on 12 March, 2012.
Owned by Rick Porter, Fox Hill Farms, Havre de Grace had regular exercise rider aboard, Jen Brasser, and the mare worked in company with the unraced 3-year-old filly, Just Jan, who had Rosie Napravnik onboard.
“We didn’t want her to work too fast,” Jones told Fair Grounds officials. “The beauty of it was she sat off just like we wanted her to, she wasn’t too aggressive, and she went right to the lead when she was supposed to. Mentally she’s right where we want
her.
“She’s controllable, and we know she’s fast. She’s ready to go.”
The Kentucky bred daughter of Saint Liam, out of mare Easter Bunnette by Carson City, Havre de Grace’s work was broken into fractions, and according to Fair Grounds officials, Just Jan started half a length in front of Havre de Grace, and carved fractions
of 12 4/5 seconds, 36 2/5 seconds and hit the half mile marker in 48 2/5 seconds.
Despite starting half a length back, Havre de Grace hit the wire half a length in front of her stable mate.
Havre de Grace last raced on 5 November, 2011, at Churchill Downs, where she ran in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic over a distance of 1 ¼ miles under jockey Ramon Dominguez, and finished fourth to winner, Drosselmeyer, as Game on Dude and Ruler on Ice
finished as the runner-up and the third place finisher, respectively.
Prior to that, she was coming off back to back wins including a win against the males in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga, and then going on to defeat the ladies at about 1 1/8 miles in the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park.
Tags: