Havre de Grace breezes five furlongs for her next start at Fair Grounds
Trainer Larry Jones was pretty vocal about the weight issue that he had to endure last time he talked about his reigning Horse of the Year, Havre de Grace, and the amount of weight she has to carry is going to be the deciding factor determining her next
start, and it looks like that the Saint Liam filly will get to defend her title in the Grade 1, $500,000 Apple Blossom Stakes at Oaklawn Park on 13 April, 2012.
Last year, Havre de Grace, won the Apple Blossom Stakes by downing Switch in second and Absinthe Minded in third, while she covered the 1 1/16 mile distance in 1 minute and 42.19 seconds.
The 5-year-old mare breezed five furlongs at Fair Grounds in 1 minute and 2 2/5 seconds, and her connections are going to wait on weight assignment before they go on to make it a concrete plan to run in the Apple Blossom Stakes.
Out of mare Easter Bunnette by Carson City, Havre de Grace shared 119 pounds in the Apple Blossom Stakes with runner up, Switch, last year. That was her second start of the 2011 season, and as for seasonal debut last year, she defeated Blind Luck in the
Azeri Stakes.
Larry Jones doesn’t have an issue with Havre de Grace being the top weight, but he wants it to be spread equally just to be fair.
"I'm sure it will work out because I know Mr. Cella understands these things," he said. "I was in there against Zenyatta when Mr. Cella did all he could to get her to come to the Apple Blossom. He changed the distance for her and that was something that
helped get her there. Now, I'm not saying we're Zenyatta or that we deserve that, but Oaklawn is a place that wants to see horses like her run and I think that's going to help us get a fair shake."
Havre de Grace is going to arrive at Oaklawn Park on 2 April, 2012, if everything goes according to plan, and if the weight assignment suits her connections liking, than she will defend her title in the Apple Blossom Stakes.
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