Joyful Victory to keep her Oaklawn Park record perfect in the Grade 3 Azeri Stakes
Fox Hill Farms owner 4-year-old filly, Joyful Victory, has run at Oaklawn Park’s dirt course as sophomore twice, and both occasions she came out of the race as a victor, downing the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes over at 1 1/16 miles last year, and immediately
winning the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes over the same distance, and over the same venue and course.
Larry Jones trained filly is now expected to stay perfect at Oaklawn Park and down the Grade 3, $150,000 Azeri Stakes over at 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park’s dirt course on 17 March, 2012, a race that precedes the Grade 2, $500,000 Rebel Stakes for three-year-old
colts.
Joyful Victory started off her new campaign as an older horse brightly, when she finished a solid second in her seasonal debut, an allowance/optional claimer at Fair Grounds Race Course, surprisingly on turf on 11 January, 2012, to winner Instant Style,
who downed the 1 mile allowance test in 1 minute and 40.99 seconds.
The Canada bred son of Tapit, out of mare Wild Lucy Black by Wild Again, Joyful Victory bounced back from her defeat in the Tiffany Lass Stakes, where she was stretched in distance to 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds, as she defeated Ravi’s Song in second and
Juanita in third on 11 February, 2012, while covering the distance in 1 minute and 45.09 seconds.
On 15 March, trainer Larry Jones took out Joyful Victory along with stable mate, Havre de Grace for a gallop for the first time since winning the Fantasy Stakes last April.
It was all about Havre de Grace’s seasonal debut in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes. “It’s not like (wife/assistant) Cindy couldn’t handle (Havre de Grace),” said Jones. “It just wouldn’t look too good with the Horse of the Year, but I’d just as soon stay
here and take care of Joyful Victory. She just loves it here so much and Oaklawn is such a great place to be.”
Joyful Victory will break from post number 4, under jockey R Albarado, who has only ridden the filly twice and those two starts came this year, as Joyful Victory will go into the race carrying 117 pounds.
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