Larry Jones has faith in Joyful Victory
The Larry Jones trained 4-year-old filly, Joyful Victory, has done enough to be a star of any stable out there, especially when the filly has a winning record of 4 victories out of 11 career starts with 2 runner up finishes and placed herself third in as
many times, she has done pretty well.
With career earnings of $555,068, Joyful Victory last year won the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park, and staying at the venue she downed the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes, make no mistake about it Joyful Victory is pure class. But she runs under the banner
of Fox Hill Farms, who also campaign the 2011 Horse of the Year, Havre de Grace.
To run under a shadow of such a big star, and be in a barn of champions, expectations naturally go higher, but Larry Jones refutes that.
“We know that she is not Havre de Grace,” trainer Larry Jones said. “In this barn, expectations get pretty high, but we are not discouraged with her. We have a lot of hope for her.”
The Canadian bred is the daughter of Tapit, out of mare Wild Lucy Black by Wild Again, Joyful Victory jump started her 3-year-old campaign in an awesome way, and looked as if she will take the Churchill Downs track by storm when she was sent as a heavy favourite
for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at the back of an 8 ¾ length victory in the Honeybee Stakes and a seven length victory in the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes.
However, she couldn’t repeat those brilliant performances in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks as she fell away to finish fourth to winner Plum Pretty.
After that fourth place finish in the Oaks, things didn’t really go her way and her winning feat was ended three more starts as she finished second in the Grade 1 Mother Goose, fifth in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks and again second this year in
an allowance test.
She bounced back after getting beat for four consecutive races, and won her second start of the new season in the Tiffany Lass Stakes, but an all familiar sight in her recent start where she finished 3rd to winner Tiz Miz Sue in the Grade 3 Azeri
Stakes.
Now, Jones is thinking of a surface switch and he is leaning toward poly track, which could be a breakthrough for Joyful Victory, who has been preparing on the surface ahead of her poly track debut.
“She has never been on the Poly and we are kind of experimenting with her to see what kind of options we have for her the rest of the year,” Jones said. “Robby has been on her a lot and knows her well and it seems like the whole team has been together with
her for awhile now.”
Tags: