Page 15 - January 2019

was 18 years of age. He won numerous other stakes races, including the Golden State Futurity and the El Primero Del Ano Derby.
Mine That Bird, who is owned by Roswell residents Dr. Leonard Blach and Mark Allen, brought tremendous attention to New Mexico racing after finishing third in the Sunland Derby and then going on
to win the 2009 Kentucky Derby. He also finished second in the Preakness Stakes and third in the Belmont Stakes. The gelding won three consecutive stakes as a 2 year old in Canada, was honored as the Canadian Champion 2 Year Old and Horse of The Year, and was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. The gelding
earned $2,228,637 with five wins, two sec- onds and two third-place finishes. Since his retirement, Mine That Bird has become an equine philanthropist, helping raise money for Wounded Warriors and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, as well as with can- cer and children’s charities.
SUNLAND BEGINS NEW MEET
Sunland Park’s 75-day season kicked off on Dec. 28. This is the 60th anniversary season at the southern New Mexico track. The 2018-19 meet features a $5.6-million stakes schedule and includes three more days than its 72-day meet in 2017-18. The track’s $2.185-million Quarter Horse stakes schedule is topped by the
18th running of the $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park-G1, which was contested on Dec. 30 and won by Jessies First Down.
Sunland Park’s 2018-19 season runs through May 5, and racing will be conducted on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday schedule. Nine races will be carded every day, except on weekends when Quarter Horse stakes are run. Visit sunland-park.com, for the complete race calendar and the latest news from the track.
RACING UNDERWAY AT LOUISIANA DOWNS
The 2019 Quarter Horse racing season began at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs on
Jan. 5. The 46-day meet will include 12 stakes highlighted by the first official futurity of the year, the $100,000-added Mardi Gras Futurity-RG2 on Saturday, March 16.
In addition to the Mardi Gras Futurity
for Louisiana-breds, the $75,000-added Harrah’s Futurity-G3 will be contested on March 20 and is an open 2-year-old championship.
Live racing will be conducted Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with a 1:00 p.m. post time through March 20.
The Bossier City, Louisiana, track will
also offer schooling races for 2 year olds paid into the Mardi Gras Futurity in early February.
Louisiana Downs opened in 1974 and
was purchased by Caesars Entertainment in December 2002. For the complete 2019 sched- ule and latest news from the track, visit www. caesars.com/harrahs-louisiana-downs.
SPEEDHORSE, January 2019 11
TRACK CHATTER