Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Sam David back in business
NEW ORLEANS – Trainer Sam David is running hard with the opportunity he got last year.
David was training a handful of horses and breaking some youngsters at the Copper Crowne Training Center in Opelousas, La., when the owner-breeder partnership of John Duvieilh and Earl and Keith Hernandez asked him last summer if he’d like to join their team.
“Their previous trainer [Frank Leggio] had retired, and they asked me if I wanted to come down to the Fair Grounds,” David said. “I’d been up at Copper Crowne the last eight years training up there, kind of being around my kids and grandkids. I talked it over with my wife, and I decided it’d be fun to do.”
David, 67, who trained 1987 Kentucky Oaks winner Blushing K.D., won 23 races during 2017, more than he had won the last seven years combined. Through Friday, he was 9 for 29 at Fair Grounds and was the ninth-leading trainer at the meet.
“It’s kind of exciting to be down here again and having some horses that are live,” said David, who has 27 horses for his main clients and 35 in total. “I knew over the summer they were pretty nice horses for Louisiana-breds. I thought we were coming in here with some really good chances. When we got here, they’ve all pretty much run like we’ve hoped.”
On Thursday at Fair Grounds, homebred 3-year-old Bitsy’s Afleet ran his record to two wins from two starts when he captured a first-level Louisiana-bred allowance race by more than four lengths, getting a 74 Beyer Speed Figure. At Delta on Jan. 1, David sent Hyper Piper out to win the $50,000 Lookout Stakes. There are no Blushing K.D.’s in the barn – not yet, at least – but Sam David is back in business.
Mo Tom retired to stud
Mo Tom, a major player on the 2016 Kentucky Derby trail, has been retired from racing and will go to stud at Red River Farms in Coushatta, La.
Mo Tom won the Lecomte Stakes in January 2016 at Fair Grounds, then suffered through high-profile terrible trips in the Risen Star Stakes and the Louisiana Derby, finishing third and fourth, respectively. He had another relatively luckless trip finishing eighth in the Kentucky Derby, and won the $500,000 Ohio Derby in his next start.
Mo Tom, 5, is retired with a record of 4-2-4 from 19 starts and earnings of $665,356.
“Mo Tom was as talented a horse as I’ve had in my barn,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “If he passes on those traits to his offspring, he’ll be a hugely successful sire here in Louisiana.”
Mo Tom was purchased at Keeneland’s September yearling auction for $150,000 by Gayle Benson’s GMB Racing. He’s a son of Uncle Mo and the Rubiano mare Caroni.
“We tried to do a few things with him late in his racing career, like bringing him back quickly in the Clark Handicap and then trying him on the grass,” said Greg Bensel, who manages GMB Racing. “We just did not want to give up on him because he’s such a great-looking and sound horse, and he was working so well in the mornings. None of those late experiments should take away from the career he had.”
Glyshaw has plans for stable stars
Trainer Tim Glyshaw is plotting a 2018 campaign for the two best horses in his stable, Bucchero and Bullard’s Alley.
Bullard’s Alley was a respectable sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, while Bucchero was a close fourth in the BC Turf Sprint.
“We’d like to get points in nice races to try to get back to the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill with them,” Glyshaw said.
Bullard’s Alley finished second, beaten a head, going two miles Dec. 30 at Gulfstream Park in the $100,000 Allen Jerkens. On the way back to Fair Grounds, the van transporting Bullard’s Alley stopped in Ocala, Fla., to pick up Bucchero after a short farm rest. Bucchero is back galloping and will soon start working, said Glyshaw, who hopes Fair Grounds can make a turf-sprint allowance race go in March as a prep for stakes races this spring at Keeneland and Churchill.
Bullard’s Alley is headed back to Gulfstream for the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight over 1 1/2 miles on Jan. 27.
Supreme Aura to stretch out
Three-year-old Supreme Aura has shown his chops as a sprinter, and soon he will get the chance to race two turns in stakes competition.
Supreme Aura cruised to a debut win at Delaware Park in August, needed some time to get over an ankle issue, and returned to action at Fair Grounds on Jan. 5 with a 3 1/2-length first-level sprint allowance win. Supreme Aura got a 71 Beyer Speed Figure first time out and improved to an 82 in his second start.
“We’re going to try him long next,” said Mike Stidham, who trains Supreme Aura for Stallionaire Enterprises.
Surpreme Aura will be considered for the Risen Star Stakes here at Fair Grounds as well as the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
◗ The nine-race Martin Luther King Jr. Day card Monday has a second-level turf-route allowance for Louisiana-bred fillies and mares as the nominal feature. Race 4 also is open to $20,000 claimers and will have Dont mess with joanne as a likely odds-on favorite.