Hartman among new Lone Star trainers

Trainer Chris Hartman will be among a number of new faces at the upcoming Lone Star Park meet near Dallas.

The start date of the season, which has been postponed by coronavirus pandemic, had not been set as of Friday morning. However, updates from the state’s tracks on 2020 meets is on the agenda for the Texas Racing Commission meeting on Tuesday.

Hartman has 19 horses at Lone Star, many for owner Joe Davis. Hartman, who also has a stable at Churchill Downs, last raced regularly at Lone Star in 2009.

“It’s been a long time,” Hartman said. “Joe Davis has a bunch of Texas-breds, so he wanted to do the deal in Texas. He’s raising Texas-breds. The money is better now than it was previously.”

A new Texas law in place for 2020 sets aside a portion of existing taxes on specific horse products and services for purses and the breeding industry.

Other new trainers settled in at Lone Star include Robertino Diodoro, who is coming off the training title at Oaklawn Park. Lone Star officials also expect a stable from Kenny Smith, who last raced at the track in 2003.

Elliott, Mojica new to Lone Star

Jockeys Stewart Elliott and Orlando Mojica are among the new faces expected to help make up the riding colony at Lone Star Park. Both rode at Oaklawn.

Mojica will be based at Lone Star for the first time, said his agent, Bill Castle. During the Oaklawn meet, Mojica regularly teamed with Diodoro. The pair won 20 races together from 100 starts, according to records from Daily Racing Form. Their wins included Pioneer Spirit in a division of the Fifth Season Stakes, Special Relativity in the American Beauty, and Sky Promise in the Temperence Hill.

Mojica overall won 37 races from 264 starts to finish fifth in the standings at Oaklawn.

Mojica has won multiple titles at various tracks and has 2,475 career Thoroughbred wins through Thursday.

Elliott has 4,953 career wins through Thursday. He will be based at Lone Star for the first time, said his agent, Scott Hare. It’s part of a circuit move for the Kentucky Derby-winning jockey.

“He was at Remington last fall,” said Hare, “and this will just be the routine now – Oaklawn, Dallas, and Remington.”

Elliott, 55, made some Texas connections when shipping into Sam Houston earlier this year.

“I don’t think he’d ever ridden in Texas until he went to Houston,” Hare said. “He rode 30 and won 13.”

Much of the success came for trainer Steve Asmussen, who has a division at Lone Star.

Casinos reopening

The casinos at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., and Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., are both scheduled to reopen on Monday, the tracks announced. The facilities had been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The casinos at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., and Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La., have not yet announced reopening dates, but officials hope to share plans in the near future, according to a spokesman for parent company Boyd Gaming.

The operations are significant contributors to the purse structure at the tracks.

Oaklawn ended its meet May 2 while Louisiana Downs opens its season June 6. Louisiana

Downs will race spectator-free, according to a press release. Entries for the first day of the meet are May 30.

Seven Tales a nice fit

Seven Tales, who was fourth in the Grade 2, $383,700 Oklahoma Futurity for Quarter Horses in March at Remington Park, returns to Remington’s overnight ranks for the 11th race Sunday.

The nonwinners-of-two lifetime allowance will be run at 330 yards. Remington’s card of 11 races starts at 6 p.m. Central.

Seven Tales was a debut winner March 7 during trials for the Oklahoma Futurity. He returned in the finale and was beaten 2 1/4 lengths. Seven Tales closed for fourth and picks up more ground off the 300-yard futurity on March 21.

Ferarri B and Buford T, who finished second and third in the Laico Bird Stakes last month at Remington, also return to the overnight ranks for the Sunday feature.

Arapahoe decision nears

Arapahoe Park is closed to the public under a statewide health order that expires May 26, and from that point a decision on whether the track will be able to conduct racing this year will be made by appropriate government officials, according to a spokeswoman for relative state agencies in Colorado.

If racing is approved, it would be conducted without spectators.

Arapahoe is proposing a meet stretching from June 6 to Sept. 6. Before the coronavirus pandemic, it had been scheduled to open in late May.

◗ Jockey Dakota Wood won five races on the nine-race card Wednesday at Fonner Park. He won three legs of the late pick five, which had a mandatory payout.