Eight Belles

JONES GOES AROUND THE TRACK ON LAST TIME – It was business as usual Saturday morning at Barn 43 at Churchill Downs with trainer Larry Jones in the saddle and galloping his horses during training hours.

But the game, and Jones’ life, will change on Sunday.

"I am sleeping in that morning,” said Jones, who is turning over the training of his 23 horses to his wife Cindy. “I’m gonna tell Cindy that I’m sick.”

Jones, a 53-year-old native of Hopkinsville, Ky., who began training in 1982, is retiring as a trainer after the Saturday card in which he will send the 3-year-old Payton d’Oro out to face older foes in the $150,000-added Chilukki (Grade II).

Jones galloped four horses Saturday morning, the final one being No Such Word.

“That’s it, I’m done,” Jones said with a laugh after he got off the 2-year-old filly.

“I’m gonna keep on galloping. I think I’m on the gallop list tomorrow, but on the late, late ones. I think tomorrow will be my first day as an exercise rider because I have always had a trainer’s license when I have been galloping my horses.”

Jones owns one stakes victory at Churchill Downs, where he saddled his first starter. That winner was Proud Spell in the 2008 Kentucky Oaks.

But it was another filly that really kick-started Jones’ career, Island Sand, who finished second to Ashado in the 2004 Oaks.

“She was right here in this barn and she was the one that really put us on the map,” Jones said. “We drove back to Ellis Park with her in the trailer that afternoon after the race. We stopped at a McDonald’s for a bite to eat and she went through the drive-through with us.”

Jones, who saddled Hard Spun and Eight Belles to runner-up finishes in the 2007 and 2008 runnings of the Kentucky Derby, still has that trailer.

“It is in Maryland with all my stuff in it that has to get to Oaklawn Park,” Jones said.

Cindy Jones will oversee the barn operations through the end of the Churchill Downs meet on Nov. 28 and then the couple will head home to Henderson, Ky., for the holidays and Christmas with the grandchildren.
Longtime assistants Deirdre Jackson and Cory York will handle the stable’s move to Arkansas and continue to work with Cindy.

DEMARCATION COULD RETURN CLOSING WEEKEND – Trainer Paul McGee already had one horse in his barn targeting the Nov. 27 Clark Handicap Presented by Norton Healthcare (GII) in Dubious Miss.
He may have picked up a second on Friday when the Amerman Racing Stables’ Demarcation rallied to win the Ack Ack Handicap (GIII) in his first main track start since February 2008.

“The way Mr. (John) Amerman was talking last night, he was thinking about the Clark,” McGee said. “We will talk about it, but Demarcation could come back and defend his title in the River City (Handicap, GIII). He is fine this morning.”

The victory by Demarcation was his first since dead-heating with Karelian in last year’s River City Handicap. Jesus Castanon, who was aboard Demarcation on Friday, also was aboard in the River City to account for the rider’s two Churchill Downs stakes victories.

TAPITSFLY COMPLETES FRIDAY GRAND SLAM FOR ROMANS – If there was any lingering doubt that Friday was Dale Romans’ day, Tapitsfly erased it in Southern California.

Romans was not at Churchill Downs yesterday to see each of his three starters reach the winner’s circle. First up was Bobby B. Goode ($8.80) in the second, followed by Buckwild ($11.60) in the fourth and Sir Jock ($5.80) in the fifth.

The trio of wins gave Romans five through the first four days of the 21-day meet and lifted him into the top spot in the race for “leading trainer” honors.

But the crowning achievement of the day came at Santa Anita when Louisvillian Frank Jones Jr.’s homebred Tapitsfly won the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf under Robby Albarado.

The victory by Tapitsfly, Romans’ only horse in the 2009 World Championships, was Romans’ first Breeders’ Cup win from seven starters.. It was the second Breeders’ Cup victory for Albarado, who won the 2007 Classic on “Horse of the Year” Curlin.

Albarado nearly doubled up in the next race, the $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI), finishing second on Beautician for Churchill Downs-based trainer Ken McPeek.

Baldemar Bahena, assistant to Romans, said that Tapitsfly was scheduled to return to Churchill Downs on Sunday.
 
FUND ESTABLISHED TO ASSIST INJURED RIDER BRIMO – Cindy Werner, wife of trainer Ronny Werner, has set up a fund at Fifth Third Bank to assist with the cost of rehabilitation for jockey Julia Brimo who was injured in an Oct. 30 spill at Keeneland.

“They have taken the respirator out and she is breathing on her own,” Cindy Werner said of the 33-year-old Brimo, who remains hospitalized in serious condition at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. “She has some movement in her extremities.”

Brimo’s mount, Golden Stride, clipped heels and feel in the first race on the Polytrack surface at the Lexington track.

“She has been galloping horses for us and rode some for us at Turfway Park,” Cindy Werner said.

Brimo had been a regular fixture at Churchill Downs the past few years as an exercise rider for trainer Mark Casse and among the horses she had galloped here was Sealy Hill, Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2007.

Werner said donations to the fund would be accepted at any Fifth Third Bank or can be mailed to Werner at 1116 Flat Rock Road, Louisville, KY 40245.

BARN TALK – Five-time Churchill Downs riding champion Julien Leparoux was the riding star of the first day of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita on Friday with two victories. Leparoux guided She Be Wild to victory in the $2 million Grey Goose Juvenile Fillies (GI) and Informed Decision in the $1 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (GI). Leparoux also finished third on Forever Together in the $2 million Emirates Airline Filly & Mare Turf (GI),

She Be Wild is trained by Wayne Catalano, who has 22 horses stabled in Barn 42.

Three-time Churchill Downs graded-stakes winner Pure Clan atoned for her last-place showing in last year’s Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf by running a fast-closing second to Midday (GB) for veteran trainer Bob Holthus.

The 1-2 finishers in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, Life Is Sweet and Mushka, both spent time here in the Spring of 2008 in Barn 19 for trainer Bill Mott.

“Mushka spent some time between here and Keeneland after she wintered at Payson Park,” said Kenny McCarthy, Mott’s Churchill Downs assistant. “Life Is Sweet was here after she ran at Keeneland (fourth in the Grade I Ashland), but the owners (Pam and Marty Wygod) saw that she liked the Polytrack and sent her to John Shirreffs in California.”

Former jockey Joe Deegan, who spends the first part of each morning galloping horses at Churchill Downs, picked up a training victory Friday when Pop Tarrt posted a $101.80 upset in the eighth race.

“We have some horses at the High Point Training Center in LaGrange,” Deegan said. “I gallop here until 7:30 and then go out there. We can train as long as we want out there.”

Eight Belles, the runner-up in Kentucky Derby 134 who was euthanized after suffering a catastrophic injury moments after the race, will be memorialized at the Kentucky Derby Museum on Sunday, Sept. 7. The service will be open to the public and is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. ET in the Museum's outdoor garden.

"We hope our memorial service will serve as a lasting tribute to this great filly, and remind every visitor who walks through our doors of the incredible passion and ability she showed here in the Kentucky Derby," said Lynn Ashton, executive director of the Kentucky Derby Museum.

Eight Belles' owner, Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farm, will be present and will unveil a plaque honoring the champion filly during the ceremony. The plaque, contributed by Churchill Downs, will be mounted under a magnolia tree where the filly's remains will be interred.

"Eight Belles seemed to give me a look at the Keeneland sales that begged me to be her owner," said Porter. "She blossomed as a racehorse just when Hard Spun retired. We will never forget her kind disposition. Now, she will rest in a place of honor and her story will be shared with visitors from around the world at the Kentucky Derby Museum. She was a magnificent steel-gray filly who will live in our hearts forever."

Additional remarks will be made during the ceremony by Porter and by Larry Jones, the trainer of Eight Belles. Media interviews with Porter and Jones will be granted following the service.

The ceremony will close with a performance of "Candle in the Wind," chosen by the Porter family and performed by a local bell choir.

No museum admission will be required for the ceremony. In the event of inclement weather, the event will take place in the Museum's Great Hall.

For more information about the Kentucky Derby Museum, visit www.derbymuseum.org.

Eight Belles, the runner-up in Kentucky Derby 134 who was euthanized after suffering a catastrophic injury moments after the race, will be honored by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) (“Churchill Downs”) through a series of charitable contributions and initiatives announced today, including the interment of her remains at the Kentucky Derby Museum.  The announcement was made in conjunction with the filly’s owner, Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farm, and the Kentucky Derby Museum.

“Churchill Downs and the entire Kentucky Derby family were devastated by the fatal injury to Eight Belles, and the shock of her tragic loss continues to resonate through our Company and our industry as a whole,” said Churchill Downs Incorporated Executive Vice President Steve Sexton.  “Since her death, we have been exploring ways to pay tribute to her memory while supporting positive changes that will improve the health, safety and overall welfare of all racehorses.  We are proud to announce these initiatives today in honor of the courage and brilliance that Eight Belles displayed in the Kentucky Derby, and we are committed to continued efforts on her behalf and on behalf of all of our equine athletes.”

The Churchill Downs Foundation and Porter will each contribute $25,000 to the Eight Belles Memorial Fund, established by Thoroughbred Charities of America, for continued research into racehorse injuries and toward the retraining of retired Thoroughbreds for secondary careers.  Churchill Downs also announced that it is renaming the $150,000-added La Troienne in honor of Eight Belles.  The Grade III stakes race for 3-year-old fillies will continue to be run on the Kentucky Derby Day undercard in 2009.  The racetrack also plans to conduct an “eight bells” ceremony on Kentucky Derby Day in 2009 in the filly’s memory, with details to be announced at a later date.
 
“The past month has been a time of indescribable highs and crushing lows for me and my family,” said Porter.  “We watched Eight Belles run the race of her life in the Kentucky Derby, and that should have been our proudest moment as well as hers.  Instead, it all changed in an instant.  We’re still grieving and struggling to accept her loss, but even in the midst of our sorrow, we are determined to see something positive come from her death.  We are thankful for the support of Churchill Downs throughout this process and are glad to assist in funding the memorial efforts on behalf of our beloved filly.  We’re very grateful for the short time we had her in our lives.”

The Kentucky Derby Museum will inter Eight Belles’ remains at the base of a tree to be planted in the filly’s honor.  The memorial, located within the Museum’s courtyard near the gravesites of four Kentucky Derby winners, will include a bronze plaque dedicating the tree to Eight Belles’ memory.

“The amazing performance by Eight Belles in Kentucky Derby 134 won’t soon be forgotten, and we are privileged to honor her efforts and her sacrifice,” said Lynn Ashton, executive director of the Kentucky Derby Museum.  “We hope our memorial will serve as a lasting tribute to this great filly, and remind every visitor who walks through our doors of her very special courage.”

An interment date has not yet been determined.

Churchill Downs Incorporated (“Churchill Downs”), headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns and operates world-renowned horse racing venues throughout the United States. Churchill Downs’ four racetracks in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Louisiana host many of North America’s most prestigious races, including the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, Arlington Million, Princess Rooney Handicap and Louisiana Derby. Churchill Downs racetracks have hosted seven Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Churchill Downs also owns off-track betting facilities and has interests in various advance-deposit wagering, television production, telecommunications and racing services companies, including a 50-percent interest in the national cable and satellite network HorseRacing TV™, that support the Company’s network of simulcasting and racing operations. Churchill Downs trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol CHDN and can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldownsincorporated.com.