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Homeracing

Fair Grounds racing trends

Profile Picture: Ashley Anderson

November 17th, 2022

Racing returns to New Orleans a week early this fall, when Fair Grounds kicks off the 2022-23 season, the 151st at the Louisiana racetrack.

Typically beginning on Thanksgiving Day, the 80-day meet this year opens on Friday, Nov. 18, and will feature the first-time running of six stakes for Louisiana-breds that serve as prep races for Louisiana Champions Day on Dec. 10.

In all, 12 new stakes were added to the calendar to bring the total to 65 stakes worth $8.5 million combined. Most notably, the $100,000 Gun Runner will take place Dec. 26, followed by the $200,000 Lecomte (G3) on Jan. 21, the $400,000 Risen Star (G2) on Feb. 19, and the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 25 — all of which are prep races on the 2023 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

To get you prepared for the 2022 meet in Louisiana, we explore some of the top racing trends at Fair Grounds, including trainer and jockey win percentages on dirt and turf, along with leading sires at the racetrack, dating back to 2017.

Trainer win percentage on dirt since 2017

TrainerStartsWinsWin %ROIEarnings
Ron Faucheux
515
126
24.46%
-17.9417
$3,182,134
Thomas Amoss
393
114
29%
4.681934
$3,802,480
Steven Asmussen
512
113
22.07%
-14.3554
$6,691,407
Brad Cox
366
103
28.14%
-11.3661
$5,663,060
W. Bret Calhoun
424
76
17.92%
-18.9386
$4,103,996
Joe Sharp
385
75
19.48%
-27.8051
$1,950,990
Albert Stall Jr.
333
69
20.72%
-17.3273
$2,664,256
Sam David Jr.
365
60
16.44%
-19.6438
$1,845,595
Karl Broberg
288
51
17.708%
-33.4375
$998,707
Joseph Foster
427
46
10.77%
-41.5456
$1,188,205

Louisiana native Ron Faucheux has remained dedicated to racing strictly in his home state, and the result has paid off tremendously, with 126 victories from 515 starts over the last five years at Fair Grounds.

This season, he has 65 horses in his barn, with close to 20 two-year-olds. Among them, Faucheux is high on six-year-old Bertie's Galaxy, who is 3-for-4 in 2022 and entered in the Monte Man S. on Saturday, Nov. 19, as well as seven-year-old mare Fame Feather (4-2-0-0 in 2022), who is slated to run in Friday's Happy Ticket S., and juvenile Not On Herb, who triumphed on debut on Oct. 7 at Delta Downs.

Second on the wins list since 2017 is Tom Amoss, who has won at a 29% clip with a 4.68 return on investment. Amoss' biggest victories at Fair Grounds include the Lecomte with Mo Tom in 2016 and the Risen Star in 1994 with Fly Cry.

Steve Asmussen is another prominent trainer at Fair Grounds who is a three-time winner of the Lecomte and Risen Star, and a four-time champion of the Louisiana Derby.

Last season, Asmussen triumphed in both the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby with Kentucky Derby (G1) favorite and second-place finisher Epicenter. He also trained Louisiana Derby and Risen Star hero Gun Runner, the namesake of the Gun Runner S., which first began in 2021.

Brad Cox, fifth in wins since 2017, saddled 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun, who triumphed in the Risen Star along the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

He's also a back-to-back winner in the Fair Ground Oaks (G2), a major prep for the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Trainer win percentage on turf since 2017

TrainerStartsWinsWin %ROIEarnings
Brad Cox
441
113
25.62%
-6.1224
$4,167,308
Joe Sharp
435
79
18.16%
4.9425
$2,471,375
Michael Stidham
341
50
14.66%
-31.6715
$2,116,480
Thomas Amoss
243
43
17.69%
-16.9547
$1,211,290
W. Calhoun
222
42
18.92%
15.2252
$1,339,425
Chris Hartman
152
35
23.03%
31.25
$1,054,852
Ron Faucheux
170
35
20.59%
-19.2352
$1,144,350
Mark Casse
228
34
14.91%
-25.1315
$1,400,080
Steven Asmussen
274
28
10.22%
-48.5766
$1,233,870
Albert Stall Jr.
172
23
13.37%
-32.9651
$1,023,580

Cox has been even more successful on turf at Fair Grounds, with 113 victories from 441 starts and $4,167,308 in earnings since 2017. He also earned his 1,000th career win at Fair Grounds when Play On scored in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on turf back on Nov. 18, 2018.

Cox is a record-tying three-time winner in the Fair Grounds S. (G3) on turf, scoring with Chocolate Ride in 2015 and 2016 and with Factor This in 2020. Factor This also won the 1 1/8-mile Muniz Memorial Classic (G2) at Fair Grounds in 2020.

Michael Stidham, the third-winningest trainer on turf since 2017, has two victories in the Fair Grounds S., both with Synchrony in 2018 and 2019, and won the Muniz Memorial with the same horse in 2018.

Jockey win percentage on dirt since 2017

Jockey StartsWinsWin %ROIEarnings
James Graham
1,286
237
18.43%
-14.2923
$7,539,749
Mitchell Murrill
1,504
216
14.36%
-23.2779
$6,722,620
Colby Hernandez
1,289
199
15.44%
-20.2948
$6,344,726
Adam Beschizza
1,143
198
17.32%
-26.9072
$6,028,774
Florent Geroux
576
151
26.22%
-9.9479
$7,758,917
Marcelino Pedroza Jr.
1,091
147
13.47%
-26.2878
$4,497,425
Miguel Mena
800
123
15.38%
-5.825
$3,721,714
Brian Hernandez Jr.
562
117
20.82%
-5.8718
$4,725,758
Gabriel Saez
799
116
14.518%
-18.6733
$4,485,751
Corey Lanerie
567
103
18.17%
-24.7707
$3,671,671

Not only does James Graham have the most wins on dirt at Fair Grounds by a jockey since 2017, but he's been particularly successful when paired up with Tom Amoss over the last five years, with 86 wins from 357 rides. The pair won the Lecomte together back in 2010 with Ron the Greek and visited the winner's circle in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) in 2019 with Serengeti Empress, who went on to win the Kentucky Oaks that season.

Since 2017, Mitchell Murrill has the second most victories on dirt, with 216. He has been most successful when paired with trainer Chris Hartman (44 wins from 146 starts) and Joseph Foster (36 wins from 255 starts).

The fourth-winningest jockey on dirt, Adam Beschizza, is one half of the winningest trainer/jockey combo of the last five years at Fair Grounds. He and Joe Sharp have combined to win 117 times from 559 starts and have earned $3,090,295 together.

Jockey win percentage on turf since 2017

JockeyStartsWinsWin %ROIEarnings
Adam Beschizza
789
128
16.22%
-12.9404
$4,322,710
Shaun Bridgmohan
439
98
22.32%
4.7152
$3,438,000
Mitchell Murrill
773
95
12.28%
-21.0996
$3,344,762
James Graham
691
94
13.60%
-5.5426
$3,463,165
Colby Hernandez
676
92
13.61%
3.5355
$3,318,895
Florent Geroux
481
86
17.88%
-35.5925
$2,990,338
Brian Hernandez Jr.
451
68
15.08%
-8.7804
$2,530,315
Gabriel Saez
458
46
10.04%
3.2969
$1,547,820
Marcelino Pedroza Jr.
526
45
8.56%
-29.0494
$1,882,042
Corey Lanerie
369
34
9.21%
-53.7398
$1,618,790

Other prominent trainer/jockey duos at the track include Brad Cox and Florent Geroux, with 84 wins from 304 starts, and Cox with Shaun Bridgmohan (64 wins from 198 starts). Bridgmohan was the rider for Factor This in 2020 and has won a number of stakes at Fair Grounds with Steve Asmussen.

Colby Hernandez, the younger brother of jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., has 49 wins from 256 rides for trainer Karl Broberg, and 45 wins from 246 rides for Al Stall Jr.

Sires by wins on dirt since 2017

SireStartsWinsWin %ROI
Custom for Carlos
638
77
12.07%
-0.2702
Star Guitar
510
73
14.31%
-0.3653
Half Ours
472
67
14.19%
-0.0877
Into Mischief
248
60
24.19%
-0.0459
Greeley's Galaxy
276
32
11.59%
-0.1065
Tapit
166
32
19.28%
-0.3554
Curlin
169
27
15.98%
-0.3934
Songandaprayer
232
27
11.64%
-0.3288
My Pal Charlie
244
26
10.66%
-0.2856
Musket Man
104
25
24.04%
0.0201

As for sires who have produced the most winners at Fair Grounds in the last five years, Count Fleet H. (G3) winner Custom for Carlos has earned 77 wins from 638 starts, four more victories than the progeny of Star Guitar, a multiple stakes winner on the Louisiana circuit.

Three-time leading North American sire Into Mischief has produced the fourth most victories (60) since 2017, while Tapit and Curlin are responsible for 32 and 27 wins, respectively.

On turf, Into Mischief is the leading sire at Fair Grounds in the last five years, generating 27 wins from 173 starts, while Ghostzapper has gained 20 wins from 85 starts by his offspring.

The Factor is tied for second with Ghostzapper, followed by Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) champ English Channel (19), Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Artie Schiller (18), multiple graded stakes winners Paddy O'Prado (18) and City Zip (17), U.S. champion male turf horse Kitten's Joy (16), and Cougar II H. (G3) hero Temple City (16).

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