Oaklawn: Hughes goes from racing official to horse owner

Jeanette Hughes, a key racing official with Lone Star Park since the Dallas-area track opened in 1997, has resigned from her position and will have her first starter as an owner in Friday’s seventh race at Oaklawn. The horse is Nurse Goodnight, and she is trained by Hughes’s fiancé, Allen Milligan.

Hughes, 47, resigned in December after serving as the assistant racing secretary during each of Lone Star’s meets for Thoroughbreds. She was part of the team brought on by the track’s original director of racing and racing secretary, Larry Craft.

In recent years, Hughes had also served as the racing secretary for Lone Star’s meet for Quarter Horses. She began working as an official at 17, and has been part of the racing administrations at such tracks as Ak-Sar-Ben, Canterbury, Remington Park and Retama Park. At one point, Hughes was a placing judge at Oaklawn.

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” she said. “I just needed a little break. I’ll come back at some point.”

Hughes has been spending her newfound free time at the barn, between Milligan’s divisions at Oaklawn and Fair Grounds. She has one other horse in training, Lady Peace, who she said could run Saturday at Oaklawn.

Autrey runner tops sprint feature

It Doesn’t Add Up will be stepping up in class for the featured eighth race Friday, but the move makes sense. He has three significant factors in his favor heading into the first-level allowance sprint at six furlongs for 4-year-olds and up. In all, a field of nine will go, including Ordained, a maiden special weight winner at Keeneland for trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

It Doesn’t Add Up owns the field’s best last-race Beyer Figure, an 82. He also goes for the meet’s hottest barn, as his trainer, Cody Autrey, leads the current standings with 5 wins from 8 starts through Wednesday. And, It Doesn’t Add Up is the co-winningest member of the field, with three career victories. He shares the distinction with Parody.

Alex Cintron will ride It Doesn’t Add Up, who could get an ideal stalking trip behind Credit Report, Ordained, and Bet the Power.