Bryant family shares passion for racing

When three generations of the Bryant family landed in the winner’s circle after the Bucharest Stakes in February with their Meme Jo, it was one of those life-affirming moments racing regularly bestows on its own.

George Bryant, his son, George A. Bryant, and his granddaughter, Lexington Bryant, will be hoping for more of that kind of rush on Sunday as they celebrate Father’s Day at Lone Star Park.

George Bryant, a 60-year-old former jockey who trains a stable of 20 horses with assistance from his 34-year-old son, has two starters on the program. Baileys Bling looks like an odds-on favorite in the third race, a maiden special weight, and Johnlouisclassical is one of the chief contenders in the fourth race, a first-level allowance for fillies and mares at five furlongs on turf.

Both horses race for clients, while George A. Bryant also has horses with his father, chief among them Meme Jo, a recent optional-claiming winner at Lone Star, and Martys Wimbledon, who took down a second-level allowance at the Dallas-area track June 13.

“My greatest memory is when Meme Jo won the Bucharest in Houston and all three of us were in the winner’s circle,” said George A. Bryant, whose daughter, Lexington, is 5. “My dad is probably the hardest-working man I’ve ever been around. On Sunday, my daughter will be with me, and we’ll all be out there doing it together.”

Sharing the racing life with family is a tradition for the Bryants, as George Bryant’s father was a trainer. George Bryant began race riding in his teens, and after 20 years of competing around the Southwest, he turned to training. He has particularly enjoyed having his son and granddaughter be with him as the stable competes at Lone Star and, later this year, Retama Park.

“That’s what makes it all worthwhile,” said George Bryant.

George A. Bryant has enjoyed assisting his father.

“It’s actually the best thing that really ever happened to me,” he said. “Growing up, my dad was always training, and I didn’t get to see him as much. But now, we work side-by-side. And my daughter, she loves the horses. She’s not scared of them. I have to watch her or she’ll get right in the stall with them. She definitely loves the horses.”

George Bryant, who has won seven races at the meet, looks for strong efforts from his starters Sunday. Johnlouisclassical is coming off a close third-place finish in an off-the-turf allowance May 30 at Lone Star.

“I think she’s better on the grass,” George Bryant said. “I think either will work, but I think she’s a little faster on the grass.”

Bryant will be hoping for an honest pace for Johnlouisclassical.

“She lays back and comes running on the end,” he said. “Her best distance is probably five furlongs.”

Baileys Bling goes in a six-furlong maiden race for fillies and mares bred in Texas.

“She’s run three seconds here, run three good races, and there’s always been one a little tougher than her,” said Bryant. “I think this is her time. I do. I think we’ve got a good shot. She’s really doing good, and I look for her to run a big race.”

Martys Wimbledon put up his best career Beyer Speed Figure last out and could develop into the next family-owned stakes winner for the Bryants. But his next spot likely will be in the overnight ranks at Lone Star, Bryant said.

“I think that horse was really put here to take care of me and my dad,” said George A. Bryant. “My dad was having a hard time, and I was going through a divorce, and he won. Six months later, I broke my knee, and I couldn’t help my dad, and he wins two in a row. I love that horse. I have a special connection with that horse.”

A connection that mirrors the one the Bryant family will share at the races Sunday.

Texas Bling eyes Assault

Texas Bling is being pointed for next month’s Assault Stakes at Lone Star, said trainer Danele Durham. The horse won the race a year ago with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 95.

Texas Bling’s little sister, Everything Bling, will see action Sunday in an entry-level allowance at Lone Star. The six-furlong race is restricted to fillies and mares bred in Texas. The start will be her first since March 28, when she was third in a first-level allowance at Oaklawn won by next-out stakes winner I’m Workin’ On It.

“After a very tough campaign at Hot Springs, we wanted to take a step back with her, wanted to wait for her distance,” Durham said. “We didn’t want to run 5 1/2 furlongs. The expectations for her are six furlongs and further. I expect her to run a nice little race.”

Texas Bling and Everything Bling race for their breeder, Hall’s Family Trust.