Duhon's barn tearing it up at Louisiana Downs
Trainer Joe Duhon has won with six of his last eight starters at Louisiana Downs and will attempt to keep his hot streak going when racing resumes Saturday.
He has one starter on the card. Anyotherquestions is set to run in the second race, a conditioned claiming turf route for horses bred in Louisiana.
Duhon is the second-leading trainer at the meet. He’s won 11 races from 33 starts, and his recent string of six wins came between last Saturday and Monday. Duhon had a triple on Sunday, the second time this meet he’s had three winners on a card.
Duhon also won three races May 21, with all of them coming for one of his longtime clients, the Dream Walkin’ Farms of country artist Toby Keith and his family.
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Duhon, a 63-year-old native of Anahuac, Texas, has 50 horses in training.
“We have a good number right now,” he said. “It’s been headed that way the last two years. We have a good crop of 2-year-olds. Hopefully, they will pan out.”
Duhon has 2-year-olds by Street Sense, Frosted, and Hard Aces for new clients Scotty and Dawn Robin.
“They have horses that we bought over the past few months at 2-year-olds in training sales,” Duhon said.
Dream Walkin’ Farms had a 2-year-old debut winner with Duhon on Sunday. Cabo Cowgirl won a maiden special weight wire to wire. She is a homebred by Goldencents.
“They’ve been real good to me,” Duhon said of Dream Walkin’ Farms. “We’ve had a lot of success over the years.”
Seeking Ms Shelley was a three-time stakes winner Duhon trained for Dream Walkin’ Farms. She won the Spring Fever at Oaklawn Park in 2013, the Pan Zareta at Fair Grounds in 2014, and overall was 13 for 28.
“She’s been at the heart of [my affiliation] with Dream Walkin’,” Duhon said. “One of her babies did well going around two turns this meet. Her foals have been very productive. They really have.”
Other owners helping to lift Duhon to a strong Louisiana Downs meet include Robert and Dana Salome.
“It’s a team effort,” Duhon said. “I have decent horses. The races have been coming up right. We’ve been in the right spot at the right time - just blessed by the good Lord. I’ve got a good group of owners, a good team.”
* Louisiana Downs-based trainer H.B. Johnson Jr. is nearing a milestone of 1,000 Thoroughbred wins in North America, according to a notice from Equibase. He was at 997 through Thursday, according to statistics from Daily Racing Form.
Johnson's first win came at Louisiana Downs on Aug. 13, 1978.
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