Faucheux winning at 61 percent clip to lead trainer standings

Jockey Richard Eramia is dominating the riders’ standings at Louisiana Downs, but the race for leading trainer is not so clear cut almost two months into the season. Ron Faucheux, who is winning races at a 61 percent clip, leads the standings with 17 wins, while it is one back to both Joey Foster, the defending training champ, and Jonas Gibson.

All three trainers won a race on the eight-race program Thursday, and each has horses entered Sunday.

“For me, winning the title here at Louisiana Downs would be a dream come true,” said Gibson, a 31-year-old chasing his first training title. “I’ve never had enough horses to vie for the title, but that’s actually now a reality. It would be special to win it at my home track.”

Gibson, a graduate of nearby Benton High School, has a 25-horse stable at Louisiana Downs. He said he’s claimed 13 horses since the meet began, a number of them on behalf of the meet’s current leading owners, George Ackel III and his brother, Adam Ackel.

Gibson’s client list also includes Loooch Racing, which is a co-owner of Ria Antonia, who was placed first in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Gibson returned to Louisiana Downs last season after having been based at Delaware Park.

“Delaware’s a tough circuit to run on, and I was kind of homesick,” Gibson said. “I knew I would get horses for the Ackels if I came to Louisiana. I decided to make the move, and it’s been a positive move.”

Faucheux has a 15-horse division at Louisiana Downs, with another round of runners at the Evangeline Training Center near Lafayette, La. He had gone 17 for 28 with his Louisiana Downs starters through Thursday.

“I think we’ve gotten a bit lucky with the conditions,” Faucheux said of races fitting his horses well at this meet at Louisiana Downs. “We basically have our main string set up at Evangeline Training Center and pick our spots between Evangeline Downs and Louisiana Downs. It’s worked out very well for us the past several years doing that.”

Faucheux said the strong local meet is also a credit to his Louisiana Downs assistant, Krish Sankar.

Faucheux and Gibson both have horses pointing for the first stakes program of the meet, the Louisiana Cup card Aug. 2. Faucheux said Blessed Immaculata is on deck for the $50,000 Filly and Mare Sprint, while Gibson said recent allowance winner Princess of Pearl is targeting the $75,000 Distaff.

As for Eramia, he had won 52 races through Thursday for a 28-win advantage in the standings at Louisiana Downs.

New post time starts Thursday

Louisiana Downs will move first post to 2:50 p.m. Central beginning Thursday, said the track’s director of operations, Trent McIntosh. The current post is 1:25 p.m. McIntosh said there were a couple of different reasons for the move to a new daily post.

“We feel like the later start time is a better place for Louisiana Downs,” McIntosh said. “This will allow us to place our best races daily directly after some of the major race cards are done for the day.”

McIntosh said the addition of summer racing at Gulfstream Park this year was one of the reasons to consider a post-time change for Louisiana Downs. The lone exception to the track’s new start time could be the Super Derby card Sept. 6.

“Post time for Super Derby Day will likely be the traditional [noon], but we will determine that after seeing how successful we are with the 2:50 start time,” said McIntosh.

Simington fine after spill

Jockey Don Simington avoided serious injuries in a Thursday spill at Louisiana Downs. He was off his mounts Friday but was scheduled to resume riding Saturday, his agent, Ron Ardoin, said Friday morning. Simington was taken to a local hospital after the spill caused chest pain Thursday.

“Don is doing pretty good,” Ardoin said Friday. “He’s out moving around this morning. Nothing’s broken. He’s just a little bit stiff.”

Simington is a multiple title winner at Louisiana Downs and currently ranks second in the standings to Eramia.

** Louisiana Downs has four allowances or optional claimers on a strong eight-race card Sunday.