Hartman among new trainers stabled at Lone Star

Trainer Chris Hartman will be among a number of new faces at the upcoming Lone Star Park meet near Dallas.

The start date of the season, which has been postponed by coronavirus pandemic, had not been set as of Friday morning. However, updates from the state’s tracks on 2020 meets is on the agenda for the Texas Racing Commission meeting on Tuesday.

Hartman has 19 horses at Lone Star, many for owner Joe Davis. Hartman, who also has a stable at Churchill Downs, last raced regularly at Lone Star in 2009.

“It’s been a long time,” Hartman said. “Joe Davis has a bunch of Texas-breds, so he wanted to do the deal in Texas. He’s raising Texas-breds. The money is better now than it was previously.”

A new Texas law in place for 2020 sets aside a portion of existing taxes on specific horse products and services for purses and the breeding industry.

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Other new trainers settled in at Lone Star include Robertino Diodoro, who is coming off the training title at Oaklawn Park. Lone Star officials also expect a stable from Kenny Smith, who last raced at the track in 2003.

Elliott, Mojica new to Lone Star

Jockeys Stewart Elliott and Orlando Mojica are among the new faces expected to help make up the riding colony at Lone Star Park. Both rode at Oaklawn.

Mojica will be based at Lone Star for the first time, said his agent, Bill Castle. During the Oaklawn meet, Mojica regularly teamed with Diodoro. The pair won 20 races together from 100 starts, according to records from Daily Racing Form. Their wins included Pioneer Spirit in a division of the Fifth Season Stakes, Special Relativity in the American Beauty, and Sky Promise in the Temperence Hill.

Mojica overall won 37 races from 264 starts to finish fifth in the standings at Oaklawn.

Mojica has won multiple titles at various tracks and ihas 2,475 career Thoroughbred wins through Thursday.

Elliott has 4,953 career wins through Thursday. He will be based at Lone Star for the first time, said his agent, Scott Hare. It’s part of a circuit move for the Kentucky Derby-winning jockey.

“He was at Remington last fall,” said Hare, “and this will just be the routine now – Oaklawn, Dallas, and Remington.”

Elliott made some Texas connections when shipping into Sam Houston earlier this year.

“I don’t think he’d ever ridden in Texas until he went to Houston,” Hare said. “He rode 30 and won 13.”

Much of the success came for trainer Steve Asmussen, who has a division at Lone Star.

◗ Jockey Dakota Wood won five races on the nine-race card Wednesday at Fonner Park. He won three legs of the late pick five, which had a mandatory payout. The 50-cent bet, which required all five winners, returned $2,116.