Hawley heating up

NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Wes Hawley, who over the years has adeptly managed mainly claiming stock, is at it again this season. Hawley, who won with six of his first 27 starters at the meet, is 4 for 12 since Dec. 19, with all four of those winners in claiming company.

Two of those winners – the filly Missysway and the gelding Titans Heart – were debuting as 2-year-olds, Missysway for a $30,000 price and Titans Heart for $25,000. Hawley ran the Louisiana-bred gelding K One Kobra in open $5,000 company Dec. 21, and he paid $32 for winning that six-furlong sprint.

“I’ve got some decent horses right now, and I own a piece of most of them, which makes a difference,” Hawley said. “I can do what I want with them.”

This is Hawley’s 22nd meet at Fair Grounds, where he has won 239 races from 1,290 starts (18.5 percent). Overall, he has won at a 17 percent clip, with 547 victories from 3,124 starts.