Hay Jude, Noneya upset heavy favorites to take opening-day stakes

Odds-on favorites went down to defeat in both Louisiana-bred stakes on Friday, opening day at Fair Grounds.

Hay Jude in deep stretch bravely split rivals to beat 7-10 favorite Voila Magic in the $100,000 Joseph Peluso Memorial, while 23-1 shot Noneya captured the $100,000 Delmar Caldwell Memorial, where 1-2 shot Manama Gold could do no better than fourth.

Last of six halfway through the Peluso after being forced to check going around the turn, Hay Jude saved his best for deep stretch, bursting through a tiny gap in the final half-furlong under Jareth Loveberry to get up by three-quarters of a length in the six-furlong dash for 2-year-olds. Voila Magic, not nearly as sharp as in his debut win last month at Keeneland, ground along through the final furlong – failing, as in his debut, to change leads – to get second by a neck over Louisiana Jess.

Pacesetting Tdz Hint of Power faded to fourth in a race that appeared to come up strong by statebred-restricted standards.

Hay Jude now has won his first two races, the Peluso coming after the Tom Amoss-trained colt showed a lot of speed in a winning debut over five furlongs at Delta Downs. Hay Jude clocked 1:11.96 on a fast track and paid $9.60 as the second choice.

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Owned by Maggi Moss, Hay Jude is by Aurelius Maximus and out of Sweet Alice Benbow, by Wildcat Heir, and was bred by O.V. Moss.

Noneya ($48.40) won the Caldwell, another six-furlong dirt race, this one for older fillies and mares, by a half-length over Freeburn. Six String finished a neck farther back in third, with Manama Gold, making her first start against Louisiana-breds and first for trainer Cherie DeVaux, checking in fourth.

Steadied on the backstretch while racing along the rail just behind pacesetting Freeburn, Manama Gold lacked room in upper stretch, but then lacked spark once clear.

Noneya, meanwhile, stalked the leaders from third under Jose Rodriguez, coming outside to gain the lead at the furlong grounds and held sway late, clocking 1:11.04. Ronnie Ward owns and trains Noneya, a 6-year-old by Palace Malice out of American Placed, by Quiet American.

The 6-year-old mare, bred by Jay Adcock and Hume Wornall, won for the eighth time in 26 outings while notching her first Fair Grounds victory in her fifth try.

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