Minit to Stardom the big name in Premier Night Matron

You gotta be in it to win it!

That was the thinking that propelled Brittlyn Stable and trainer Jose Camejo to Saratoga last summer with Minit to Stardom, the Louisiana-bred who pulled a 20-1 upset in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss.

“If you’re not in the game, you never know,” Camejo said.

The win makes Minit to Stardom one of the most decorated Louisiana-breds in training, and it will send her to post as a top choice in Saturday night’s $100,000 Matron at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.

The Matron, for fillies and mares at five furlongs, is one of six stakes on the annual Louisiana Premier Night card. The races are worth a cumulative $675,000 in what is the richest program of the meet. Delta is offering an all-stakes pick four that runs on races six through nine and it will have a minimum guaranteed pool of $50,000, said Chris Warren, the director of racing for Delta.

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Minit to Stardom went 5 for 8 last year, with her most recent start the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint on Dec. 14 at Fair Grounds. She set the pace and finished second to Midnight Fantasy, but that one was disqualified for interference and Minit to Stardom was elevated to first. She defeated open company in a Laurel allowance Nov. 8.

“We ran her at Laurel and then I brought her myself from there all the way to New Orleans, because I wanted time to get her here for that race,” Camejo said of Louisiana Champions Day. “It was an important day for Louisiana-breds. A big day. She was a little tired, and I feel like I pushed her too much for that race. She gave me what she had.

“This time, we’ve got more time. She’s doing super. Right now, she’s 100 percent. The last race, I’d say she was like 75 percent. Everything is going like it’s supposed to. She’s doing fantastic. She’s more settled.”

Camejo is a Venezuela native whose riding career was cut short in 2011 when he broke his neck in a racing accident. With the support of his wife, Maggie, he transitioned to training and has had a good deal of success, with Minit to Stardom and Potomac River among his graded winners.

“My dad wanted me to be a trainer and I wanted to be a jockey,” Camejo said. “In my mind, I never thought, ‘I’m going to be a trainer.’ I love what I do. I think it’s my calling, working with horses like this. Training.”

Minit to Stardom will break from post 10 under Alex Cintron.

Prince: No Parole going longer

Triple Crown nominee No Parole is one of the star attractions on the card after winning his two starts by a combined margin of 27 1/2 lengths. He goes in the $100,000 Prince, a mile race for 3-year-olds that will serve as the first two-turn start for the son of Violence.

No Parole’s two races have come at six furlongs – a maiden special weight for which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 90 on Dec. 15 and a conditioned allowance for which he earned a Beyer of 87 on Jan. 11. The races were both against Louisiana-breds at Fair Grounds.

“We’re going to pay very close attention to how well No Parole makes that transition from sprint to distance,” said Tom Amoss, who trains the horse for Maggi Moss. “It’s very important to us, important in deciding what his future is for us. Saturday’s race is real significant for No Parole, telling us whether or not he is as good a horse going two turns as we know he is going one turn.”

No Parole will be going from a one-mile oval to a six-furlong track at Delta.

“He’s very athletic,” said Amoss.

James Graham, who has been aboard No Parole for both of his starts, has the mount from post 6.

Also set to start is two-time stakes winner X Clown.

Championship: Shang sticks out

Shang will bring a Beyer Speed Figure of 92 into the $150,000 Championship, a 1 1/16-mile race for 4-year-olds and up. It’s the best last-race number in the field of seven. The race also drew Pound for Pound, who is coming off a win in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds, and Underpressure, a multiple stakes winner who has earned more than $600,000.

Shang won a Fair Grounds allowance by 5 1/2 lengths over Underpressure on Jan. 10. It was his first start against older rivals. Last year, Shang won the Premier Night Prince at Delta, the Crescent City Derby at Fair Grounds, and the Louisiana Legends Cheval at Evangeline. Florent Geroux has the mount for trainer Steve Asmussen.

◗ Asmussen and Geroux will also team together in the $100,000 Starlet with Vacherie Girl.

◗ Laughingsaintssong, the winner of the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint at Fair Grounds, leads the $100,000 Sprint.

◗ Mariah’s Galaxy will be looking for her seventh win at Delta in the $125,000 Distaff.