Plan comes to fruition for Ducoing, Hail to the Nile

NEW ORLEANS – The plan forged by veteran trainer Sturges Ducoing and longtime assistant Donald "Pa" Suberville for the gelding Hail to the Nile worked to perfection – and gave Ducoing his first stakes victory since 2012.

"He's a nice horse,'' Ducoing said. "We really thought he'd run good when we came in here. Pa said we'd run him short three times and win the Dixie Poker Ace.''

Stretching out against Louisiana-breds in the Dixie Poker Ace on Feb. 27 with fitness gained from racing in three turf sprints, Hail to the Nile was ready to roll. He quickly grabbed the lead from the rail, set a solid pace, and pulled away from the stalking Next Event late to win the race at about 1 1/16 miles by 1 3/4 lengths.

"There's no thrill like your horse winning,'' said Ducoing, a 75-year-old New Orleans native.

Ducoing, who has 16 horses in his barn, said he first came to Fair Grounds in 1957. He would work as a hotwalker in the mornings before going to high school.

After graduation, he set out on a career in professional baseball. In 1962, he pitched for Olean, Boston's team in the New York-Penn League. In 15 innings, Ducoing went 1-0 with a 4.80 earned run average. "I didn't think I walked that many,'' he said.

But shoulder surgery ended his career, and he turned to racing to make his living. His first of 1,150 career wins as a trainer came in 1965. Ducoing said he sees similarities between baseball and racing.

"I think you have the competitiveness,'' he said. "There's a lot of baseball and football players who wind up in the horse business.''

Majesty's Imp, one of best horses trained by Ducoing, raced for an ownership group headed by Chuck Tanner, who managed the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates. The group included ex-Pirates pitcher Rick Rhoden and Vince Piazza, the father of Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza.

Majesty's Imp, who raced from 1988 to 1991, won six stakes races, four of them at Fair Grounds.

Ducoing's chance to participate in a Kentucky Derby disappeared when an injury to Majesty's Imp was detected on entry day for the 1989 race. He had a bone chip in a knee and wasn't entered. Ducoing said that the owners' background in baseball helped them deal with the highs and lows of racing.

"They understood winning and losing,'' he said. "They understood [horses] get hurt. I understand it. You have to pay attention. Each horse is an individual. You can't train them all the same.''

Murray Valene, who owns Hail to the Nile, has had horses with Ducoing for more than 25 years. "I think he's one of the best horsemen I've been around,'' Valene said.

Sunbean eyes Star Guitar Stakes

Coming back from more than 12 months off due to a torn tendon and racing on turf for the first time, the millionaire Louisiana-bred Sunbean finished fourth in the Dixie Poker Ace, five lengths behind Hail to the Nile.

Trainer Ron Faucheux said he's pleased with Sunbean's comeback race and how the gelding has recovered from the injury.

"We did several treatments of stem cell,'' said Faucheux, who trains Sunbean for Maurice and Evelyn Benoit's Brittlyn Stable. "It worked wonderfully. The ultrasound shows you can't even see it.

"He needed the race. Our ultimate goal this meet was to train him back for the Star Guitar.''

The Star Guitar is a 1 1/16-mile dirt race for Louisiana-bred older horses on the Louisiana Derby card March 26. Star Guitar, who earned $1,749,862 for Brittlyn Stable, is the leading Louisiana-bred money winner. Sunbean, who has earned $1,023,750, ranks sixth.

At age 5, "he's never looked so good,'' Faucheux said. "He's got a lot of muscle mass on him. The main thing is he came out of [the race] perfect.''