Robertson staying close to home, but still maintains a presence

Trainer Hugh Robertson turns 70 in February and had a stroke in March 2019. When COVID-19 hit last spring, shutting down Fair Grounds before the 2019-20 meet could be concluded, Robertson was taking no chances. Robertson went from New Orleans back to his old home in Nebraska, and there he stayed until this fall.

“I just stayed in Nebraska for six months after Arlington didn’t open until so late,” Robertson said. “Covid messed up our year for sure.”

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Arlington, Robertson’s longtime summer base, had an abbreviated 30-day meeting in late summer. Robertson sat that one out, letting his assistants take care of business, but moved back into his longtime Hawthorne barn for the fall-winter meeting, winding up as leading trainer.

Robertson remains at Hawthorne, training 35 head there, while trusted assistant Eli Lopez is overseeing the 28 horses he has stabled at Fair Grounds, where Robertson has been a regular since the 2011-12 meeting. Among the New Orleans horses are the talented Louisiana-bred 3-year-old Sir Wellington and a pair of aging mares he entered in Friday’s featured sixth race, Luvin Bullies and Aiken to Be. Both run for a $40,000 claiming option in a filly-and-mare turf sprint open to second-level allowance horses.

Aiken to Be is a 7-year-old now, while Luvin Bullies is set to make the first start of her 9-year-old season. The mare won her 8-year-old finale, a Dec. 13 Fair Grounds race at this class level and distance, getting up by a head.

“They’re both solid mares,” Robertson said. “I think Luvin Bullies is just a little better.”

Robertson no longer trains his best older female, Hotshot Anna, who fetched $100,000 at auction this past November when sold as a broodmare prospect. Robertson bought Hotshot Anna, a daughter of Trappe Shot, for $20,000 at a yearling auction. None of his regular clients wanted a piece of the filly, so Robertson campaigned her himself. She won the Presque Isle Downs Masters twice and wound up with more than $975,000 in earnings.

“We had her in a turf sprint out East this summer and she could’ve gone over a million dollars, but it got rained off,” Robertson said.

Robertson had sent Hotshot Anna into the Delaware string of his son, trainer Mac Robertson, and the two operations conjoin to some extent. Robertson’s Hawthorne training title came courtesy of horses that Mac campaigned at Canterbury Park, and Hugh could send some Hawthorne-based younger horses to start with Mac at Oaklawn Park.

One 3-year-old who’s at Fair Grounds is Sir Wellington, who won the Louisiana Champions Juvenile on Dec. 12 in his first start in Louisiana-bred competition. Robertson hasn’t determined a next start for Sir Wellington, but won’t be watching it in person.

“I’m going to stay right here in Illinois for now,” he said. “I get up, go train my horses, and go back home.”