James “Sweet” Hodges, a longtime trainer based at Louisiana Downs, died Thursday of a heart-related issue at the age of 87, track chaplain Jimmy Sistrunk confirmed.
Sistrunk said services are set for Tuesday at Hill Crest Funeral Home in Haughton, La., which is near Louisiana Downs. There is a visitation from 1-2 p.m. Central, with the funeral to follow at 2 p.m. Sistrunk will be officiating. He is close friends with Hodges and his wife, Phyllis.
Horses who last raced in Illinois, Kentucky, New York, and Virginia are coming together for the $250,000 Super Derby on Saturday at Louisiana Downs.
The meet’s richest race drew a field of 11 and will be showcased on a nine-race card that begins at 3:05 p.m. Central.
“I’m proud of the card we have, an excellent nine races, and the Super Derby improved from last year,” said Matt Crawford, director of racing for Louisiana Downs. “We’re proud of the field size and the quality.”
Lane Way, the winner of the Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes for turf sprinters at Santa Anita last September, was recently retired, trainer Richard Mandella said.
A 7-year-old gelding by Into Mischief, Lane Way finished his career with five wins in 23 starts and earnings of $528,560. Lane Way finished fifth in the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes for turf sprinters at Santa Anita in May in his final start.
Mandella said a hind-end injury resurfaced, necessitating retirement.
The $203,000 Eddie D Stakes was Lane Way’s richest win for the My Racehorse syndicate.
Mischief River, second in the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar last month, will start on turf for his final start of the summer in Sunday’s Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf at a mile.
The $100,000 Juvenile Turf is run on the same day as the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity 2-year-olds at seven furlongs. Trainer James Glenn Jr., said on Thursday that he considered both races but opted for turf after Mischief River worked a half-mile on the surface at Del Mar on Aug. 25. Mischief River was timed in 49.20 seconds.
Jockey Kyle Frey, who won the richest of his career in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar last weekend, will serve a one-day suspension this Saturday for a whip violation on Aug. 30.
Frey was cited for striking Dorine’s Wild Cat seven times during the fourth race that day, a $9,000 to $10,000 claimer for fillies and mares at a mile. Dorine’s Wild Cat (9-2) finished second by a neck to 4-1 Soul of a Warrior. In addition to the one-day penalty on Saturday, Frey was fined $250.
Los Alamitos has cut overnight purses across-the-board and has not scheduled two stakes run last year during its two-week meeting from Sept. 13-22.
The reduction in overnight purses stems from a decline in handle at recent meetings, an issue that has plagued all tracks in Southern California for more than a year.
At Los Alamitos later this month, a $20,000 claimer for maidens will be worth $18,000 compared to $20,600 last year, a decline of 12.6 percent. A maiden race will be worth $40,000, a decline of $5,000, or 11 percent from the fall meeting in 2023.
Del Mar will host 20 stakes aside from the Breeders’ Cup races during its five-week autumn meeting from Oct. 31 to Dec. 1. The 14 Breeders’ Cup races will be run on Nov. 1-2.
The most significant change to the stakes schedule is the addition of the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes, a $200,000 race for fillies and mares at a mile that had been previously been run at times at Los Alamitos in December. The Bayakoa will be run on the undercard of the Breeders’ Cup program on Nov. 2.
Led by Nooni and Vodka With a Twist, the first two finishers of the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes on Aug. 10, the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Saturday is expected to have a field of seven runners.
The $300,000 Debutante is run at seven furlongs and is the leading race of the Del Mar summer meeting for 2-year-old fillies in California.
Nooni, trained by Bob Baffert, is unbeaten in two starts and will be favored after her win the Sorrento. Vodka With a Twist, trained by Phil D’Amato, was supplemented to the Debutante for $10,000.
Bentornato, who won two-thirds of last year’s Florida Sire Stakes for 2-year-olds, emerged from his runner-up finish in the $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial on Aug. 23 at Charles Town in good order, trainer Jose D’Angelo said Tuesday.
“He’s excellent,” he said. “He ran huge.”
The start was Bentornato’s first since February, when he ran third in the Saudi Derby. For his effort in the Hilton, a seven-furlong race run around two turns, he earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 99.
Glenn Thompson, a former track superintendent at Ellis, died Saturday at age 88. A native of Henderson, Ky., Thompson worked in the track maintenance department at Ellis starting at the age of 16.
“I’ve always loved the sport, the horses, and the people,” Thompson said in an interview after the track honored him for 69 years of service in 2019. “Every day, I did my best for the horses. It was never just a job. It was a passion.”
Glenn’s son, Clifton, also was a track superintendent at Ellis, and his grandson, Garrett, was part of the Ellis maintenance crew.
