Fair Grounds: Havre de Grace Getting Sharper

Fox Hill Farms’ Havre de Grace, honored as 2011 Horse of the Year at last month’s Eclipse Awards dinner, is moving forward, according to trainer Larry Jones.

“She’s been galloping every day for a couple of weeks now,” said Jones. “She’s getting pretty sharp now. I let her stretch her legs for about an eighth of a mile the other day just to tease her a little bit, so I think she’s coming right along for us.”

Jones also updated on the status of his two 3-year-old stars, the Brereton Jones-owned pair of Grade III Lecomte Stakes winner Mr. Bowling and the $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes heroine Believe You Can.

“They are both doing great and are coming up fine for their next assignments (Mr. Bowling in Fair Grounds’ Grade II Risen Star Stakes and Believe You Can in Fair Grounds’ Grade III Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Feb. 25),” Jones said. “We’ve already got them pretty fit. Now we’re just keeping them ready to race.”

The Risen Star and the Rachel Alexandra stakes are just two of six stakes slated for Fair Grounds’ Louisiana Derby Preview Day Presented by Lamarque Ford on the fourth Saturday in February.