FAIRGROUNDS RACING ....

In just a few days, (Friday, November 6, 2009, to be exact!) the New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Course http://www.FairGroundsRaceCourse.com will begin its Annual Meet for 2009-2010.

We are excited to announce that Apprentice Jockey Dustin Dugas, whose racing helmet is featured at left, (with a Saint Joseph medal dangling on it) will be racing in New Orleans again this season.

In the very first race, Dustin will be riding "She Said What," a 2 year-old maiden bred and owned by Adele B. Dilschneider, a person who is most likely of German descent, just like the founder of SaintsforSinners, Rob Clemenz.

She Said What is trained by A. M. Stall, Jr., and this Maiden Claiming race will be a great contest to ring in the new racing season!

Because Dustin is our favorite Jockey we will be betting on She Said What in this inaugural race at the Fairgrounds.

http://www.SaintsforSinners.com has been designing special Saint George (Saint George is the patron saint of horses) medallions and hopes to have some of the other jockeys wearing them on their helmets for safety and good luck.

To be fair, we should acknowledge that it was good ole Dustin Dugas who started the habit of wearing a saint medallion on his helmet but we're going to see if we can turn it into a trend.... A jockey thing!

We can't wait to get to the New Orleans Fairgrounds Race Course this Friday, November 6, 2009, at 1:00 P.M. to get this party started. Good luck, Dustin. SaintsforSinners wishes you a safe, prosperous, spectacular season at the Fairgrounds.

Saint George Proclaims Jockey Calvin Borel Best Jockey of Modern Era

THIS JUST IN:

Saint George, the patron saint of horses and horsemen, has announced that if Louisiana Jockey Calvin Borel wins the 141st Belmont Stakes later today, riding "Mine That Bird," Borel will be offically known as the "Best Jockey of the Modern Era." Saint George made the announcement after consulting with his horse "Whitey," (see photo) Calvin's Horse, ("Mine That Bird") and another horse named "Eleanor." The three horses spoke via conference call, initiated by the original talking horse, "Mr. Ed." Eleanor, the horse who is in a relationship with Neal Wanless, the 23 year-old from Todd County, South Dakota who recently won a $ 232 million Powerball Jackpot, said she hopes that Calvin Borel will come ride on her new ranch that her friend, Wanless, is buying for her. Eleanor said that when Wanless told her it would "be nice if we go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own," she immediately started thinking of horses to invite over for hay. "Mine That Bird was on the top of my list," Eleanor said.

Whether Borel will win the race remains a mystery. We do know that Mine That Bird's Trainer, "Chip" Woolley, has tremendous confidence in Borel and that Borel wants to win the race, not for the limelight it will bring, but because he feels Woolley is the "best trainer" he has ever worked for in his life.

Woolley's Dad, Bennie Woolley, has said that he thinks his son, Chip, and his horse, Mine That Bird, have done all the right things to secure a victory. Bennie takes no credit however, and said the only thing he taught his son to do in life was to "work hard" and "love what you do." The advice was obviously heeded by his son, Chip Woolley.

All of us at www.SaintsforSinners.com are rooting for Jockey Calvin Borel to win the Belmont Stakes. Borel will then be the Best Jockey of our time, as Saint George has pronounced. But we wonder if Borel will retain his crown for long. Two young teenage jockeys, "Smokin'" Joe Talamo and Dustin Dugas, are extremely able forces to be reckoned with in the future. If Borel and Mine That Bird win today, they will enjoy at least a year at the top of the charts. Whether Talamo or Dugas will unseat Borel in 2010, remains another mystery....

Saint Joseph's Wild Rides with Fairgrounds RaceCourse Jockey Dustin Dugas

Our “Marcel Proust Inspired” www.SaintsforSinners.com Q & A

Quick Questions & Answers Interview with

http://www.FairgroundsRaceCourse.com Apprentice Jockey Dustin Joseph Dugas

New Orleans, Lousiana

January 17, 2009

DUSTIN JOSEPH DUGAS

Dustin Dugas is a new Apprentice Jockey at the Churchill Downs Fairgrounds RaceCourse in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is 16 years old and hales from Waggaman, Louisana, where he lives with his family. Dustin was formerly racing at Louisiana Downs, where he was crowned September 2008’s Rider of the Month. As we waited to conduct this interview at the Fairgrounds, Dustin was riding “Brazen Walk” to a 2nd place finish in the 3rd race with a $2.00 “Place” ticket paying $15.40.

The Jockeys came back from the 3rd Race and we waited for Dustin to catch his breath. We noticed he watched the race on replay, shaking his head in thought as the race aired on the screen above him. The other jockeys had left the room while Dustin remained, watching the finish on his own. A few moments later, he went to get freshened up and ready to talk. We took some photos and sat down to chat. He had some extra time since he was not riding again until the 6th Race, where he would be attempting to achieve his 10th 1st Place Fairgrounds Finish aboard the Christopher McLaughlin’s Maltese Cross Stables horse, “Rhyme Royal.” After we met Dustin in the Jockey’s Chambers and sat down for a chat we explained that the reason we wanted to interview him was because we noted he wears a Saint medal on his helmet and were curious about it.

Here’s our interview:

Hello, Dustin, It’s great to meet you. SaintsforSinners.com has been a loyal fan of yours ever since we detected a Saint Medal dangling from your helmet.

Let’s get started:

1.

Q: First off, how did you get interested in horse racing:

A: We always had barrel quarter horses back when I was a kid.

2.

Q: Tell us about your first horse:

A: My first was really a pony, a paint horse. (Smiling) Her name was “Splash.” She was short and fat and I had her when I was 5, 6, 7 years old.

3.

Q: Then you got your first horse?

A: (Again Smiling Broadly) It was a big white horse named “Snowball.” After that I had my Dad’s horses.

4.

Q: When we see you in the paddock it seems there is always a saint medallion hanging from your helmet. Can you tell us about that? What Saint are you wearing on your cap while racing here at the Fairgrounds?

A: Saint Joseph.

5.

Q: What is your connection to Saint Joseph?

A: It’s my middle name. I wear it for safety.

6.

Q; Tell us when and why you first began to feel connected to Saint Joseph, ands started having him race with you.

A: I have always been wearing Saint Joseph or a Crucifix or Saint Christopher since I was kid.

7.

Q: Have they ever inspired you?

A: Yes, sir!

8.

Q: How many saints do you think there are?

A: (Laughing) I have no clue!

9.

Q: Do you have any favorites besides saint Joseph and saint Christopher?

A: Not really.

10.

Q: Let’s play a game where you name the first 5 Saints that pop into your head:

A: I only know saints Joseph and Christopher. Oh and Saint Michael.

11.

Q: Do you remember ever saying the prayer that goes something like this: “Saint Anthony, Anthony, come on down; something’s lost that must be found!”

A: No, sir.

When we finished we handed Dustin http://www.saintsforsinners.com/ medal packages, one of
saint George,
the patron of horses. It was very interesting that when the package was opened the hand-painted medallion was of a
"big white horse,"
much like Dustin's childhood friend/horse, Sonwball. We also gave Dustin 3 version of our saint Joseph the Worker medals and one was just like the medal on his helmet.

We were getting ready to leave when veteran Fairgrounds Race Course Jockey Lonnie Meche appeared and we were introduced. Asked about Dustin Dugas here is what Lonnie had to say:

“It’s nice to work with one of the upcoming stars. Dustin is always very professional. He’s quiet, he pays attention, and he listens.”

Follow Up:

On his next mount after this interview, Dustin Dugas rode Trainer Harry L. Hahn, III’s and owner Christopher McLaughlin’s “Rhyme Royal” to victory in the 6th Race. He won his 10th First Place Finish at the Fairgrounds. We were, along with his Saint Joseph, with him all the way. A two dollar bet paid $ 12.60 and a two dollar 9,2,7,8 “Superfecta” paid
$23,894.20!
We were happy to cash in our winning tickets but missed on the big Superfecta payoff.

SaintsforSinners.com would like to thank Dustin Dugas,
the Fairgrounds Race Course personnel,
and jockey
Lonnie Meche,
all for being so generous with their time as we satisfied our curiousity concerning what saint medal Dustin Dugas wears.
We also thank Saint Joseph the Worker!