BALTIMORE, Md.--Bernie Houghton saddled Douglas W. Gibson's Moon Chant to win a $24,000. 1 1/16 mile Claiming race on the turf for fillies and mares but lost her to a $12,500 claim to M3 Stable.
Moon Chant winning at Pimlico (Photo by Jim McCue)"I didn't think she'd get claimed," said Houghton. "Grass horses don't run that much. But losing her is just part of the business. We bought her from her breeder, Ed Graham. She really likes the grass."
Moon Chant, a 6-year-old, has started 29 times with four wins, six seconds and six thirds, and this was her first start this year.
"She was the only horse Doug had," said Houghton. "He did say he wanted another horse, so we'll either sell him one or we'll claim one for him."
AMIGO TUNE, bred and owned by Houghton's mother Betsy, won a $28,000, 6 furlong Allowance race at Penn National on April 11, beating her stable mate Seeking the Dream by 1 1/4 lengths.
"Mom had a good night," said Houghton. "She was first and second. Amigos Tune has done real good for us. This was her second win this year. She stated out running in claiming races, but she's just gotten better and better.
Amigos Tune, a 6-year old, now has started 18 times with six wins, three seconds and three thirds.
Houghton saddled another homebred of his mother's, the 3-year-old Traders Luck, to win his first start, a $31,600, 5 1/2 furlong Maiden Special Weight back on April 7.
"This one Mom bred out of one of her better mares, Deanies Dancer," said Houghton. "But I can't seem to find another race for him. I'm looking for an allowance. I think he wants to go farther, but not yet."
GRAHAM MOTION saddled Flaxman Holdings LLC's homebred White Winged Dove to win a $79,000, 1 mile Maiden Special Weight for fillies and mares 3 and up at Keeneland on April 9.
This was White Winged Dove's first start this year, and she now has started four times with one win and one third.
Motion also saddled Brownstead Farm's homebred Drakesboro Wildcat to win a $29,322, 1 1/16 mile Maiden Claiming race at Pimlico on April 25.
Drakesboro Wildcat now has one first and one third from six starts.
ELIZABETH MERRYMAN saddled Ellendale Racing LLC's homebred Touch Me Not to win a $20,000, 7 furlong Waiver Maiden Claiming race at Parx back in March.
From 11 starts, Touch Me Not has now won once with three seconds and one third,
