2008- We will be updating on stakes horses and special winners in the news section. Please click on PROGENY UPDATES for complete progeny reports.

12/8/07 - Charles A. Castille, Jr.’s 4-year-old colt, Costa Rising by Royal Strand , wins his second consecutive LOUISIANA CHAMPIONS DAY CLASSIC in a 15 + length romp! He is out the the List mare Gal's List and was bred by Double Dam Farm, LLC. This is his fourth stakes win in 2007.
Lifetiime: 22 14-1-3 $861,366

Costa Rising continued his ascent up the ranks of Louisiana’s all-time great horses on Saturday when he opened a clear lead and easily dispatched four opponents in a 15¼-length romp in the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds. “I don’t want to take anything from the rest of the field, but it ended up being just a workout,” winning jockey Robby Albarado said. “I just hand rode him to the finish.”

The Classic was the richest of seven stakes worth a cumulative $750,000 for state-bred Thoroughbreds on the Louisiana Champions Day card. Costa Rising scored for the second straight year in the 11⁄8-mile race as he covered the distance in a stakes record 1:50.76 on a fast track, eclipsing the previous mark of 1:50.99 set by Oak Hall in 2001.

The four-year-old Royal Strand (Ire) colt increased his career bankroll to $861,366, moving him into sixth place on the all-time list of leading Louisiana-bred earners. Costa Rising passed icons Dixie Poker Ace ($850,127) and Free Spirit’s Joy ($841,276). Grade 1 winner Happy Ticket leads all Louisiana-breds with $1,688,838 in career earnings. Sent off as the 2-to-5 favorite,

Costa Rising entered off a front-running 2½-length victory in the Gold Cup Stakes on November 17 at Delta Downs. In the Classic, he spurted to a clear lead, powered to a six-length advantage in early stretch, and increased his lead through the final furlong. “Not only is he the best Louisiana-bred I’ve ever trained, I make him maybe the best Louisiana-bred ever,” trainer Glenn Delahoussaye said. “The numbers speak for themselves. I think he will prove that if we get another year of longevity out of him.”

11/17/07 - Charles A. Castille, Jr.’s 4-year-old colt, Costa Rising by Royal Strand , won his second consecutive $100,000 Gold Cup Stakes at Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel on Saturday night.

Costa Rising battled for the lead with Southern Invasion through the first half of Saturday’s feature before edging clear of his rival entering the second turn. When he reached mid-stretch, he was four lengths clear of Southern Invasion before jockey Kerwin Clark geared him down. At the finish line the dark bay or brown runner was 2-1/2 lengths clear of Southern Invasion with Magic Sunset another 1-1/2 lengths back in third.

Costa Rising covered the 1 1/16-mile distance of the Gold Cup in a time of 1:44.96 over a fast track.

The win by Costa Rising, who is trained by Glenn Delahoussaye, marked the 13th of his 21 race career. The effort put another $60,000 in his bankroll, which stood at $771,366 after the race was made official.

Sent to the gate as the heavy favorite at odds of 2-5, Costa Rising paid $2.80 to win and $2.10 to place. Southern Invasion was worth $3.40 to place. There was no show wagering in the Gold Cup due to the short six-horse field.