GRAND PRAIRIE – Highs and lows define horse racing.

Rarely, however, do radical swings of fate crash into each other as they did to jockey Julien Leparoux and trainer Martin Wolfson on Monday at Lone Star Park.

Leparoux was in the midst of winning three of four races, including the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap on the Wolfson-trained It's a Bird after a riveting stretch duel with Jonesboro.

The race before, Leparoux was on Flibberjibit, a 5-year-old mare also trained by Wolfson who pulled up on the first turn in the Ouija Board Distaff and had to be carted off in a van with a serious left-hind leg fracture. Flibberjibit was euthanized at the barn, according to racing officials.

Highs and lows.

"Exactly," said Leparoux, 25. "That's all about racing. I had an incredible day, but it would be better if the filly was OK."

For Wolfson, the day could not have been more bittersweet. His horse won the biggest race on the biggest day for the sport in Texas. It's a Bird fended off a ferocious run by Jonesboro. The two were noses apart for most of the stretch before heavy favorite It's a Bird prevailed by a head.

"Today really tested him," Wolfson said. "I was really more impressed with this than some of his bigger wins."

It's a Bird was coming off wins in the Oaklawn Handicap in his last out and, three races back, the Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream. He won those races by a combined 11 lengths, including a 6-length win over Jonesboro in Arkansas.

This time, Jonesboro made It's a Bird sweat until the end.

"He showed a lot of heart," Leparoux said. "The other horse came back on us and passed us back, then he [It's a Bird] dug in again and we pass him back at the wire, which is the most important part of the race, I guess."

Most people would agree.

And so, on the richest day of racing in Texas, the wealth was not spread around. Leparoux won the $400,000 handicap in addition to the $200,000 Grade 3 Dallas Turf Cup aboard Seaspeak and $100,000 Valid Expectations Stakes with Pious Ashley, also trained by Wolfson.

The downer to Texas Million Day was the misstep by Flibberjibit, who had won eight of 18 career races and was the favorite in the Ouija Board.

"She probably just made a bad step and broke her leg," Leparoux said. "That's just bad luck. That's very sad. It's the bad part of this business."

Missing 4,000: Robby Albarado hoped to make Lone Star Park the backdrop for his latest milestone.

The jockey flew in for Lone Star Million Day with 3,998 career wins and had a mount in all six of the stakes races.

He left Texas with 3,998 wins. He had two seconds and two thirds.

Huge race: Wasted Tears won the Grade 3 Ouija Board Distaff Handicap in a sizzling course record, covering a mile on the turf in 1:32.81.

It was just over a second off the world record.

The key to her greatness? Rest, owner and trainer Bart Evans said.

"She had almost a seven-month layoff and came back here and won," Evans said of an allowance race at Lone Star on May 8. "There wasn't anything wrong with her. I just think they've got to have some R and R. See a little green grass and enjoy life. And she always runs well fresh.

"You want to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week?"