Preview Racing


Evangeline Downs Ends Fall Quarter Horse Meet with Stakes Extravaganza
Fastest qualifier Quite Riot will head the $100,000-added Evangeline Downs Futurity on the tracks closing card Saturday night.

© Coady Photography
Evangeline Downs Ends Fall Quarter Horse Meet with Stakes Extravaganza

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

OPELOUSAS, LA—DECEMBER 15, 2014—A total of four official stakes, including the 400-yard, $100,000-added Evangeline Downs Futurity, will be contested at Evangeline Downs, as the track ends its 46-night Quarter Horse meet with a 12-race program.

Post time for the first race is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. (CST).

Evangeline Downs Futurity

Quite Riot, the fastest qualifier, is coming off of a convincing 1 3/4-length victory in the sixth of nine trials for his owner, Luis Gutierrez-Perry. A Swingin Jess colt trained by Rodolfo Sanchez, Quite Riot has won two of eight starts and has earned $17,820 while racing exclusively in Louisiana.

Manuel Garcia will ride Quite Riot from post 10 in the Evangeline Downs Futurity final.

Narciso Flores’ Hezadashinbye, a homebred colt by champion Tempting Dash trained by Christian Rubalcava, is the lone stakes winner in the 10-horse field. Hezadashinbye has banked $145,362 from five starts, and his three wins include a head victory in the July 4, $278,000 Firecracker Futurity (G2) at Delta Downs.

The eighth-fastest qualifier, Hezadashinbye has drawn post 9 and will be ridden by David Alvarez.

The complete lineup for the Evangeline Downs Futurity, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. Gagastoasttobliss (Patrick Watson)
  2. Jess Cutnup Quick (Julian Cantu)
  3. Zimpool (Gilbert Ortiz)
  4. Zoomin Baby (John Hamilton)
  5. WW Showtime (G.R. Carter Jr.)
  6. NCC Game On (Francisco Calderon)
  7. Sunny And 75 (Tami Purcell)
  8. Fasttimeswith Redoak (Luis Vivanco)
  9. Hezadashinbye (David Alvarez)
  10. Quite Riot (Manuel Garcia).

Evangeline Downs Derby

Also on Saturday, a full field of 10 3-year-olds has been entered back in the $75,000-added Evangeline Downs Derby.

Rodney Verret’s Cartels Fortune has won her last three starts. © Coady Photography
Rodney Verret’s Cartels Fortune, a Carters Cartel filly conditioned by Kenneth Roberts Sr., has won her last three starts, including the last of four trials on November 29. Cartels Fortune placed second in last year’s De Saix Stakes at Fair Grounds Racecourse in New Orleans.

Other contenders in the 400-yard stakes include The Eagle Express. A gray son of One Famous Eagle racing for Mary G. Lynne Thompson from the barn of Larry Kopycinski, the gelding has won four of 17 outs and has banked $52,816, and his season record includes a second-place finish to Separatist Firstdown in the July 5, $138,000 Firecracker Derby (G3) at Delta Downs.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. The Eagle Express (Gilbert Ortiz)
  2. Im Carvin Waves (Randy Edison)
  3. Jess Like Zoom (Tami Purcell)
  4. T Boy G (David Alvarez)
  5. Cartels Fortune (Patrick Watson)
  6. Here O Beduino (Raul Ramirez Jr.)
  7. Firstdowndash Cartel (Donell Blake)
  8. MDT Backstreet Bully (Jorge Linares)
  9. Powerful Feature (Francisco Calderon)
  10. Sir Prize (Dennis Means).

Sam’s Town Stakes

Weetona Stanley’s First Prize Shaunda, a homebred 4-year-old PYC Paint Your Wagon mare and a graded stakes winner during the Remington Park spring meet, heads a field of 10 sprinters in Saturday’s 350-yard, $25,000 Sam’s Town Stakes.

Weetona Stanley's First Prize Shaunda will head the Sam's Town Stakes. © Reed Palmer Photography
First Prize Shaunda drew the rail post and will be making her first start since May 25, when she ran third in the 350-yard, $74,250 Easy Date Handicap (R) at Remington. The mare won two of her three outs during the spring season, including the 350-yard, $56,300 Decketta Stakes (G3) for distaffers on March 29.

The complete lineup for the Sam’s Town Stakes, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. First Prize Shaunda (John Hamilton)
  2. JJs Black Lace (Saul Ramirez Jr.)
  3. Dashin Brown Streak (Gilbert Ortiz)
  4. Charal Kid (Martin Rubalcava)
  5. LD Streakin N Leavin (Antonio Alberto)
  6. Lets Jess Do It (David Alvarez)
  7. King Of The Bunnys (Zacharie Kelsey)
  8. FDD Going Grand (Jose Vega)
  9. Jesastar (Mario Trujillo)
  10. Patriots Toast (Raul Ramirez Jr.).

IP 870 Stakes

Keepn It Kool and Worlds On High, a pair of Louisiana-bred geldings will renew their rivalry in Saturday’s 870-yard, $25,000 IP 870 Stakes.

David Lee Vance's Keepn It Kool will face Worlds On High in the IP 870 Stakes © Coady Photography
A 5-year-old First To Shine gelding owned by David Lee Vance and trained by Danny Joe Eldridge, Keepn It Kool pinned a 1 3/4-length defeat on World On High in the November 22, 870-yard Races N Aces Stakes (R) at Evangeline Downs. Worlds On High, an 8-year-old son of Game Patriot campaigned by Kris Locklear from the barn of Vann Haywood, has earned $63,180 from seven races this season, and his three wins include a wire-to-wire victory in the June 6, $30,000 Virgil Bond 870 Stakes at Delta Downs.

Worlds On High drew the rail post and will be ridden by Dennis Means, while Keepn It Kool will be ridden by John Hamilton from post 5.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. Worlds On High (Dennis Means)
  2. Wakeup N Dash (Zacharie Kelsey)
  3. Slinky Red (Dale Beaty)
  4. T Boy P (Donell Blake)
  5. Keepn It Kool (John Hamilton)
  6. Call Me Cajun Pie (Orlando Baldillez)
  7. Downtown Forrest (Jake Pierce)
  8. McM Zuper Man (David Alvarez).

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All Evangeline Downs races can be seen at Q-RacingVideo.com.