Jesus Villarreal’s Soft On The Freight recorded the fastest time in the Mardi Gars Futurity schooling races at Louisiana Downs February 12.

© Hodges Photography / Ann Switalski

BOSSIER CITY, LA—MARCH 1, 2021—A total of 170 state-bred 2-year-olds, all of whom will be making their first career starts, are entered in Saturday’s 300-yard Mardi Gras Futurity (RG2) trials at Louisiana Downs.

Post time for the first of 17 heats is set for 11 a.m. (CST). The last trial is scheduled to go off at 5:24 p.m.

Eighteen 220-yard training races for 2-year-olds were contested at Louisiana Downs on February 13. Jesus Villarreal’s Soft On The Freight, a bay daughter of Freighttrain B trained by Luis Martinez, recorded the fastest winning time from the schooling races, as the filly defeated The Rogue Warrior by a neck in :12.126 under jockey David Alvarez in the sixth training race. Soft On The Freight was a $6,500 purchase at last year’s Louisiana QHBA Yearling Sale.

Soft On The Freight drew post 8 and will be ridden by David Alvarez in the 10th of 17 trials.

The Rogue Warrior posted the second-fastest time -- :12.185 -- from the February 13 training races. An $18,000 buy at last year’s LQHBA Yearling Sale, the Jet Black Patriot colt is trained by Yoni R. Martinez for owners Tomas Saenz III and Sergio Perez.

The Rogue Warrior drew post 9 and will be ridden by Ricardo Hernandez Jr. in the 11th heat.

Luis Martinez will also send out Goat and JRS Carters Baby G in the Mardi Gras Futurity trials. A sorrel son of Open Me A Corona owned by Ofelia Rodriguez, Goat was a $5,500 yearling purchase. The colt won the ninth schooling race by two lengths in :12.210.

Goat drew post 3 and will be ridden by Jose Ariel Rodriguez in the 15th trial.

JRS Carters Baby G also races for Ofelia Rodriguez. A daughter of champion Carters Cartel, the bay filly won the 13th training race by 1 1/4 lengths in :12.282.

JRS Carters Baby G drew the rail post and will be ridden by Jose Ariel Rodriguez in the 16th heat.

The 10 fastest qualifiers from Saturday’s trials will meet in the March 27, $325,000-est. Mardi Gras Futurity final.