Preview Racing


Open Me A Corona is Morning-Line Choice for Delta’s John Alleman Memorial
Charles Forbes Jr. and Tommy Hays Open Me A Corona will head the 50,000 John Alleman Memorial Stakes (RG3) at Delta Downs Friday night.

© Coady Photography
Open Me A Corona is Morning-Line Choice for Delta’s John Alleman Memorial

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

VINTON, LA—APRIL 18, 2016—Open Me A Corona will return to Louisiana-bred competition as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Friday’s 350-yard, $50,000 John Alleman Memorial Stakes (RG3) at Delta Downs.

A 6-year-old Coronas Leaving You stallion trained by Bobby Martinez for owners Charles Forbes Jr. and Tommy Hays, Open Me A Corona made his season debut with a third-place finish, a half of a length behind winner AJs High, in the 350-yard, $50,000 Eastex Stakes (G2) at Remington Park on March 13. The stallion was coming off of a 5-year-old campaign during which he won all six of his outs and banked $222,000.

Open Me A Corona drew post 7 and will be ridden by David Alvarez. His nine opponents include Joel Galindo’s Scoopies Leaving You, a 5-year-old son of Coronas Leaving You trained by Kevin Broussard. The stallion opened his 2016 season with three consecutive stakes victories during the Louisiana Downs summer meet.

Donald Watson will ride Scoopies Leaving You from post 6.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds--

  1. Louisiana Jambalaya (John Hamilton), 8-1
  2. Heza Louisiana Dash (Gilbert Ortiz), 7-2
  3. My Favorite Blue (Martin Rubalcava), 6-1
  4. Firefly Fortune (Jorge Linares), 15-1
  5. Strong Guns (Rene Gutierrez), 15-1
  6. Scoopies Leaving You (Donald Watson), 7-2
  7. Open Me A Corona (David Alvarez), 9-5
  8. LD Streakin N Leavin (Alfonso Lujan), 15-1
  9. Zoominforgrady (Jose A. Rodriguez), 30-1
  10. First Prize Laikyn (Arturo Carrillo), 30-1.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Old South Derby Trials

Also on Friday, a total of 41 3-year-olds has been entered in five 350-yard Old South Derby trials.

Hector Salinas’ Catching Fire Corona, a homebred Fire And Corona gelding trained by Willie Simien Jr., will make his sophomore debut from post 8 in the fifth heat. Catching Fire Corona is coming off of a 2-year-old campaign in which he banked $58,896 from four outs and ran second in the December 19, $258,000 Evangeline Downs Futurity.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $25,000-added Old South Derby final on May 13.

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