Millionaire Mobile Bay is Classic favorite on Louisiana Legends Night

OPELOUSAS, LA – Evangeline Downs will be hosting Louisiana Legends Night this coming Saturday featuring the best Louisiana-bred horses currently in training competing against each other. There will be eight stakes races on the nine-race card with total purses of $600,000.

The $100,000 Classic for three-year-olds and up is the highlight event on Louisiana Legends Night with a field of seven going 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

The 8-5 morning-line favorite is Mobile Bay, who has won five consecutive stakes races entering Saturday night and has career earnings of more than $1.2 million. Diego Saenz, who was aboard for all five of those victories, will have the riding assignment for trainer Victor Arceneaux.

The Karl Broberg trainee, Social Misfit, is the 3-1 second choice following a win and a third in his last two starts at Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma.

The $75,000 Distaff for fillies and mares three-year-olds and up will feature a field of eight going 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The field includes Pacific Pink, who is the defending Distaff champion and the 9-5 morning-line favorite. Colby Hernandez, who piloted the mare to victory in 2017, will once again be aboard for trainer Edward Johnston. Pacific Pink has won five of six lifetime starts over the Evangeline Downs oval and ran second in her only defeat. The 3-1 second choice in the Distaff is Mr. Al’s Gal from the barn of Justin Jeansonne. The four-year-old filly won multiple stakes races in 2017, but has yet to win in three starts in 2018.

Evangeline Downs has had a successful return of turf racing in 2018 and two of the Louisiana Legends stakes races will be run on the grass Saturday night. The $50,000 Starter for three-year-olds and up will be at one mile on the turf and the 17-time winner, Well’s Gold, from the barn of Karl Broberg has been installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the field of nine. The $75,000 Turf , also for three-year-olds and up, will be at 1 1/16 miles and drew a field of six. The 9-5 morning-line choice is Extra Credit, who is trained by Brad Cox and will be ridden on Saturday by Shaun Bridgmohan.

Three-year-olds always step to the forefront of racing in the spring and there will be two races on Louisiana Legends Night exclusively for that age group. The $75,000 Cheval for colts and geldings will be run at one mile over the main track and the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the field of seven is Battle At Sea, who won the Crescent City Derby at Fair Grounds in his last start on March 24. The $75,000 Soiree at one mile on the main track for fillies features a field of eight and the 8-5 morning-line choice is Testing One Two, who prevailed in her last try at Fair Grounds in the Crescent City Oaks, also on March 24.

The sprinters have their moments to shine on Louisiana Legends Night as well. The $75,000 Mademoiselle for fillies and mares three-year-olds and up will be at five and one-half furlongs and the 3-1 morning-line favorite is the Larry Jones trainee, Ours To Run, who won the $120,000 Matron on Premier Night at Delta Downs. The $75,000 Sprint for three-year-olds and up at five and one-half furlongs drew a full field of twelve with two also-eligibles. The 3-1 favorite is Monte Man, who is undefeated in three 2018 starts, winning two stakes races in that streak.

In addition to the exciting racing action, Louisiana Legends Night also includes some legendary Louisiana riders on hand for an autograph session from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame riders, Eddie Delahoussaye and Randy Romero, will be among those signing autographs. Ray Sibille, who won the George Woolf Award and is a current trainer at Evangeline Downs, and Mark Guidry, a current steward at Evangeline Downs, will also be taking part. Delahoussaye, Romero and Guidry are all members of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

College students who will be enrolled full-time in the fall of 2018 can win one of two $1,000 scholarships on Louisiana Legends Night. Registration begins at 4:40 p.m. and the drawing will take place after Saturday’s fifth race.

Post time for the nine-race Louisiana Legends Program on Saturday night will be 5:50 p.m. CT.