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Leading Connections Bring Strong Entries to Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity Trials on March 2


Tressels Going Grand, the 2-1 morning line favorite in the eighth trial, has the same connections as last year's Harrah's Entertainment Futurity(G3) winner Going Noble.



BOSSIER CITY, LA—FEBRUARY 26, 2019—The 2019 Quarter Horse stakes schedule at Louisiana Downs continues with trials for the $254,070 Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity (G3) on Saturday, March 2. Nine trials will determine the field for the 300-yard final to be held on Wednesday, March 20.

Seventy-five 2-year-olds will make their career debuts in Saturday’s trials.

Trainer Lanny Keith and jockey Everado Rodriguez paired up to win the 2018 edition of this race with Going Noble, bred and owned by Mercy Hinklins Horse Farm. The same connections bring #7 Tressels Going Grand, the 2-1 morning line favorite, in the eighth race. Like the 2018 winner, Tressels Going Grand is a son of FDD Going Grand. The gelding won his training race at Louisiana Downs on February 8.

Keith, second leading trainer of the current meet and Rodriguez, the defending leading jockey at Louisiana Downs who is currently in the lead for the 2019 meet, will also team up on #7 Seis Train B to the second trial. The 7-5 morning line favorite won his training race earlier this month.

The fifth trial appears to be one of the deeper races of the card. The leading rider of the 2018 Evangeline Downs meet, Luis Vivanco, picks up the mount on #3 Th La Jolla Seis, who posted a bullet work in January. She is joined by #7 Bravisima, the 5-2 favorite with second leading jockey John Hamilton aboard, and a 20-1 longshot on the outside with a chance to upset, #9 Pop The Bubbly.

Pop The Bubbly’s dam is Champagne Fame, a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner Kendall Jackson and a half-sister to 2009 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Alice K White. Trainer Trey Ellis has a 38% win rate at the current Louisiana Downs meet and wins at 14% with first-time starters.

In the opening race on the card, #4 A Painted Dynasty (4-1) also offers an intriguing pedigree; the FDD Dynasty colt is out of Third Painted Sign, a full sister to multiple stakes winner First Painted Sign and Signs Zoomer. Signs Zoomer is the dam of Wagon Tales, third in both the Heritage Place Futurity (G1) and the All American Futurity (G1) in 2015, and multiple stakes winner The Fiscal Cliff, the top money-earning progeny of Pyc Paint Your Wagon.

The morning line favorite in the third trial is Kenny Roberts trainee #2 Apollitical Xpression; Roberts maintains a 10% win rate with first-time starters. Another filly worth watching in the third trial is #6 Pyc Lovestruck. The Pyc Paint Your Wagon filly is out of Lovethewayyoulie, winner of the 2014 Heritage Place Futurity (G1).

The sixth race offers a Pete Scarmardo homebred, #2 Jess Dashin Along, at 9-5 on the morning line after a bullet work at Retama. Everado Rodriguez has the call on the filly on the outside, #8 Capteena, out of multiple graded stakes placed Shescheckinumout.

Shescheckinumout is also the dam of the 2-1 favorite in the seventh race, #5 Locomotiv, a homebred for Bobby Cox who just won his training race on February 8.

The Harrah’s Entertainment Futurity trials comprise the full race card at Louisiana Downs on Saturday. Post time for the first race is 1:00 pm CT.

The Louisiana Downs live Quarter Horse racing season includes 12 stakes highlighted by the first official stake for 2-year-olds, the $100,000-added Mardi Gras Futurity on March 16. Live Quarter Horse racing continues until March 20 with live racing on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Post time is 1:00 pm CT.


Courtesy Ses