Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeder Association

News - Preview April 29, 2024

Eleven LQHBA Million Futurity Trials Set for Friday at Evangeline Downs

Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1) winner one Sweet Sugar will head 11 trials for the $1-million Louisiana QHBA Million Futurity (RG1) on Friday at Evangeline Downs.

© Coady Photography

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

OPELOUSAS, LA–NOVEMBER 21, 2023–Eleven 400-yard trials for the state's richest Quarter Horse race, the $1-million Louisiana QHBA Million Futurity (RG1), will be contested Friday at Evangeline Downs.

Post time for the first heat is set for 5 p.m. (CST). The last trial is scheduled to go off at 9:10.

One Sweet Sugar, a homebred daughter of One Sweet Jess racing for Rogelio Marquez Jr., comes off of a Delta Downs meet during which she won all four of her starts, including the 330-yard, $327,000 Louisiana Breeders' Lassie Futurity (RG2) for state-bred fillies on May 27, and the 350-yard, $625,000 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1) on July 15. All told, the filly has won four of six outs and has earned $514,788 to top all LQHBA Million hopefuls.

One Sweet Sugar drew post 5 and will be ridden by Jasiel Aquino in the fifth trial.

Other prominent Louisiana-bred juveniles entered in Friday's trials include Party Tyme Racing's Eyesa Freighttrain B and Bryan L. Gunder's One Cool Corona. A graded stakes winning son of Freighttrain B, Eyesa Freighttrain B returns to Louisiana off of his fourth-place finish, a three-quarters of a length behind winner RJ Having Fun, in the 400-yard, $449,000 Dash For Cash Futurity (G1) on October 7 at Lone Star Park.

The colt has banked $291,794 from six races, and his three wins include a three-quarter length victory in the May 27, $280,000 Louisiana Breeders' Laddie Futurity (RG2) for state-bred colts and geldings at Delta Downs.

Eyesa Freighttrain B drew post 4 and will be ridden by Sabino Reyes for trainer Jose R. Espinosa.

A $33,000 purchase at last year's LQHBA Yearling Sale, One Cool Corona is a son of Open Me A Corona trained by Santiago Villaseca. The bay colt will be making his first start since September 2, when he scored an upset victory in the 350-yard, $449,000 LQHBA Sale Futurity (RG1) at Delta Downs.

One Cool Corona drew post 3 and will be ridden by J.R. Ramirez in the third heat.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the December 16 LQHBA Million Futurity final.

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

LQHBA is the official authorized representative of the American Quarter Horse racing and breeding industry in Louisiana, the unified voice of quarter Horse breedings in the State of Louisiana for purposes of communicatting the advantages and rewards of breeding Quarter Horses in the State and for the purposes of a conducting and coordinating activities with breeding and racing agencies.