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Delta Downs Ends Quarter Horse Meet with Stakes Bonanza


Undefeated Lassie Futurity winner Dashnunder Afullmoon will face a strong field in Saturday's $705,495 Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity (RG1).

© Coady Photography

BY MICHAEL CUSORTELLI

VINTON, LA—JULY 6, 2017—Delta Downs will end its Quarter Horse season with a 12-race program on Saturday. Post time for the first race is set for 5:45 p.m. (CDT).

Delta’s closing-night card will feature seven official Louisiana-bred stakes worth more than $1.25 million in purses, headlined by the 350-yard, $705,495 Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity (RG1), which honors the late founder of the track. Ten state-bred juveniles have entered back in the Lee Berwick, topped by fastest qualifier Dashnunder Afullmoon.

Trained by Jose Sanchez for owner Rogelio Marquez Jr., Dashnunder Afullmoon has won all three of her starts, including the 330-yard, $322,000 Louisiana Breeders’ Lassie Futurity (RG2) on May 19. The brown daughter of Heza Fast Dash drew post 10 and will be ridden by Eddie Sanchez.

Jose Sanchez will also send out Ttt Kas, a multiple graded stakes placed filly by Kas I Said So owned by Jorge Meraz. Ttt Kas has earned $98,761 from five outs, and her resume includes a second-place finish in the Louisiana Breeders’ Lassie Futurity and a third-place run in the 300-yard, $272,000 Mardi Gras Futurity (RG2) at Louisiana Downs in March.

Ttt Kas drew post 5 and will be ridden by Gilbert Ortiz.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. Dashing Forthe Money (Noe Castaneda)
  2. Angiesprizedpatriot (Donald Guynes)
  3. You Drive I Fly (Donald Watson)
  4. Tg Toy (Jose A. Rodriguez)
  5. Ttt Kas (Gilbert Ortiz)
  6. Fabulously Black (David Alvarez)
  7. Heza Cat (Rolando Cabrera)
  8. Eye Am Sizzlin (Juan C. Garcia)
  9. Tf El Whiskey (Jorge Linares)
  10. Dashnunder Afullmoon (Eddie Sanchez).

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Delta Downs Derby (RG3)

Rosalio Espinosa’s Zooboo is one of 10 sophomores entered back in Saturday’s 400-yard, $257,160 Delta Downs Derby (RG3) for Louisiana-breds.

A gelded son of Coronas Leaving You trained by Martin Trejo, Zooboo has won two stakes at this distance this season, the March 18, $94,000 Mardi Gras Derby (R) at Louisiana Downs, and the May 20, $50,000 Vinton Stakes (R) at Delta Downs. Zooboo drew post 5 and will be ridden by Jorge Linares.

Zooboo’s nine opponents include fastest qualifier No Politics Here, a sorrel son of champion Jess Louisiana Blue trained by Kenneth Roberts Sr. for Robert Holland’s TM Ranch. No Politics Here has won three of eight starts and has banked $29,106, and he was a finalist in the Mardi Gras Derby.

No Politics Here drew post 8 and will be ridden by Noe Castaneda.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. San Lorenzo Corona (Eddie Sanchez)
  2. Jrs Coronas Shadow (David Alvarez)
  3. One Hot Flame (Manuel Gutierrez)
  4. Shez The Bomb (Damian Martinez)
  5. Zooboo (Jorge Linares)
  6. Lightemupwithcharm (Santiago Mendez)
  7. First Prize Bourban (Donald Watson)
  8. No Politics Here (Noe Castaneda)
  9. Tf Racee Runaway (John Hamilton)
  10. Shatto Stoli (Jesse Levario).

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Louisiana Classic Stakes (RG2)

TM Ranch’s Heza Louisiana Dash will seek his third stakes win of the meet in Saturday’s 440-yard, $100,000 Louisiana Classic Stakes (RG2).

A 5-year-old Heza Fast Dash gelding trained by Kenneth Roberts Sr., Heza Louisiana Dash will be stretching out in distance off of his three-quarter length victory in the 400-yard, $60,000 Vals Fortune Stakes (RG2) on June 3. The gelding has won six of his 10 starts at Delta but will be seeking his first-ever victory at the classic quarter-mile distance in this race.

Heza Louisiana Dash drew post 8 and will be ridden by Gilbert Ortiz. His nine opponents include Heza Bell Perry, a 6-year-old son of Heza Fast Dash owned and trained by Javier Contreras. Heza Bell Perry brings in a three-race winning streak that includes a half-length victory in the 550-yard, $25,000 Delta 550 Stakes on May 12, and a three-quarter length score in the 550-yard, $20,000 Harris County Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park on March 31.

Heza Bell Perry has won five of his eight starts at the 440-yard trip. The gelding drew post 4 and will be ridden by Alfonso Lujan.

The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments--

  1. Magic Black Jack (Everardo Rodriguez)
  2. Coronas Statement (Rolando Cabrera)
  3. Jls Dashn And Zoomn (Jose A. Rodriguez)
  4. Heza Bell Perry (Alfonso Lujan)
  5. Strong Guns (Damian Martinez)
  6. Jess A Saint (Santiago Mendez)
  7. Who Jack (Osdany P. Leal)
  8. Jes A Fast Dasher (David Alvarez)
  9. Heza Louisiana Dash (Gilbert Ortiz)
  10. Icanonlyemagine (Noe Castaneda).

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Four other stakes will be contested at Delta Downs on Saturday. Seven state-bred distance specialists, including defending champion B And G Fast Dash, have been entered in the 870-yard, $50,000 Live Oak Stakes (R). Trained by Kenneth Roberts Sr. for owners Oscar Rohne and Mary G. Thompson, B And G Fast Dash made his 5-year-old season debut with a third-place finish, 2 1/4 lengths behind winner Bet I Make U Famous, in the 870-yard, $25,000 Virgil Bond Stakes on June 2. The Heza Fast Dash gelding drew post 2 and will be ridden by Donald Watson.

Joel Galindo’s Scoopies Leaving You is one of 10 Louisiana-bred sprinters entered in the 220-yard, $50,000 Flying Breed Stakes (R). Trained by Kevin Broussard, the 6-year-old Coronas Leaving You stallion is coming off of a nose victory in the 250-yard, $20,000 Delta Dash Stakes (R) on April 21. Scoopies Leaving You drew post 2 and will be ridden by Donald Watson.

Saturday’s 330-yard, $50,000 Flashy Hemp Stakes (R) has drawn a full field of 10 Louisiana-bred distaffers, topped by Jet Black Rogue, a 4-year-old Jet Black Patriot mare trained by Michael Taylor for owner David Dunn. Jet Black Rogue is coming off of a 3-year-old campaign during which she scored a half-length win in the 400-yard, $275,000 LQHBA Derby (R) at Evangeline Downs. The mare will be ridden by John Hamilton from post 4.

Shez Dead Serious, a sorrel daughter of Swingin Jess trained by Brian Stroud for Pete Scarmardo of Caldwell, Texas, drew post 5 for Saturday’s 350-yard, $50,000 Louisiana Juvenile Stakes (R). The filly has won two of three starts and has earned $29,321, and her resume includes a third-place finish, a neck behind winner Dashnunder Afullmoon, in the May 19, $322,000 Louisiana Breeders’ Lassie Futurity (RG2). Gilbert Ortiz will ride Shez Dead Serious.

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


Courtesy Ses