Fair Grounds Summer Meet Opens with LQHBA Sale Futurity Trials

Louisiana Juvenile Invitational Stakes winner Second Down Leaving will be among hopefuls in Friday's 350-yard LQHBA Sale Futurity (RG1) trials at Fair Grounds Race Course.

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NEW ORLEANS, LA—AUGUST 14, 2017—Fair Grounds Racecourse will open its 10-day summer Quarter Horse meet with a 10-race program consisting of 350-yard LQHBA Sale Futurity (RG1) trials on Friday.

Post time for the first of 10 trials is set for 12:30 p.m. (CDT). The last heat is scheduled to go off at 4:33.

Second Down Leaving, a stakes-winning Coronas Leaving You colt trained by Javier Contreras for owners Eulalio Argote and Victor Alvarado, drew post 8 and will be ridden by Manuel Gutierrez in the third trial. Second Down Leaving has won both of his starts, including the 350-yard, $50,000 Louisiana Juvenile Invitational Stakes (R) at Delta Downs on July 8, and he has earned $37,200.

Rogelio Marquez Jr.’s TF El Whiskey, a multiple graded stakes placed son of Sir Runaway Dash trained by Martin Trejo, drew post 5 and will be ridden by Jorge Linares in the second heat. The gray colt is coming off of a third-place finish, 1 1/2 lengths behind winner Dashinunder Afullmoon, in the 350-yard, $705,000 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1) at Delta Downs on July 8.

Pete Scarmardo’s Shez Dead Serious is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the eighth trial. A sorrel Swingin Jess filly trained by Larry Kopycinski, Shez Dead Serious has won one of four starts and has earned $46,128, and she has finished third in two stakes, including the 330-yard, $322,000 Louisiana Breeders’ Lassie Futurity (RG2) at Delta Downs on May 19.

Gilbert Ortiz will ride Shez Dead Serious on Friday.

The 10 fastest qualifiers will meet in the $150,000-added LQHBA Sale Futurity final on closing day, September 9.