Blood Money Easily Sets Fastest Louisiana Million Time, Sets-Up Rematch With Rival San Lorenzeaux

OPELOUSAS, LA—NOVEMBER 26, 2021—Evangeline Downs held a 13-race card of qualifiers for the 2021 Louisiana Million Friday night. The finals, with the largest purse regardless of breed in Louisiana, will be contested on Saturday, December 18.

The fastest qualifier for the $1,000,000 Louisiana Million was the Rosendo Valdez, Jr. trained Blood Money.

Despite some crowding at the start, the Rojas Racing Stables LLC (Ebelyn Rojas) runner was able to get into gear and power away to an impressive two-length score. Covering the distance of 400 yards in a time of :19.634 seconds, Blood Money earned a speed index of 94 with a 2 mph tailwind. The meet’s current leading rider, Everardo Rodriguez, was in the irons for the victory.

The win by Blood Money was the sixth from seven starts and he earned $6,000 for the victory. His bankroll, padded by two prior futurity wins at Delta Downs, the Lee Berwick Futurity(RG1) and Laddie Futurity(RG2), stands at $678,142.

Bred in Louisiana by Spring Hill Farms LLC, Blood Money is a 2-year-old colt by Apollitical Blood, out of the Shazoom mare Zoom To The Money. He was purchased at the 2020 Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Yearling Sale for $17,000.

LQHBA Sale Futurity(RG1) winner San Lorenzeaux, who defeated Blood Money in the October 30th final, was an easy winner of the closing trial to qualify with the second fastest time of :19.654 seconds, a 94 speed index with no wind.

The $29,000 LQHBA Yearling Sale graduate races for owner Rogelio Marquez, Jr. and trainer Hector Alcala. Raul Ramirez, Jr. rode the Carters Cartel gelding out of Scoopie Coochie by Mr Jess Perry. Second in the Lee Berwick Futurity(RG1), to Blood Money, San Lorenzeaux has won four of six starts and earned $331,813 this year.

Put Me N Coach won the ninth trial by 1-½ lengths under jockey David Alvarez to get the third fastest time of :19.726 seconds, a 92 speed index with a 2 mph tailwind. Trainer Juan A. Carrillo, Jr. saddled the Carters Cartel gelding to his fourth career win in seven starts for owner Lorena Morales.

Bred by Shortstop Racing, from the First Prize Perry mare Alizoom, Put Me N Coach was third in the Mardi Gras Futurity(RG2) last March and a finalist in the RG1 Lee Berwick Futurity in July. The $20,000 LQHBA Yearling Sale graduate has earned nearly $70,000.

Hello Sweet One, a son of multiple stakes sire One Sweet Jess, got his second career win in eighth trial, setting the fourth fastest clocking of :19.754 seconds, a 91 speed index with a 4 mph tailwind. Under jockey Noe Castaneda, the brown gelding kicked clear off the inside rail to win by 1-½ lengths.

Bred by Mary Ellen Hickman, Hello Sweet One races for owner-trainer Leonel Hernandez. Out of the Corona Cartel mare Hello Follie, the 2-year-old has banked $17,710 in five outs.

Jorge Haddad's homebred Ultimo Alex got his second consecutive in in 10th trial to earn the fifth fastest qualifying time of :19.772 seconds, a 91 speed index with an 8 mph tailwind.

Rosendo Valdez Jr. trains the son of multiple stakes sire Inseperable from the multile stakes producing Corona Cartel mare Cindys First Cd. A three-time futurity finalist this year, Ultimo Alex has earned $56,968. Everardo Rodriguez was up.

Dianetoseparatefromu, another Inseperable 2-year-old gelding, scored a neck win over Ur Louisiana in the opening trial to get the sixth fastest time of :19.839 seconds. Noe Castaneda rode the bay gelding for owners Denis and Julie Schoenhofer.

Leonel Hernandez conditions the $12,500 LQHBA Yearling Sale Futurity graduate out of Coronas Concierge by Corona Cartel. A finalist in the Louisiana Juvenile Stakes in July, Dianetoseparatefromu has won two of seven starts and earned $16,350 this year. Eddie Cramer, Tom and Bill Maher is the breeder.

Mr Perfect Tlc, under jockey Rolando Cabrera, was a half-length winner at 22-1 in the second trial to get the seventh fastest time of :19.855 seconds, an 89 speed index with a 5 mph tailwind. Also owned by Rogelio Marquez, Jr. and trained by Hector Alcala, the bay gelding is by champion sire The Louisiana Cartel. Bred by Jorge Haddad, from the First Down Dash mare Perfection, Mr Perfect Tlc was an $8,200 repurchase at the LQHBA Yearling Sale. He has earned $24,2980 in seven starts.

Champion trainer Kenneth Roberts, Sr. saddled Mr Fast Mallard (53-1) to his first career win in the sixth trial for owner-breeder Jose Luis Perez Aguirre. Despite getting bumped at the start, the son of leading sire Heza Fast Dash posted the eighth fastest time of :19.872 seconds, with a 4 mph tailwind.

Ubaldo Luna rode the bay gelding out of Miss Mallard Structs by Strutin To Beduino. He has earned $9,080 in five starts and returned a whopping $106.60 for his trial win tonight.

The aforementioned Ur Louisiana, who finished second to fellow qualifier Dianetoseparatefromu in the first trial, held on to get the ninth fastest time of :19.891 seconds, an 88 speed index.

Trainer Kenneth Roberts, Sr. named Bobby Ransom to ride the Jess Louisiana Blue filly for owner Rogillio Farms LLC. Jumonville Farms bred the bay filly from the Walk Thru Fire mare U R Blue. She sold for $22,000 in the LQHBA Yearlling Sale.

Louisiana Tequila raced a one-length win in the third trial, under jockey Juan Garcia, Jr., to secure the 10th fastest qualifying time of :19.911 seconds with a 5 mph tailwind. Trey Ellis trains the daughter of The Louisiana Cartel for owner Gene Cox. p> Harold Jeanotte bred the $21,000 LQHBA Yearling Sale graduate from the Stoli mare Newport Lily. A winner of three of five starts this season the brown filly has earned $31,800.

For the complete list of LQHBA Million Futurity qualifiers with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.

The second ten fastest qualifiers from tonight are preferred invites to the $50,000-Guaranteed LQHBA Louisiana Million Juvenile Invitational that will also run back on Saturday, December 18th. For a list of those horses CLICK HERE.

Trainers Rosendo Valdez, Jr., Hector Alcala, Leonel Hernandez and Kenneth Roberts each qualified two horses to the finals.

Carters Cartel, Inseperable and The Louisiana Cartel sired three qualifiers each.

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Evangeline Downs will close out the week on Saturday with a 5:35pm (CST) first post. Three trials for the LQHBA Derby highlight the 8-race card. The Evangeline Downs Quarter Horse season runs through December 30.

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For more information on the American Quarter Horse season at Evangeline Downs, visit the track's website at evdracing.com. Evangeline Downs' Twitter handle is @EVDRacing and the racetrack is also accessible on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.

About Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, off I-49 on Cresswell Lane at Exit 18.