Mary Rampellini

A memorial service for Richard McNaughton, the longtime agent for jockey Cliff Berry, will be held Tuesday at Remington Park in Oklahoma City. It will be held in the grandstand and is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Central. McNaughton represented Berry for 12 years, and also was the agent for Luis Quinonez. McNaughton died at his home in Oklahoma City last Thursday. He was 54 and is survived by his wife, Michelle; an 8-year-old daughter, Macy; two adult daughters, Kari and Carly; and grandchildren Beckham and Shirey.

Category Seven will take on males in the $50,000 Barksdale, which goes as the 10th race Saturday. She comes into the mile and a sixteenth turf race off a runner-up finish in the $50,000 Matron at Evangeline Downs on July 23. Category Seven will break from post 10 on Saturday.  “It looks like there’s a lot of speed in the race,” said Kenny Hargrave, who trains Category Seven for James Perron. “All the jock has to do is sit and wait.”

Brentwood Bullet will have to overcome a more than two-month layoff in the 10th race, the $50,000 Barksdale, but that might not work against the Morris Nicks-trained runner. The race Saturday will be his first since May 19, when he won a $40,000 optional claiming allowance at Louisiana Downs. “If you noticed when he won here it had been like two months since he ran,” said Nicks. “He runs big fresh.” But the time off leading up to the Barksdale was not necessarily by design, said Nicks.

Get in Da House will be seeking his first win at two-turns in the $100,000 Prelude on Saturday at Louisiana Downs. A stakes winner at seven-furlongs, he was second in the $75,000 Showcase Mile for Louisiana-breds at Evangeline Downs in his two-turn debut July 2. “He’s a nice horse and he should be able to settle,” said Wes Hawley, who trains Get in Da House. Hawley also noted Get in Da House is a half-brother to multiple route winner Tommy’s Turn.

Easton Jack is one of just two horses proven at seven and a half furlongs on turf in the $50,000 Sunny’s Halo for 2-year-olds, but the race will be the first time he has tested stakes competition. His trainer, Bret Calhoun, believes there are reasons the horse will move forward Saturday. Easton Jack has raced twice, finishing seventh in his career debut at five furlongs on dirt June 12, then scoring by three-quarters of a length in a turf route on the final day of the Lone Star meet July 10.