Evangeline: Star Guitar top attraction on Louisiana Legends Night

OPELOUSAS, La. – Louisiana’s best are set to gather Saturday night at Evangeline Downs with the eighth edition of Louisiana Legends Night. Eight stakes will settle bragging rights in each division, at least until Louisiana Downs holds a similar program, Louisiana Cup Day, in August. Each of the stakes Saturday is worth $100,000, except for the Louisiana Legends Starter, which is worth $75,000.

Star Guitar will go for an unprecedented fourth Louisiana Legends Classic in a row and will square off against only four rivals. The richest Louisiana-bred of all time, with over $1.6 in earnings, he has been training forwardly for his defense and will once again be a prohibitive favorite. Star Guitar’s primary opposition appears to be Get in Da House, who finished second to Nates Mineshaft in the Grade 3 Lone Star Handicap in his last start.

3-year-old fillies gets the stakes action started in the Louisiana Legends Fillies Mile, which will bring together the first three finishers of the Crescent City Oaks at Fair Grounds in late March. She’s Prado’s Idol, the winner that day, has won twice since, including the Acadiana Stakes at Evangeline on June 1. Little Miss Protocol, second in the Oaks, reported home third in the Acadiana, while the Oaks third-place finisher, Sunday’s Child, will be making her first start since.

Little Polka Dot will attempt to defend her title in the Ladies Sprint. Also included in the deep field are fellow stakes winners Izzie’s Gold, Lawson’s Lady and Warrior Maid.

The Legends Mile for 3-year-olds will feature a rematch between multiple stakes winners Top Cat Boogie and Look at the Time. Top Cat Boogie handed Look at the Time his first defeat against Louisiana-breds in five attempts in last month’s Rajun Cajun Stakes at seven furlongs, but a return to two turns on Saturday could favor Look at the Time.

Amanecer de Oro will continue his well-traveled 2012 campaign in the Legends Sprint. The winner of the Champions Day Sprint at Fair Grounds in December, Amanecer de Oro has journeyed to both Gulfstream Park and Churchill Downs this year, taking on graded and open company.

The Legends Turf brings together nine evenly matched runners headed by Kissimmee Kyle. Trained by Al Stall, Kissimmee Kyle successfully defended his title in the Bayou St. John Stakes in April at Fair Grounds and most recently finished a close third in the John Franks Memorial at Louisiana Downs earlier this month. Sadie’s Soldier, victorious against open company in the John Henry stakes here in late April, could also vie for favoritism.

Harlie’s appears to be the one to beat in the Legends Distaff after winning in a similar spot on the Champions Day card at Fair Grounds to conclude her 2011 season. She has been freshened since a solid second-place performance against open company at Oaklawn in mid-March.

Fish Cakes was a modest $5,000 maiden claiming graduate in April, and he has won twice since, including an allowance score most recently. He heads a full field in the Legends Starter Stakes while also cross-entered in the Legends Turf later in the program.

In addition to the stakes action, Legends Night will feature three statebred maiden special weight affairs worth $40,000, which brings the evening’s total purse money close to $1 million.