Crowned King captures Alliance

Bossier City, La - Crowned King broke out of a 14-month slump Saturday afternoon at Louisiana Downs as he turned in a furious rally on the far outside to capture the $50,000 Alliance Stakes. Run to the Border, the leader until the final strides, had to settle for second followed by Northern Scene. Gentlemen J J finished fourth followed by even money favorite Mauk Four, who was making his eighth start of the year and his first on the grass.

Ridden by Luis Quinonez, who also won Friday's opening day stake aboard Screen Idol, Crowned King ($7.60) won for the first time since an allowance score at Oaklawn in February 2004. The 5-year-old, owned by McKeever Racing Stable and trained by Billy McKeever, picked up his seventh win from 40 lifetime starts and has banked almost $533,000. He covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:42.60 over a firm turf course.

"The King is back," said a jubilant McKeever after the race. "He has always liked Oaklawn but he's caught some tough company it seems like every time, he loves that track and he loves this track. He has been training super and he's a happy horse. I knew when he came back down here he'd run big."