Equestrian Girls in prep

In what appears to be a preview of the $100,000 Matchmaker Handicap, multiple stakes winners Equestrian Girls and Tortuga Flats will meet in the first race at Louisiana Downs. The $36,000 allowance is to be run at about a mile on turf, and it is restricted to fillies and mares bred in Louisiana.

The conditions for the July 21 Matchmaker are similar and the race is the next stakes objective for Equestrian Girls, trainer Kelly Broussard said. She will be moving back to the overnight ranks following a runner-up finish to Raspberry Wine in the $48,000 Seven Stars for statebreds here May 12.

"I thought she ran a decent race," Broussard said of Equestrian Girls. "The filly that beat us has won several in a row."

Equestrian Girls is less than $5,000 from $300,000 in career earnings, which she can reach Saturday for Aertker Family LLC. She will break from post 5 and figures to be coming late for the rail-drawn Tortuga Flats.

Tortuga Flats won an optional claimer against open company in her last start May 18. Trainer Ralph Irwin has given the mount to John Jacinto.

* Raspberry Wine picked up her fourth straight win - all stakes - in the Seven Stars. She will try for five in a row Saturday night at Evangeline Downs in the $100,000 J. Archie Sebastien Memorial.