Evangeline Downs: Shining Moment looks best

Seven fillies, three of whom are stakes winners, line up Saturday night in the $75,000 Opelousas Stakes at Evangeline Downs.

The six-furlong race is the ninth of 11 races on the next-to-last night of racing this season, with the curtain-closer coming on Monday night.

Shining Moment, winner of the Prairie Golden Lassie at Prairie Meadows and most recently third in the Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Mountaineer Park, is the likely favorite in no small part due to her connections. She is trained by Steve Asmussen for the powerful Padua Stables, which bred the daughter of Yes It's True. Leading rider Colby Hernandez has the mount.

Shining Moment's main challenger is Tensas Cool Town, a winner of 2 of her 5 starts, including the $100,000 John Franks Memorial Sales Stakes at Evangeline in her most recent start. The Louisiana-bred Leestown filly is trained by Anthony Agilar and will once again be ridden by Billy Patin.

Shutupanddance, who won the filly division of the D.S. "Shine" Young Futurity here in early July, will seek to rebound from a fifth-place finish in the Laurel Lane Stakes at Louisiana Downs. Shutupanddance has a high turn of foot and will be the one to catch under Gerard Melancon.

Reckon has finished no worse than second in four starts, including runner-up performances in the Shine and the Laurel Lane. She is trained by Shirley Wiley and will be ridden by Marlon St. Julien.