Evangeline Downs track report

The already-lucrative stakes program for 2-year-olds at Evangeline Downs received an additional boost this week as track officials announced a purse increase from $75,000 to $100,000 for the John Franks Memorial Stakes slated for next summer. In addition, the track will add a filly division that will offer the same purse.

The two stakes will be restricted to those who pass through the 2-year-olds in training sale that will be held on March 12, 2006. The 2005 sale featured a 13 percent gain in average sales price, with an average selling price of more than $9,775 for the 49 2-year-olds sold.

One of the graduates of this year's sale was Voodoo Gold. Trained by Cole Norman for Bradley Zaunbracher, Voodoo Gold recently won the Bayouland Sales Stakes here in addition to this year's edition of the John Franks, as well as the rich D.S. "Shine" Young Futurity, which was run in July.