Evangeline Downs: Well-matched bunch meet in Hallowed Dreams

An evenly matched field of 10 3-year-old fillies is set to start in Saturday night's Hallowed Dreams Stakes at Evangeline Downs. The 5 1/2-furlong, $50,000 headliner will go as the 10th of 11 races.

While no one will threaten the string of 16 consecutive victories that the namesake of Saturday night's feature put together to begin her career several years ago, there is still some quality to be found in the Hallowed Dreams.

Half Pleasant finished no worse than third in three allowance races at Oaklawn Park this winter and spring after being claimed by trainer Karl Broberg for Danny Caldwell out of a $25,000 optional affair in early February. Broberg, last year's leading trainer here, will give defending riding camp Diego Saenz a leg up.

Flirty Fitz comes off a win in the Azalea Stakes at Delta Downs with a solid late rally over several rivals she will again face Saturday night. Jansen Melancon, aboard for the Azelea win, once again has the call for trainer Ronnie Ward.

Others in the Hallowed Dreams include Miss Stone Express, second in the Azelea behind Flirty Fitz; Blue Darling, who narrowly missed in the $125,000 Premier Starlet at Delta in February; Coteau Kitten, winner of the D. S. "Shine" Young Futurity here at Evangeline last summer as a juvenile; and Forgotten People, in a much softer spot than the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn in her most recent start.