Evangeline track report

The wait for Saturday's inaugural Louisiana Legends Night appears to be well worth it.

Originally scheduled for July 2, the eight-race program highlighting Louisiana-breds was rescheduled after racing operations were suspended from mid-May to the end of June in order to resurface the track. Purses for the eight events total $425,000, including the meeting's marquee event, the D.S. "Shine" Young Futurity. Each of the stakes has been named for a "legend" of horse racing in Louisiana, including several trainers and political figures who left an indelible mark on the sport.

In the Mervin Muniz Starter Handicap at 1 1/16 miles, Seemeload-

andfire should rule the favorite off the strength of a four-length win recently at Louisiana Downs.

Three-year-old Louisiana-bred fillies are featured in the Frank A. "Buddy" Abadie Memorial. Raspberry Wine should rate a strong choice after winning the recent Lorelei Stakes at Louisiana Downs.

Walk This Way, a career earner of more than $250,000, heads the field in the Pola Benoit for older statebreds going 1 1/16 miles.

The classy Autobesarah heads a field of nine fillies and mares entered in the 1 1/16-mile Archie Sebastien Memorial.

Zarb's Dahar, a stakes winner who made a successful return after taking the first half of the year off following a seven-win campaign in 2004, rates as the one to beat in the Junius Delahoussaye Sprint. Crawfish King could prove to be a formidable opponent after finishing second in the Arcadia Stakes earlier this year.

The Pierre LeBlanc Ladies Sprint appears to be Where Is My Daddy's race to win following a powerful tally in the Hallowed Dreams at Louisiana Downs in her last start.

J.D.'s Blue Bayou heads up the group of 10 3-year-olds entered in the one-mile B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn. The Troy Young-trained J.D.'s Blue Bayou is a two-time stakes winner this summer and also captured the Inaugural Handicap at Evangeline Downs in April.

A dozen 2-year-olds who qualified on July 9 line up in the night's featured Shine Young Futurity. Trial winners Voodoo Gold, Capt. Rhon, and Carson Bay are expected to vie for favoritism.