General Tone gets distance test in Equine Sales Derby

General Tone will be looking for his first win beyond a sprint distance Saturday night in the $75,000 Equine Sales Derby at Evangeline Downs.

The mile race is restricted to 3-year-olds that graduated from designated auctions in Louisiana.

General Tone has won at two turns, but in a 6 1/2-furlong race at Delta. Trainer Bret Calhoun is hopeful the horse will prove effective at longer distances, in part because he is a son of General Quarters, winner of the Sam F. Davis, Blue Grass, and the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic.

“His sire was a real nice horse, went a mile and a sixteenth, a mile and an eighth,” Calhoun said. “I’ve felt like this horse will be better at that. His body style probably doesn’t fit his sire line – he’s a little bit more compact. Looking at him physically, you don’t necessarily say route horse, but I think pedigree-wise he should be able to do it.”

Another chief contender is Double Star, who has placed in a pair of two-turn stakes for trainer Bob Schultz.