Gold Storm returns with fast works

All systems appear to be go for the crack sprinter Gold Storm's return to action following a year away in Saturday night's $75,000 Need for Speed at Evangeline Downs. The five-furlong race drew a field of six, including Final Draft, who was also entered in Saturday afternoon's $50,000 Kings Court Stakes at Louisiana Downs.

, a 6-year-old gelded son of Seeking the Gold, is owned by Keith McKinney and Jack Sweesy and has won 9 of 16 starts, including the $125,000 Kenner Breeders' Cup in early 2005 at Fair Grounds as well as well as the 2004 running of the $147,000 Arlington Park Sprint. He finished ninth in the 2004 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Lone Star Park. His most recent race was the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Handicap in May 2005.

"He pulled a suspensory ligament in that Churchill stake on Derby Day last year," said Gold Storm's trainer, Bubba Cascio, while en route to Evangeline on Thursday morning. "We took our time with him and gave him some time off. He has been training bullets, so it is time to get him back to the races.

"We are pointing him toward the Summit of Speed at Calder later in the summer," continued Cascio. "The five furlongs of this race should set him up well for the six furlongs at Calder."

Cascio has given the mount on Saturday night to Tracy Hebert, who will make the journey south on I-49 from Louisiana Downs.

comes into the Need for Speed off a wire-to-wire win in allowance company here on May 6. Jack Waldie has taken over the training of Inalako, who will be making his first stakes appearance on dirt this year. Lonnie Meche will ride.

, a winner of 5 of his 12 starts, comes off a front-running win, over a solid group of optional claiming foes at Louisiana Downs on May 12. Trained by Ralph Irwin, Final Draft will be ridden by Luis Quinonez.

All Wired Up, second to Inalako as the favorite on May 6 at Evangeline; May 3 allowance winner Urblockinme; and 11-time winner Believe Im Special complete the field for the Need for Speed, the ninth race on the 10-race card, which begins at 6:45 p.m. Central.