Grand Luwegee hangs on in Premier Night Championship

Grand Luwegee held off a surging Givemeaminit for a neck win in the $150,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship on Saturday at Delta Downs.

It was another 3 3/4 lengths back to Mageez in third.

The Championship, a 1 1/16-mile for 4-year-olds and up, was one of six stakes on the card. The races were all restricted to horses bred in Louisiana.

Diego Saenz, who was aboard Grand Luwegee, won three of the stakes Saturday and four races overall on a program worth $900,000. It was the richest card of the meet at Delta.

Saenz and Grand Luwegee ($24.20) broke on top in the Championship and set uncontested fractions of 23.91 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.33 for the half-mile and 1:13.30 for six furlongs. The eventual winner had more in the stretch, withstanding the bid of Givemeaminit. Grand Luwegee covered the distance on a fast track in 1:45.80.

“Diego’s got the hands that this horse needs,” said Gerard Perron, who bred, owns and trains Grand Luwegee. “Every time he’s been on him, he’s won.”

Saenz is 3 for 3 on Grand Luwegee, who overall has won 5 of 13 starts and earned $235,360. He picked up his first stakes win in the Championship. Grand Luwegee is a son of El Corredor.

Perron said the horse could move back to turf for his next start, noting that he gets pedigree support for the grass and that earlier in his career he ran well over the course at Fair Grounds.

The remaining order of finish in the Championship was Grande Basin in fourth, followed by Magic Vow, Underpressure, favorite Afleet Ascent, Theoryintopractice, Why Joey Why, and Social Misfit.

Saenz’s other stakes winners Saturday were Shang ($9.80) in the $100,000 Prince and Wonder Run ($24.20) in the $100,000 Sprint.