Jls Mr. Bigtime back home for Evangeline's richest event

Jls Mr Bigtime went big-time this past summer. He was the fastest qualifier for the prestigious All American Futurity for Quarter Horses back in August, then finished second by a nose in the Grade 1, $2 million finale run each Labor Day in New Mexico.

Fast-forward to Saturday night, and Jls Mr Bigtime is back home in Louisiana to start as an odds-on favorite in the richest race run at Evangeline Downs. He heads a field of 10 for the $526,593 LQHBA Breeders’ Futurity. The 400-yard race will go as the 10th race on a special night program that starts at 5:40 p.m. Central. The LQHBA is restricted to horses bred in Louisiana.

Jls Mr Bigtime launched his career with a debut win at Louisiana Downs in February, and proceeded to race at Delta Downs before being supplemented to the All American trials for $50,000. He ended up beating out 189 other 2-year-olds for the title of fastest qualifier. Jls Mr Bigtime also set the fastest qualifying time for the LQHBA, on a card of 14 trial races at Evangeline on Nov. 17.

He won by two and a quarter lengths, in a track-record time of 19.58 seconds for the 400 yards. The previous mark for the distance was 19.65. Jarrod Deschamp was aboard Jls Mr Bigtime and has the mount in the finale. Darrel Soileau trains the horse for his father, John Soileau.

Jls Mr Bigtime, who is ranked fifth among the nation’s 2-year-olds in a recent poll put out by the American Quarter Horse Association, will break from post 10.

Awholeseparategame was the second-fastest qualifier for the LQHBA, with a time of 19.95 seconds.