Johnston loaded for Louisiana Legends program

Grande Basin, Pacific Pink, Sunny Oak, and My Pal Torres have more in common heading into Saturday night’s Louisiana Legends program at Evangeline Downs than just being trained by Eddie Johnston.

“They all get an opportunity to run with Louisiana-breds, to be back with statebreds,” said Johnston.

The Louisiana Legends card of six stakes worth a total of $600,000 is the richest program of the meet. The divisional races each carry a purse of $100,000 and are restricted to horses bred in Louisiana.

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Grande Basin goes in the Classic for 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/16 miles. He will break from the rail, one start after finishing a close sixth to Iron Fist in the $100,000 Evangeline Mile on June 3. Iron Fist has since been entered in the Grade 3, $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows. Grande Basin, meanwhile, has been targeting the Classic.

“He’s been running in open company a little bit, and I think he fits with these horses,” said Johnston. In April, Grande Basin won the Star Guitar, a 1 1/16-mile race for Louisiana-breds at Fair Grounds. Emanuel Nieves has the mount for William Deckwa Jr. and John Carbo.

“He’s a closer,” Johnston said. “He needs to get his trip. When it’s time to make a run, you don’t want to get blocked in.”

The field of nine includes Sir Genghis, a stakes winner at the distance at Evangeline who is cross-entered in the Sprint, and Mageez, the Star Guitar runner-up who was fourth in the Evangeline Mile.

Pacific Pink will be seeking her third straight win when she starts in the 1 1/16-mile Distaff.

“She’s training really well,” Johnston said. “She likes Evangeline. She’s 3 for 4 there. She’s never missed the board there.”

Pacific Pink won an optional $20,000 claiming race on May 10 at Evangeline, then came back and captured the track’s $74,000 Spotted Horse by 2 3/4 lengths on June 2.

Sunny Oak finished second in the Spotted Horse and will be turning back from a mile to 5 1/2 furlongs for the Mademoiselle.

“I love it,” Johnston said of the distance move for Sunny Oak. “She’s a fast little filly. We hadn’t had that opportunity [to sprint lately], so we put her in the Spotted Horse.”

Johnston said he hopes Sunny Oak can duplicate the form she showed last fall, when she cut back from a mile to six furlongs and won the Happy Ticket at Fair Grounds. Her chief rivals include Fancy Madelyn, who enters off an optional-claiming win at Gulfstream Park.

Nieves has the mount on Sunny Oak from post 3, while C.J. Hernandez will be aboard Pacific Pink from post 6.

Pacific Pink, Sunny Oak, and My Pal Torres all race for Keith Plaisance. My Pal Torres is part of a 12-horse field for the 5 1/2-furlong Sprint. He will break from post 2, one start after setting the pace and running third in an optional $15,000 claiming race over five furlongs at Evangeline.

“Last race, he went to the lead,” said Johnston. “Hopefully, we can take him back and make one run.”

The Sprint lineup includes My Friend Flavin, the winner of the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint in December at Fair Grounds.

Mr. Al’s Gal eyes six in a row

Brittlyn Stable knows what it’s like to have a Louisiana-bred on a roll. Star Guitar won 10 straight races to close out his career, capped by a victory in the 2012 Louisiana Legends Classic. Now comes Mr. Al’s Gal, who will be seeking to win her sixth consecutive race when she carries Brittlyn’s colors in the $100,000 Soiree.

The one-mile race is for 3-year-old fillies. Others making up the 10-horse field include Efforting, a stakes winner last month at Evanegeline.

Mr. Al’s Gal has won at least one race at every track in Louisiana, starting with her debut last June at Evangeline Downs. She began her current streak in her third career start in December with a 12 3/4-length win in the $100,000 fillies’ division of the Louisiana Futurity at Fair Grounds.

Mr. Al’s Gal then won the $100,000 Azalea and $100,000 Premier Night Starlet over the winter at Delta Downs, the $75,000 Crescent City Oaks at Fair Grounds, and a turf-sprint allowance in June at Louisiana Downs. Richard Eramia has the mount for trainer Justin Jeansonne.

The $100,000 Cheval for 3-year-olds at a mile drew Underpressure, a stakes winner coming off a runner-up finish in an optional $75,000 claiming race at Churchill Downs.