Just Stormin ventures into restricted stakes company

Just Stormin will be shaking two Grade 3 winners Saturday night when he moves into restricted stakes company for the $65,000 B Connected at Delta Downs.

The one-mile B Connected is for 4-year-olds and up bred in Louisiana who have never won a stakes. The full field of 10 includes Social Misfit, who has placed in three stakes; Harbor Pilot, a half-brother to six-time stakes winner Tensas Harbor; and Paddy O’Lionel, a Louisiana-bred allowance winner last month at Fair Grounds.

Just Stormin exits a fourth-place finish, beaten a length, in an open-company Delta allowance Nov. 18. Just Stormin set the pace to the late stages in the 7 1/2-furlong race. The winner, Great Minds, and the third-place finisher, Albano, both are Grade 3 winners. Just Stormin earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81 in that race, tied with Temprano for the highest last-race number in this field.

Timothy Thornton has the mount on Just Stormin for Charles Carlton and trainer Glenn Delahoussaye.

Social Misfit’s stakes-placings include a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Classic in July at Evangeline Downs and a third-place finish in the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Turf later the same month at Louisiana Downs.

Harbor Pilot must overcome the 10 hole. He is moving back to dirt, where he has registered the bulk of his wins, after a fifth-place finish in the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Turf on Dec. 9 at Fair Grounds.

Delta leading rider Diego Saenz has the mount for trainer Scott Gelner.

Paddy O’Lionel returned to dirt after three turf races and won an allowance for statebreds Dec. 15 at Fair Grounds. Last year was stakes-placed on dirt in the $60,000 Equine Sales Derby at Evangeline.

Geraldo Mora has the mount for trainer Jim Hodges.

Quarter Horses return to Louisiana Downs

Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., will open a 46-date meet for Quarter Horses on Saturday. The season runs through March 21.

Louisiana Downs will race Saturdays through Tuesdays with a uniform first post of 1 p.m. Central.

The 12-race stakes schedule launches Saturday with the $15,000 Harrah’s Dash, a 250-yard sprint for 4-year-olds and up. The richest offerings of the meet are two races for 2-year-olds in March. The $100,000-added Mardi Gras Futurity for Louisiana-breds will anchor a card of three stakes March 17, and the $75,000-added Harrah’s Futurity at 300 yards closes out the meet March 21.

Damian Martinez, who led all Quarter Horse riders in wins last year with 124, is back to defend his title at Louisiana Downs. The 24-year-old native of Mexico will ride Tf Jess a Leader in the Harrah’s Dash.

There is a seven-race program Saturday.