Leader of Men stepping up for Prelude Stakes

Leader of Men will be looking for his fourth consecutive win Saturday when he moves into stakes company for the $60,000 Prelude at Louisiana Downs. The Prelude, which also drew multiple stakes winner Mr Money Bags, the Tapit colt Rotation, and the filly Blessed Again, awards its first four finishers a fees-paid berth into the Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby on Sept. 7.

Leader of Men began his career in Southern California, but has blossomed at Louisiana Downs. He’s won all three of his local starts, beginning with a maiden special weight at two turns on turf May 6. Leader of Men proceeded to capture back-to-back allowance routes on the main track May 27 and July 8. Hector Del-Cid, who has been aboard for all three races, has the mount from the rail Saturday for Walpole Racing and trainer Jodie Hodges.

Leader of Men is a son of War Front and the mare Refugee, who also is the dam of Hoppertunity, a Grade 1 winner of $4.7 million, as well as Executiveprivilege, a multiple Grade 1 winner who earned $999,000.

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The Prelude drew a field of seven. Mr Money Bags, who comes off a sixth-place finish in the $250,000 Iowa Derby on July 5, is back at his Louisiana Downs base and will break from post 3 under Ernesto Valdez-Jiminez. Rotation, who is a full brother to multiple Grade 2 winner Tapiture, last raced June 1 and was fourth in a first-level allowance at Churchill Downs. Blessed Again, a 12 3/4-length allowance route winner in April at Oaklawn, comes off an eighth-place finish in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks on July 13.

The 1 1/16-mile Prelude is part of an all-stakes card known as Louisiana Cup Day. There are six stakes restricted to Louisiana-breds, with each worth $50,000. The Prelude goes as the sixth race on the seven-race program, which starts at 3:15 p.m. Central.

Monte Man, the reigning Louisiana-bred of the Year, goes in the Sprint. He will break from post 2 in the field of seven. Gerard Melancon has the mount for Ivery Sisters Racing and trainer Ron Faucheux.

As part of the Saturday festivities, the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association will award a pair of $1,000 college scholarships via drawings after select races. There also will be a fundraiser for the Shantel Lanerie Breast Cancer Foundation with jockeys to sign specialty items available for purchase, according to a press release from Louisiana Downs. Lanerie, who was a Louisiana native and the wife of jockey Corey Lanerie, died in 2018.

Evangeline adds dates

Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La., has extended its meet by two dates to make up for cards lost to extreme weather. The track has tacked on Aug. 28-29. Post for both cards will be the usual 5:50 p.m. Central.

Evangeline worked with the Louisiana HBPA to add the dates, according to a press release from Evangeline. The meet was originally scheduled to close Aug. 24.

◗ A total of 76 yearlings have been cataloged to a Texas Thoroughbred Association auction Aug. 26 at Lone Star Park. The sale also includes a mixed session of horses of racing age and broodmares. It drew 15.

The yearlings sell first, and the roster includes offspring from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Bradester. Other stallions represented by yearlings include Goldencents, Maclean’s Music, Shanghai Bobby, Star Guitar and Too Much Bling,