Opelousas, La. – A pair of stakes for 2-year-olds will help bring down the curtain on the 2014 season at Evangeline Downs Saturday night. The Star and Starlet, both at six furlongs, will be worth an $75,000 each, with another $25,000 available to those who graduated the Stars of Tomorrow sale held at Evangeline in March. Both races attracted full fields of 12, with an additional two fillies delegated to the also-eligible list in the Starlet. STARLET STAKES (RACE 8) KEY CONTENDERS Joy of the Saints (Last 3 Beyers: 66-41-70) ◗ The original plan was to rest her until late October for the My Trusty Cat at Delta, so bettors will have to interpret this as a positive sign that a somewhat busy summer campaign has not been too tough on her. She left no doubt who was best in the Louisiana Cup race at Louisiana Downs, and Karl Broberg’s filly Theyplayingoursong looks like her primary opposition once again. She has done everything right thus far, so she is clearly the one to beat. Theyplayingoursong (Last 3 Beyers: 52-59-25) ◗ She surprisingly was favored over Joy of the Saints when they met upstate, but she proved no match for that foe without an excuse. Don’t see much changing in this spot as that same rival may not have to work as hard to make the early lead given the general lack of pace in here. Miracles Yankee (Last 2 Beyers: 51-30) ◗ She may provide good value on the tote after the big two in here, and this is an improving filly who managed to overcome a poor start and still graduate last time. She had a nice three-furlong blowout between starts to keep her fresh, and the turf-to-dirt angle might be a positive as well. If you are looking for a horse to break up the short-priced exacta, she might be your gal. STAR STAKES (RACE 10) Gotta Get Paid (Last 3 Beyers: 67-66-70) ◗ Gerard Melancon in the saddle for trainer Tom Amoss has been a strong angle over the years, and note that Melancon rode Steve Flint’s colt Four Leaf Chief in both of his wins and spoke highly of that same youngster following that last stakes win. He catches a good post and will not likely have to be sent early as James Graham had to do with him at Mountaineer to keep up. There is not that much other speed to deal with, so he looks to be in control early and late. Four Leaf Chief (Last 2 Beyers: 68-63) ◗ He is perfect thus far, and that last rally at Louisiana Downs was a strong one, although he did get some pace to run at. He loses Melancon to the rival to his inside, but leading rider Colby Hernandez steps right in, so the rider change should not be significant. He will need someone to help soften up the favorite, and there is a bit of speed to the outside. Expecting another honest effort, just not one that will get all the money. Nathan’s Kiss (Last 3 Beyers: 36-44-33) ◗ He has not run as fast as the two that will dominate the wagering in here, and consistency obviously is a concern, but he hails from a barn with an excellent 2-year-old program (28 percent wins from 54 starts, a healthy $4.25 ROI). He had a couple bullet works between starts, so he could surprise.