Promise Me Freedom back on turf in maiden special weight

OPELOUSAS, La. – Friday night’s nine-race program at Evangeline Downs offers a couple of interesting and extremely betable turf races. The opener brings together 10 maiden special weight types slated to go a mile and will see the return to grass of likely favorite Promise Me Freedom as well as the turf debut of Bad Boy Rocket, who began his career with trainer Bob Baffert and now is trained by Al Stall Jr.

In the featured eighth race, a field of 10 is set to go a mile, with an additional two fillies – I Love Pickles and Unlimited Lil Lady – entered for the main track only. Pacific Pink, a winner of three of her six career starts for trainer Eddie Johnston, including the Crescent City Oaks in her last start, should rule as the favorite.

“She really seems to have come into herself,” Johnston said Tuesday. “She is a really big filly and has taken some time to mature. It’s a case Friday of her facing older horses, but it looks like a good spot for her, and hopefully we can move back into stakes company before long.”

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Race 8: Optional claimer

Key contenders

Pacific Pink (Last 3 Beyers: 75-67-70)

* Since all three of her wins came at the expense of fellow Louisiana-breds, she takes advantage of the “have never won a race other than statebred” condition and appears to hold a considerable class advantage. She also is a winner on grass.

Unlimited Lil Lady (Last 3 Beyers: 64-70-75)

* With a 50 percent chance of rain in the forecast, she looks like the best qualified of the main-track-only entrants as she also is a stakes winner against statebreds. She has won three of her six starts over muddy main tracks.

Race 1: Maiden special weight

Key contenders

Promise Me Freedom (Last 3 Beyers: 59-59-63)

* First two career outs came on grass, including when he was the beaten favorite against Wireless Future, a 3-year-old trained by Tom Amoss who won his next two starts in allowance company and went on to start in the Spiral Stakes at Turfway and the American Turf on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

Bad Boy Rocket (Last 3 Beyers: 52-65-39)

* Sire Mineshaft has had 12 first-time turf winners from 202 starters (6 percent). Dam won her only start on grass ($21,000). Two of his siblings have tried grass, and one came away with a win.

Power Alert heads Turf Sprint noms

Power Alert, the Australian import who has won three of his four North American starts for trainer Brian Lynch, including the Grade 3 Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard, tops the list of 28 short-distance specialists nominated to this year’s $300,000 Evangeline Turf Sprint. The second running of the Turf Sprint will anchor a five-stakes card May 30 that also will include the $100,000 Evangeline Mile over the main track and the $100,000 Opelousas for fillies and mares on turf. The track’s signature program will have a special first-race post time of 3:05 p.m. Central.

Others nominated to the five-furlong Evangeline Turf Sprint include the defending champion, Heitai; Holy Lute, second in the Grade 3 San Simeon at Santa Anita last month; Something Extra, victorious in this year’s Grade 3 Shakertown at Keeneland; and Undrafted, a close third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint for trainer Wesley Ward.