Shine trials top card

Louisiana-bred 2-year-olds will have center stage Saturday night as 35 colts and geldings will attempt to qualify for the finals of the $100,000 Shine Young Futurity, to be run on Louisiana Legends Night in three weeks. They will join the 12 fillies who qualified Friday night for the filly division of the Shine, which is run on the meeting's biggest night, a card of 11 stakes for Louisiana-breds.

Saturday night's four qualifying heats will be run as the sixth through the ninth races and each carries a $25,000 purse.

National training power Steve Asmussen looks to have the one to beat in the sixth race as he sends out Must Acquit. The Successful Appeal colt made his debut at the Keeneland spring meeting with a fourth-place finish. He scored a gate-to-wire victory against maiden special weight foes at Lone Star Park on May 12, earning a 93 Beyer Speed Figure. Donnie Meche will journey down from Louisiana Downs to handle the riding chores.

In the seventh, Ide Like a Double bears watching in his career debut. The son of Ide has been training very well for Byron Gilbert. Kerwin Clark has the call.

Jumpin for Jason, another Asmussen charge, rates highly in the eighth after debuting at Churchill Downs last month. Meche has the call on him as well.

The ninth and final trial appears to be the most wide open of the heats, with Buster Hut rating as perhaps a slight favorite. The Keith Bourgeois charge has a string of bullet works leading up to his first start. J.G. Bracho will ride.