Short price on Halfmoon Reef in D.S. ‘Shine' Young Futurity

Halfmoon Reef looks like an odds-on favorite Saturday night in the $75,000 males’ division of the D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La.

The race at 5 1/2 furlongs is for 2-year-olds bred in Louisiana. A field of eight has signed on, including the dominant maiden winners X Clown and Scotty Boy.

But much of the attention will be on Halfmoon Reef for his maiden special weight win last out at Churchill Downs. He led throughout in the slop for 1 1/4-length win, and the Beyer Speed Figure of 76 that he earned is the best in the Shine Young field.

Halfmoon Reef was making the second start of his career in the June 8 race, run at five furlongs. In his debut, he was second to Kimari in a maiden special weight April 25 at Keeneland. Kimari later ran second by a head in the Group 2 Queen Mary on June 19 at Royal Ascot.

Halfmoon Reef, meanwhile, has been prepping for the return to his native Louisiana at Keeneland. He will break from post 8 under Diego Saenz.

A son of Half Ours, Halfmoon Reef races for Bill and Corrine Heiligbrodt, the same couple behind the top Louisiana-bred 3-year-old Shang, who in May won the Louisiana Legends Cheval at Evangeline Downs. Steve Asmussen trains both Shang and Halfmoon Reef.

X Clown won his debut by 4 1/2 lengths on June 20 at Evangeline Downs, and his Beyer of 43 is the second-best number in the Shine Young. Scotty Boy was a 2 3/4-length winner of his debut May 25 at Evangeline, earning a Beyer of 40.

Berwick Futurity closes out Delta

Pilotoshinning will put his perfect 3-for-3 record on the line Saturday night when he takes on fastest qualifier Apollitical Bug in the $700,293 Lee Berwick Futurity at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.

The race at 350 yards is one of eight Quarter Horse stakes on the closing-night card, and all 12 races are restricted to horses bred in Louisiana. Purses for the program top $1.4 million. Delta is the sister track of Evangeline, with both owned by the Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming.

Pilotoshinning built his record at Delta, winning his debut April 27, an allowance May 18, and his trial for the Berwick on June 15. He rallied for a head win in his last start, delivering as the favorite while covering 350 yards on a fast track in 17.50 seconds.

Apollitical Bug went the same distance in 17.33 seconds to dominate her trial by 2 1/2 lengths. It was the first win in three career starts for the filly, who led throughout. She will break from post 5, while Pilotoshinning starts from gate 9.

Eysa Jess Jumpn, the winner of last year’s Berwick Futurity, will start as the fastest qualifier in Saturday night’s $308,863 Delta Downs Derby.