Statebred showcase draws 121 entries

BOSSIER CITY, La. - A total of 121 horses have been entered for Saturday's 13-race, $1.3 million Louisiana Downs Champions Day program. The card will have eight races for Thoroughbreds and five for Quarter Horses and will be restricted to horses bred in Louisiana. All races carry a $100,000 purse.

The first Thoroughbred event will be the Louisiana Breeders' Oaks, which goes as the fourth race. Ahead of Her Time puts her perfect four-race record on the line in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies.

The Victoria, for filly and mare sprinters, brings together six competitors from the Pierre LeBlanc Memorial at Evangeline Downs last month, including winner Leesa Lee, who is trained by Pat Mouton.

Mouton also trains Carl's Frosty Girl, the only member of the Victoria cast who did not run in the LeBlanc.

Betting in the Laurel Lane for 2-year-old fillies should be dominated by the entry of Hisse and Iknowuthinkimsexy, second and third in the filly division of the $130,000 D.S. "Shine" Young Futurity at Evangeline June 30. They are trained by Steve Asmussen and owned by Heiligbrodt Racing, who will be represented in the Stardust Stakes for 2-year-old colts and geldings by Jumpin for Jason and Must Acquit. Those two also come off second- and third-place finishes in the male division of the Shine.

Zarb's Dahar, a winner of 12 of his 16 starts at Louisiana Downs, could be a slight favorite in the six-furlong Cajun for Louisiana-bred sprinters.

In the Matchmaker for fillies and mares on the turf, Raspberry Wine will try to turn the tables on Madison's Music, who defeated her over the Evangeline main track on Legends Night.

The Louisiana Breeders' Derby features a rematch of Pinecrest Boy and St. Zarb. Pinecrest Boy upset the odds-on St. Zarb when they met in the B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn Stakes at Evangeline on Legends Night.

The Shiskabob at 1 1/16 miles on the turf was supposed to feature Costa Rising, but trainer Glenn Delahoussaye chose to pass the race. The favorite's role now appears to fall to the Bill Mott-trained Desert Wheat, winner of the $75,000 Dixie Poker Ace Stakes at Fair Grounds.