Strong Promise looks to remain unbeaten in Legacy
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Strong Promise will attempt to remain perfect in four career starts Friday night, when he makes the move to two turns for the $100,000 Louisiana Legacy at Delta Downs.
The seven-furlong race for 2-year-olds shares a card with its counterpart for fillies, the $100,000 Louisiana Jewel. Both races are restricted to horses bred in Louisiana.
The Legacy drew a field of nine. Strong Promise will go favored after winning the first three races of his career – all at different venues. His debut came in June at Evangeline Downs. Strong Promise then captured a $150,000 division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity in July at Lone Star Park and the $75,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile in August at Louisiana Downs.
Following his most recent start, trainer Jayde Gelner said Strong Promise would await the meet at Delta.
“With the hot weather, you can’t really run back too quick,” he said.
Strong Promise won the Louisiana Cup Juvenile from off the pace, shuttling to a 2 1/2-length win at 2-5. He earned a Beyer Figure of 73, the same number he’s put up in all of his starts. Gelner said in the weeks after the race that he was hopeful two turns would be within the scope of the son of Broken Vow.
“Strong Promise ran really good,” he said of his effort in the Louisiana Cup Juvenile. “When he was called on, he did what he was supposed to do. He ran past them and kept going, it looked like. We were really pleased with it – kind of shows he’ll be able to stretch out in distance. He’s not just a stone-cold sprinter.”
Casey Fusilier has the mount from the rail on Strong Promise, who races for Norman Stables.
The other stakes winner in the field is El Dinero, who accounted for a division of the D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity in July at Evangeline Downs.
Others set to start include Good and Stout, who was second in the Louisiana Cup Juvenile. Take Charge J J will add a set of blinkers and Lasix after starting his career in Kentucky.
Gelner has the Jewel’s probable favorite in Diamond Deal, who is looking for her first stakes win after running second to stablemate Tap Galore in the Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies in her last start Aug. 5.
“We were pleased with both of their efforts,” Gelner said. “One-two in a stakes race – you can’t ask for anymore than that.”
Diamond Deal won her debut in July at Evangeline Downs, coming from off the pace for a 5 1/2-length victory. She gets pedigree support for the move to two turns in large part from the bottom side of her pedigree, as her dam, Ransom Red, is by a Breeders’ Cup Turf winner in Red Rocks.
Diamond Deal, who is by the Munnings stallion El Deal, is owned by Thompson Racing.
The chief threat could be Running Argument, winner of a division of the Young Futurity in July.
Gelner is looking to sweep a set of 2-year-old stakes on a card for the third time this year. He achieved the feat on Louisiana Cup Day and also won both divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity on the same card at Lone Star.
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