Is Too blossoming into stakes type for Johnston

Eddie Johnston trained the recently retired multiple stakes winner Pacific Pink, and he appears to have another quality Louisiana-bred distaffer on his hands in Is Too.

Is Too defeated open company at her Evangeline Downs base last Friday night in the $50,000 Opelousas Stakes. She is now a candidate to return to the Louisiana-bred ranks in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Distaff on Aug. 3 at Louisiana Downs, said Johnston.

The Opelousas was the first stakes win for Is Too, and it comes a few months following the retirement of Pacific Pink, an earner of $731,170. The 7-year-old mare went 12 for 34 and was retired following a third-place finish in the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies in December at Fair Grounds.

“She’s in foal to More Than Ready,” said Johnston, who trained Pacific Pink for Keith Plaisance. “She was a wonderful horse. She would do anything. The biggest surprise was how she took to Delta Downs because she’s a big filly. I was real surprised how she took those tight turns. She was a real pro.”

Is Too won the Opelousas following near-misses in both the Louisiana Legends Turf Distaff in May at Evangeline and the Red Camelia in March at Fair Grounds. The Opelousas was moved from turf to the main track. Is Too was always prominent for a 1 1/4-length win for owner Baronne Farms.

“I thought it was a wonderful effort,” Johnston said. “She sort of likes the turf a little better than the dirt. She seemed to handle that racetrack. It was good and tight with all the rain we’ve gotten. It wasn’t real sandy. We’re quite happy with her.”

The Louisiana Cup Distaff is run on turf at 1 1/16 miles.

Is Too is a 4-year-old by Midshipman. Her dam, Tensas Salt, is a half-sister to Tensas Harbor, a six-time stakes winner who earned $515,450.

“We ran against Tensas Harbor with Pink,” Johnston said. “We liked that mare. She was a nice, big mare like Pink.”

Johnston has one other potential starter for the Louisiana Cup card at Louisiana Downs. He said Tensas Thought, an allowance winner July 4 at Evangeline, is a candidate for the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Tensas Thought races for Cash Is King and Johnston. Back in May, she was third to multiple stakes winner Ours to Run in the Louisiana Legends Mademoiselle at Evangeline.

Grande Basin, another Louisiana-bred stakes horse trained by Johnston, won the Star Guitar in March and Fair Grounds and in his most recent start was fifth in the Evangeline Downs Classic on April 27.

“We gave him a break,” Johnston said. “He loves the Fair Grounds. We’ll get him ready, run him one time at Delta when they open in October, then we’ll aim for Fair Grounds.”

Grande Basin is an earner of $466,812.

◗ King of the Court was scratched from Saturday night’s $55,000 J.R. Malouff Handicap on Saturday night at the Downs at Albuquerque, and goes instead in Wednesday night’s featured eighth race at Evangeline.

The allowance at five and a half furlongs drew a field of six.

King of the Court is coming off a nine-length conditioned allowance win at Lone Star Park for which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 83. Colby Hernandez has the mount for Keene Thoroughbreds and trainer Allen Milligan.