Unified Report faces statebreds in Louisiana Legacy after strong debut win

Unified Report could go favored over stakes winners Fiesty Fist and True Deal on Saturday when the promising 2-year-old returns to his home state for the $100,000 Louisiana Legacy at Delta Downs.

The seven-furlong race is for 2-year-olds bred in Louisiana. It will be run around two turns. There is a special daytime post of 12:55 p.m. Central.

Unified Report is part of a field of eight, with Fiesty Fist coming off a win in the $60,000 D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity on Sept. 18 at Evangeline Downs and True Deal having won the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile on Aug. 21 at Louisiana Downs.

Unified Report has made one start, winning a maiden special weight on Sept. 24 at Churchill Downs. He tracked the pace and went on to a length victory in the 6 1/2-furlong race. The Beyer Speed Figure of 71 that Unified Report earned is the best career number in the Louisiana Legacy.

“He trained really good all summer and ran just wonderful at Churchill Downs first time out,” said Dallas Stewart, who trains Unified Report for Valene Farms. “We thought this was a good spot to see where we’re at, get ready for Champions Day.”

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Delta long has positioned a number of Louisiana-bred stakes early in its meet to give horsemen springboard races to the Louisiana Champions Day card each December at Fair Grounds. The races also give horses a chance to get familiar with the Delta surface ahead of the Vinton track’s Louisiana Premier Night each February.

Unified Report on Saturday will be making his first start against Louisiana-breds after debuting in a race restricted to horses purchased for a sale price in a specific range. The son of Unified, who won the Grade 2 Peter Pan, and Closing Report, a winner of the Louisiana Premier Night Starlet at Delta, brought $33,000 at auction as a yearling in 2020.

The Louisiana Legacy will be the two-turn debut for Unified Report, and Stewart feels the horse will handle the configuration test Saturday.

“He seems adaptable,” he said. “He’s trained hard the whole time at Churchill. He doesn’t seem like a quirky horse. He’s straightforward.”

Unified Report’s prep work for the Louisiana Legacy includes a bullet half-mile work in 46.80 seconds on Oct. 7 at Churchill. Timothy Thornton has the mount from post 2. Unified Report will be first Lasix.

Fiesty Fist rallied for a half-length win over True Deal in the Shine Young, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 63. Kevin Smith has the mount from post 4 for Whispering Oaks Farm and trainer Steve Flint.

◗ Hunka Burning Love, who won last year’s Delta Mile, goes in a no-conditions allowance over 1 1/16 miles. Thornton has the mount for trainer Karl Broberg.