Casino news source: Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino – http://www.evangelinedowns.com/
Stockholder takes on areas best in the $150,000 Evangeline Mile at Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino
Opelousas, Louisiana :: Dapple Stable's Stockholder, a three-time winner this season including the Omaha Handicap at Nebraska's Horsemen's Park in his most recent start, squares off against seven rivals including a Carrol Castille owned entry Saturday evening in the $150,000 Evangeline Mile at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino. The traditional highlight and centerpiece of the spring/summer season at Evangeline Downs, the "mile" has once again brought together a solid group of locals and invaders for the 2006 renewal. While many of the eight entrants are familiar to local fans, only four have raced before at Evangeline Downs, and only two (Biloxi Breeze and Biloxi Pride) made their last start in South central Louisiana.
Stockholder, currently stabled at Arlington Park is now under the tutelage of trainer Scott Blasi after a solid spring campaign in Texas and has been installed as the 9/5 morning line favorite. Jamie Theriot is slated to ride the six-year-old horse by Bertrando and will make up most of Stockholder's 119 lb impost.
High Strike Zone & Watchem Smokey, two six-year-olds with stellar race records here at Evangeline, are certain to attract attention. High Strike Zone, the leading money winner in the field with more than $539,000 in the bank for owner Donald Erickson, is top weighted at 121 lbs. Fresh off a sensational win in the Ark-La-Tex Handicap at Louisiana Downs, the Amos Laborde trainee showed no after effects from that effort with a sharp blowout here last Saturday morning under regular rider Ricky Faul. High Strike Zone is the second choice in the morning line at odds of 5/2. Watchem Smokey, who set the mile track record at Evangeline Downs this past May in the John Henry Stakes with a clocking of 1:36 3/5, looks to rebound from a dull fourth place finish as the 6/5 favorite behind High Strike Zone in the aforementioned Ark-La-Tex. As part of an entry with New York invader Salic Law for trainer Brandon Marks, they are listed at 4/1.
Mauk Four, a veteran stakes performer, makes his belated 2006 debut for trainer Jerry Cart. Mauk Four signaled his readiness with a sensational seven-furlong drill at Louisiana Downs in 1:24 1/5 from the gate that left veteran horsemen singing his praises. Dreamsandvisions, a lightly raced gelded son of Kipling, is a stakes winner in both 2005 & 2006 for trainer Steven Duke, and captured the restricted Assault Stakes at Lone Star Park in his last start.
Carded as the 9th race on Saturday's ten-race program, the approximate post time is 10:00pm central time.
Here is the field in program order with odds for the $150,000 Evangeline Mile for three-year-olds and up to be run at Evangeline Downs on Saturday, August 12. 2006
1. Salic Law Marlon St. Julien 4/1
1a. Watchem Smokey Kerwin Clark 4/1
2. Biloxi Breeze Lonnie Meche 15/1
3. High Strike Zone Ricky Faul 5/2
4. Stockholder Jamie Theriot 9/5
5. Mauk Four Jeffrey Burningham 6/1
6. Dreamsandvisions Luis Quinonez 6/1
7. Biloxi Pride Micheal Wright 15/1
Racing continues on a Wednesday through Saturday evening schedule with a post time of 6:40 p.m. central time.
For more information contact Evangeline Downs at 337-594-3000.
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