© Coady Photography
OPELOUSAS, LA—DECEMBER 3, 2021—Evangeline Downs held a 10-race card of qualifiers for the 2021 Grade 3 $315,080 Evangeline Downs Futurity on Friday night. The finals will be contested on the December 30 closing night card.
The fastest qualifier for the Evangeline Downs Futurity was Christopher Villatoro’s Mr Spud, who won the second trial of the night under jockey Everardo Rodriguez. The Rosendo Valdez, Jr. trained runner broke sharply and dug in late in a determined effort to defeat Swags by a neck.
The running time for the 400 yards was :19.882 seconds and earned a speed index of 88.
The win by Mr Spud was his fifth from six starts and earned $3,000 for the victory. Boosted by a win in the Delta Downs Firecracker Futurity, his bankroll now stands at $177,821.
Bred in Texas by Randy King, Mr Spud is a 2-year-old bay gelding by champion sire The Louisiana Cartel, out of the Special Red Warrior mare Ace Winema.
Dash For Cash Futurity(G2) runner-up Smoky Ice was a half-length winner as the post time favorite in the ninth trial to secure the second fastest time of :19.930 seconds, into a 5 mph headwind.
Trainer Orlando Orozco named jockey Ricardo Garza-Cruz to ride the son of leading third-crop sire Apollitical Blood for owner La Feliz Montana Ranch LLC. Jude and Regina Robicheaux bred the gray gelding in Louisiana from the Sir Runaway Dash mare Tf Dashing Ms Perry. He has compiled a (8) 3-2-1 record and banked nearly $90,000.
For the complete list of the Evangeline Downs Futurity G3 qualifiers with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers and jockeys CLICK HERE.
Racing resumes at Evangeline Downs on Saturday with a 5:35pm (CST) first post. Trials for the Evangeline Downs Derby highlight the card. The Evangeline Downs Quarter Horse season runs through December 30.
For more information on the American Quarter Horse season at Evangeline Downs, visit the track's website at evdracing.com. Evangeline Downs' Twitter handle is @EVDRacing and the racetrack is also accessible on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.
About Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, off I-49 on Cresswell Lane at Exit 18.