NOT ON HERB RIGHT ON TIME IN THE $60,000 KING CREOLE

JOCKEY TIM THORNTON WITH TWO STAKE WINNERS ON A FOUR-WIN NIGHT 

OPELOUSAS, LA – A large Derby Day crowd was treated to a trio of stake races on the Saturday night card at Evangeline Downs.  Touchuponastar cruised to an easy victory in the $60,000 EVD Classic, Good and Stout rallied and pulled away in a triumph in the $60,000 Ragin Cajun, and Not On Herb finished strongly to capture the $60,000 King Creole.  The races, all restricted to Louisiana-bred runners, were contested over a track listed as sloppy following afternoon showers. 

Not On Herb edges Autumns Strong Man to win the King Creole Stakes at Evangeline Downs. Hodges Photography.

Jockey Juan Vargas and Not On Herb broke sharply in the King Creole, but eased back shortly after the start into a stalking position as Sharp Charlie zipped down the backstretch through an opening quarter-mile in a snappy 22.04 seconds.  Sharp Charlie led by a length into the turn as Grunt, Black Sword and Autumns Strong Man chased, and Not On Herb followed in fifth.  As the field turned for home with Sharp Charlie leading by two lengths, Not On Herb was finding his way through traffic into a challenging position.

As the field reached the final furlong, Sharp Charlie’s lead was down to a length after the half-mile split in 45.85 seconds, as Not On Herb started his closing kick in the center of the racetrack, just outside of Autumns Strong Man.  Inside the final 50 yards Not On Herb was able to get on even terms with Sharp Charlie and edged clear in the final strides to win by a neck.  Autumns Strong Man was two lengths back in third, with favored Mangum a non-threatening fourth.  The winner finished the 5-1/2 furlongs in 1:04.39 in the race for 3-year-olds and upward.

Not On Herb is owned by Crusaders Stable LLC (Leon Verriere, John Barker and Santiago Munoz, et al) and trained by David Terre.  He wins for the fifth time in 11 career starts and his career bankroll now stands at $165,470, including the winning check of $36,000.

Bred by the team of Summergrove Farm, LLC & Terry Gabriel, Not On Herb is a dark bay or brown 4-year-old gelding sired by First Samurai.  He is out of the First Defence mare Toast to Ashley.

Not On Herb returned $14.20 to win, $7.60 to place and $5.40 to show.  Sharp Charlie paid $5 and $4, with Autumns Strong Man at $4.60 to show.

Good and Stout wins the Rain Cajun Stakes by 2 3/4. Hodges Photography.

In the Ragin Cajun, a stake for 3-year-olds over seven furlongs, El Real Deal rocketed away from the gate to an early lead with Otra Cosa quickly on the chase.  Good and Stout, with Tim Thornton aboard, settled nicely off the quick early pace, just a few lengths away.  Through an opening split in 22.54 seconds, El Real Deal led by a length over Otra Cosa, with Good and Stout and Take Charge J J chasing the leaders.

As the field reached the top of the stretch, the leaders were starting to tire after a half-mile split in a zippy 45.54 seconds.  Good and Stout collared the leaders inside the final furlong, with Strong Promise and Tdzshininstar also passing rivals.  Good and Stout edged clear in the final 100 yards to win by 2-3/4 lengths over a tight battle for the minor awards.  The margin between runner-up Strong Promise and Tdzshininluckystar was just a head, with a neck to Take Charge J J and a head to Saint Gabriel.  The winner stopped the timer in a time of 1:24.71.

Owned by Whispering Oaks Farm, LLC (Carrol Castille) and trained by Carrol Castille, Good and Stout wins for the third time from 9 starts.  The winning purse of $36,000 increases his bankroll to $175,500.

Bred by the partnership of Adcock’s Red River Farm, LLC & Hume Wornall, Good and Stout is a dark bay or brown colt sired by Coal Front.  He is out of the More Than Ready mare Ready Witted.

Good and Stout returned $ to win, $2.40 to place and $2.20 to show as the wagering favorite.  Strong Promise paid $3.80 and $3.20, with Tdzshininluckystar paying $9.40 to show.

Touchuponastar adds the 2024 EVD Classic to his already impressive stakes record. Hodges Photography.

Touchuponastar added another easy victory to his career record with a dominating effort in the EVD Classic.  The field for the Classic, for 3-year-olds and upward, was reduced to just a four-horse field after some defections.

Jockey Tim Thornton and Touchuponastar broke sharply and were in command from the outset.  With little pace pressure, the team set comfortable early fractions of 25.17 and 49.29 seconds for the opening splits.  Ballinonabudjet and Budro Talking provided mild pressure but were not immediate threats to the leader.

As the quartet moved past the six-furlong split in 1:13.78, Cosmic Train moved with a short-lived bid towards Touchuponastar, but the classy gelding had too much and pulled away.  The winning margin was 5-3/4 lenghts over Cosmic Train, with Ballinonabudjet another 5-1/4 lengths back in third.  The winner stopped the timer for the mile race in 1:38.92.

Owned by Set-Hut, LLC (Jake Delhomme) and trained by Jeff Delhomme, Touchuponastar captured win number 12 from 16 career starts.  The $36,000 winner’s share increased his bankroll to a stellar $844,100.

Touchuponastar was bred by Coteau Grove farms and sired by Star Guitar.  The 5-year-old bay gelding is out of the Lion Heart mare Touch Magic.

Heavily favored at odds of 1/9, Touchuponastar paid $2.10 to win and $2.10 to place, with Cosmic Train returning $2.20 to place.  No show wagering was offered in the field of four runners.