Louisiana Cup winner has intriguing pedigree

Laughingsaintssong, who was one of the most impressive winners during the Louisiana Cup program last Saturday at Louisiana Downs, has a fascinating pedigree. And it’s not solely because he’s from the female family of champion Chilukki.

“He’s got a Quarter Horse sibling, a half-brother who won a $1 million race,” said Allen Landry, who trains Laughingsaintssong.

Jess a Saint captured the $1 million Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Futurity in 2015 at Evangeline Downs. He is by the Quarter Horse stallion Jess Louisiana Blue, while both he and Laughingsaintssong are out of the Vindication mare Laughing Saint.

Laughingsaintssong, a son of Songandaprayer, was an $18,000 purchase at auction a few months before Jess a Saint won the LQHBA Futurity. Rodney Verret owns Laughingsaintssong, a 5-year-old who dominated the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint on Saturday by 5 1/2 lengths, earning a careerhigh Beyer Speed Figure of 97.

“He put in a real good effort,” Landry said. “He ran his butt off.”

Laughingsaintssong is back home at Evangeline Downs and plans for his next start are to be determined, but in December he could see action on the Louisiana Champions Day card at Fair Grounds.

“We’re going to play it by ear, see what comes along,” said Landry.

The Louisiana Cup was the second stakes win for Laughingsaintssong and the first since the $50,000 Space City at Sam Houston in 2017. He came into Saturday’s race off a July allowance win at Evangeline.

“He loved the track at Shreveport,” Landry said of Louisiana Downs. “It was the first time he ran there.”

Laughingsaintssong is now 8 for 21. His promising half-sister Saints N Muskets also ran Saturday, finishing a close second in a conditioned allowance sprint at Evangeline Downs.

“A couple more yards and I think she would have won it,” said Landry, who also trains Saints N Muskets for Verret.

Laughingsaintssong has one additional half-sister racing, the Quarter Horse filly Laughingsaintsgirl. All of the horses are related to Chilukki through their fourth dam, Song of Syria, and all were bred in Louisiana by J.E. and Bunny Jumonville.

Monte Man may travel

Monte Man is back home at Evangeline Downs following a troubled fourth-place finish in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint on Saturday at Louisiana Downs with plans for his next race to be determined, according to trainer Ron Faucheux. The horse, who is the reigning Louisiana-bred of the Year, has the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint in December at Fair Grounds as a long-range goal.

“There’s not many options in Louisiana,” Faucheux said. “We may tackle an allowance race outside the state. He has some conditions against open company and we might take advantage of that.”

Monte Man was the 4-5 favorite in the Louisiana Cup Sprint off a win in the $75,000 Louisiana Legends Sprint in May at Evangeline Downs. He stumbled from post 2 on Saturday, then was forced to check on the turn.

“He looks fine,” Faucheux said. “It looks like he didn’t even run. That inside post really hurt us. He stumbled a bit leaving the gates . . . it just wasn’t his day.”

Monte Man won seven straight races in Louisiana from December 2017 through November 2018 to lock up Louisiana Horse of the Year honors from the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. He’s won stakes races at every track in Louisiana. He is owned by Ivery Sisters Racing.

Taylor’s Spirit to Charles Town

Taylor’s Spirit, who is a multiple stakes winner in Louisiana and Iowa, is headed to West Virginia. Trainer Scott Gelner said the filly is being pointed for the Grade 3, $300,000 Charles Town Oaks on Sept. 21.

The seven-furlong race is run around two turns on the sixfurlong oval at Charles Town.

Taylor’s Spirit is proven at the trip, as she won the 2018 My Trusty Cat, a seven-furlong stakes around two turns at Delta Downs. In more recent times, Taylor’s Spirit was third in last month’s Grade 3 Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows. She had won the local prep for that race, the Panthers Stakes.

Taylor’s Spirit is a daughter of Algorithms who races for Mark Norman and Norman Stables. She is a winner of 6 of 12 starts and $250,730.

Albuquerque features juveniles

Bubba Bling figures to start as the favorite in Saturday night’s $50,000 Manzano for 2-year-olds at the Downs at Albuquerque. He is coming off a runner-up finish in the Prairie Gold Juvenile on July 26 at Prairie Meadows.

Alfredo Juarez Jr. has the mount for trainer Steve Asmussen, one weekend after they teamed to win the $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap with Lookin At Lee.

Bubba Bling will break from post 7 in the field of seven. Asmussen trains the horse by Too Much Bling for one of his chief assistants, Darren Fleming.