Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Mocito Rojo risks perfection
Multiple Grade 3 winner Mocito Rojo has never been defeated on the main track at Evangeline Downs and will attempt to remain perfect over the surface Wednesday night in Opelousas, La.
The horse brings a 5-for-5 local dirt record into the fourth race, a conditioned allowance at a mile that carries an optional claiming price of $30,000. Overall, the consistent Mocito Rojo is 6 for 8 at Evangeline. His other local starts, and win, came on turf.
“He’s always run well at Evangeline,” said Shane Wilson, who trains Mocito Rojo for Wayne T. Davis. “They’ve never beat him on the main track. He’s won at six and a half [furlongs], he’s won going seven, won an allowance, and won the Evangeline Mile twice.”
The Evangeline Mile wins came in 2018 and 2019. The race is not being renewed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the field Wednesday night drew another older runner of that kind of quality in Stephen’s Answer, winner of last year’s $100,000 Delta Downs Mile.
Mocito Rojo is making his first start in the overnight ranks since January 2019. Following that race he won five consecutive stakes, including the Grade 3 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs and the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park.
Mocito Rojo comes into Wednesday’s race off a fifthplace finish in the $75,000 Lone Star Mile, which was won on the front end by Hunka Burning Love on June 28. It was Mocito Rojo’s first out since February.
“We’re trying to get him back on track,” Wilson said. “We looked up and the conditions fit and everything. When we went to Dallas the other day, it had been so long since he ran and the track was very speed-favoring. The horses went really, really fast and kept running. Nobody really closed any ground on the turn except him and then he flattened out. We’re hoping it was the speedbiased track and he just needed the race.”
Gerard Melancon has the mount Wednesday from post 3.
“The race looks like it sets up pretty good,” Wilson said. “We’ve got some pace.”
Wilson said the allowance could be Mocito Rojo’s springboard to the Governor’s Cup at Remington Park. He won that race last August.
“Hopefully, he runs well and we’ll go back to Remington for the Governor’s Cup again,” he said. “He’s doing well. We pulled his blood levels. They’re good. His energy is good. Hopefully, we’ll get back on a winning track.”
Stephen’s Answer wired the Delta Downs Mile field last November during a streak of four straight wins at the Vinton, La., track. He comes into Wednesday night’s race off a runner-up finish in a conditioned allowance sprint at Louisiana Downs on July 14. Tim Thornton was aboard and has the mount again for Empire Racing Stables and trainer Robertino Diodoro.
The eighth race Wednesday
night features a rematch between Snowball and Saints N Muskets, who finished a respective one-two when separated by a half-length in the $60,000 Louisiana Legends Mademoiselle on July 4 at Evangeline. They go in a conditioned allowance for Louisiana-bred fillies and mares. The six-furlong sprint carries an optional claiming price of $30,000.
Broberg, Red Clay Magic hot
Louisiana Downs’ leading trainer Karl Broberg has a hot horse for the featured sixth race Wednesday.
Red Clay Magic will be going for his fourth straight win when he starts in the secondlevel allowance, which carries an optional claiming price of $17,500. The race for 3-yearolds and up will be run over 5 1/2 furlongs. Also set to start is Moro Said Ready, a two-time stakes winner last year at Lone Star Park.
Red Clay Magic comes off a first-level allowance sprint win July 15 at Louisiana Downs. Jack Gilligan was aboard. He has the mount Wednesday from post 2.
Broberg, who co-owns Red Clay Magic, leads all Louisiana
Downs trainers in wins with 23 from 81 starters through Sunday. He also leads his peers in stable earnings, with $242,425.
“We’ve done well there,” Broberg said. “We’ve just had the right horses for the right spots and have made it much more of a focal point than in the past.”
Broberg said that when there was uncertainty surrounding the Louisiana racing calendar earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Louisiana Downs was the first track to announce concrete plans.
“Louisiana Downs was the first to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to run,’ ” he said. “We sent most of the better horses there.”
Broberg said last month he brought 50 horses to Louisiana Downs, about twice the number he had a year ago at the Bossier City, La., track. In addition to a set racing calendar, the track is in close proximity to his base of Lone Star Park.
Asmussen rides first winner
Apprentice jockey Keith James Asmussen won for the first time in his riding career Sunday at Lone Star Park. He took the nightcap on Inis Gluaire ($3.20), a half-brother to Woodbine Oaks winner Roan Inish who is trained by his father, Steve Asmussen.
The start was the 19th for Asmussen, who also has four runner-up finishes through Sunday for mount earnings of $64,623. He intends to ride through the summer, then will resume studies at the University of Texas.
◗ Evangeline’s second purse increase of the meet goes into effect Wednesday night. The track has raised purses approximately 30 percent since the season opened, according to a notice sent to horsemen. The latest increase bumps maiden special weight races to $29,000 from $22,000 and maiden special weight offerings for Louisianabreds to $32,000 from $25,000.