Star Guitar , the all-time leading Louisiana-bred earner, added to his legacy June 30 when he rallied to win the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Night Classic at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino in track record time.
The son of Quiet American trained by Al Stall Jr. for breeder Evelyn Benoit’s Brittlyn Stable raced well off the tepid early pace of Productive Envoy before rallying in the stretch to wear down leader Heavy On Themister for a three-quarters of a length victory. The final time under jockey Gerard Melancon was 1:43.71 for 1 1/16 miles on the main track, bettering the previous record for the distance set by Drill Hall in 2006.
Star Guitar’s fourth win in the Louisiana Legends Night Classic improved his record to 24 wins and two third-place finishes in 30 starts, with earnings of $1,749,862. The 7-10 favorite, Star Guitar carried 123 pounds, conceding three to five pounds to the other four starters. He paid $3.40, $2.20, and $2.10, and was followed by Heavy On Themister ($5.40 and $2.10), and a closing Get in Da House. The order was completed by Productive Envoy and Up and Out of Site.
“This horse is like riding a sports car, he has so many gears,” Melancon said. “I kept asking him in the stretch and he kept giving me more and was really striding out in the end. He beat a couple of good horses tonight and he is just a fun horse to ride.”
In addition to the Classic, there were seven other stakes races on the “Louisiana Legends Night” program, consisting of:
--$100,000 Fillies Mile, won by Little Ms Protocol and jockey Diego Saenz.
--$100,000 Ladies Sprint, won by U Belong to Me and jockey Ramsey Zimmerman.
--$100,000 Colts & Geldings Mile, won by Top Cat Boogie and jockey Randall Toups.
--$100,000 Sprint, won by Amanecer de Oro and jockey Richard Eramia.
--$100,000 Turf, won by Kissimmee Kyle and jockey Mark Guidry.
--$100,000 Distaff, won by Ladyzarbridge and jockey Mark Guidry.
--$75,000 Starter, won by Well’s Gold and jockey Richard Eramia in a course record 1:28.46 for the 7 1/2 furlongs on turf.
Star Guitar wins the Louisiana Legends Night Classic
Courtesy of Evangeline Downs