Super Derby (G2) winner and Louisiana favorite Mobile Bay will aim to defend his title in the $170,000 Louisiana-Bred Premier Night Championship Stakes on Louisiana Premier Night Feb. 10 at Delta Downs.
The 1 1/16-mile feature heads a 12-race program that includes 10 Louisiana-bred stakes.
Tigertail Ranch's 6-year-old homebred comes into the race off three straight wins, however those races were spread across a two-year period.
In December of 2016 the son of Lone Star Special won the Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots by 4 3/4 lengths. In his next start he took the 2017 edition of the Premier Night Championship Stakes by a length.
However, Mobile Bay did not return to racing until Dec. 9, when he got a nose in front of Grande Basin at the wire to win back-to-back editions of the Louisiana Champions Day Classic.
Grande Basin and third-place Louisiana Champions Day Classic finisher Underpressure are the primary competition for Mobile Bay Saturday.
Other stakes action on the card includes:
- The $145,000 Louisiana Premier Night Distaff field will include older fillies and mares Hyper Piper, who won the Lookout Stakes Jan. 5; Mr. Al's Gal, who took last year's Louisiana Premier Night Starlet Stakes; and multiple stakes winner Pacific Pink, who has earned $522,120 during her career;
- The $120,000 Louisiana Premier Night Starlet Stakes features 3-year-old fillies and is topped by Minit to Stardom, who is two-for two after she took the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie Stakes by 7 1/4 lengths last time out;
- The $120,000 Louisiana Premier Night Prince Stakes for 3-year-olds will be headed by Del Mar Futurity (G1) seventh-place finisher Gracida and Louisiana Futurity winner Pound for Pound;
- The $120,000 Louisiana Premier Night Sprint Stakes features older horses going five furlongs, topped by Monte Man, who has won his last two starts at the optional-claiming allowance level;
- The $120,000 Louisiana Premier Night Matron Stakes for older fillies and mares going five furlongs will be headed by My Miss Chiff, who finished third in the Adena Springs Miss Preakness Stakes (G3) in May and has won four of her six starts.
