The Evangeline Downs 2024 season got off to a good start Friday night with some full fields and a healthy handle on opening night. Offered on the program were two open stakes races. Star Guitar’s Guitar Solo added another stakes to her resume by easily winning the Acadiana Stakes for Three-Year-Old Fillies. In her usual running style Guitar Solo went to the front immediately then held off all the closers to finish in front by a length. Bred and owned by World War IV Racing, Guitar Solo has now won three races from five starts and has earned $133,800 for trainer Allen Landry. The Acadiana was her second stakes win having previously captured the Louisiana Futurity at Fair Grounds on New Year’s Eve.

Winner of the Mardi Gras S last out, 6-year-old mare OVA CHARGED added the $100,000 Page Cortez S. to her resume. Sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf, at the Fair Grounds, she shot from the gate and won ridden out by over 12 lengths! OVA CHARGED has won 4 stakes races in a row and an additional 5!  She has only been off the board once in her life. OVA CHARGED is a homebred for Brittlyn, Inc. (LA); and is trained by Shane Wilson.  

Behind her came RUE LALA with the same connections. She added a third stakes placing to her page.

Following 4 stakes wins in a row, TOUCHUPONASTAR ran 2nd in the G2 New Orleans Classic S. He led until deep stretch and could just not best a closer. This incredible gelding has won 11 of 15 starts with a two 2nds in a graded stakes, He has NEVER been off the board. He is trained by Jeff Delhomme for owner Set-Hut LLC.
Breeder: Coteau Grove Farm

In addition, SAVED BY GRACE earned her first black running 3rd in the Crescent City H. for  trainer  Gary M. Scherer and owner Road Trip Racing, Inc. Breeder: Brittlyn, Inc.

Further afield at Sam Houston,  AVAILABLE STAR won an allowance race. He is trained by Karen E. Jacks for owner Carl R. Moore Management LLC. Breeder: Brittlyn, Inc. He is closing in on 1/4 of a million dollars in earnings.

Courtesy of the TDN
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Carolina Panthers, is also a passionate horse owner who, along with his father Jerry and his brother Jeff, operates Set-Hut Stable LLC. The Delhomme clan focuses on Louisiana-breds and this year they have come up with one of the best ever. Touchuponastar (Star Guitar) is 11-for-14 lifetime and will run this weekend at Fair Grounds, either against open company in Saturday's $500,000 GII New Orleans Classic or against state-breds the next day in the Star Guitar S. CLICK HEADLINES TO  READ MORE

FREDDIE BY A NOSE defied his name AGAIN and has now won his second race in a row - this one by 5 lengths! He had ben claimed out of his winning race and he brought his new connections straight to the winner's circle. Racing 6 furlongs at the Fair Grounds, he rallied from way off the pace and left his rivals in the dust.
Breeder: Stephen Brown

BAYOU JAM has rewarded several different owner/trainer combinations. He is still winning at 7 and rewarded his newest connections trainer Keith G. Bourgeois and owner Matthew Bellard with still another win = his 8th, Racing a mile at the Fair Grounds, he shifted inside and edged up the rail for the win by 3/4.   He was bred by Brittlyn, Inc..|

STAR READY  was ready for the winner's circle and got there leading every step of the way racing a mile at the Fair Grounds and repelling any challenger. He is trained by Alfonso Balderas for owner  W. K. Freeman.
Breeder: David Cobb

FREDDIE BY A NOSE defied his name and graduated by 5 racing aa mile on the dirt. He was claimed out of his winning race and we wish his new connections the best of racing luck. Breeder: Stephen Brown
SAVED BY GRACE won for the 2nd time also at a mile on the dirt. She broke a step slow then rallied outside for the win by 1 1/2 lengths. She is trained by Gary M. Scherer for owner Road Trip Racing, Inc.. Breeder: Brittlyn, Inc.

February 23, 2024

Star Guitar’s Manama Gold kept her record intact with a victory in the GIII UAE Oaks at Meydan Racecourse on Friday. CLICK HEADLINES TO READ MORE

MANAMA GOLD  is # 2 on the KENTUCKY OAKS (G1) LEADERBOARD!

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'TDN Rising Star' MANAMA GOLD  (f, 3, Star Guitar–Charged Cotton, Dehere)( remained perfect with a 1 1/4-length tally in the AED700,000 G3 UAE Oaks over the closing Mizzyaan (Justify) at Meydan Racecourse on Friday. It was the first stakes win for the chestnut, who covered the 1900-metre trip in 2:00.81. CLICK HEADLINES TO READ MORE

Trained by Allen Landry for owner/breeder World War IV Racing & Rebel Tide Racing LLC, newly turned 3 year old filly SIX STRING was strong in sprinting to graduate in her first outing. She has followed that with a third win in a row dueling and clearing her field to remain undefeated. All three wins were sprinting at Delta Downs.

Open stakes wins are hard to come by for most Accredited Louisiana Breds but that was not the case on Tuesday at the Fair Grounds. The Mardi Gras Stakes was easily added to the resume of Star Guitar’s daughter, Ova Charged. After taking the lead shortly after the start, Ova Charged steadily opened daylight on the field until she found the finish line five plus lengths in front. Finishing second was last year’s winner of the Mardi Gras Stakes, Oeuvre.
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Courtesy of the TDN
Winning machine Ova Charged made it three straight victories for Shane Wilson with this impressive performance, her first on the lawn since capturing the 2022 Page Cortez S. at Fair Grounds. 
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Brittlyn homebred MOMENT OF STARDOM  won his 4th and his second allowance in a row, taking an  at a mile on the turf at the Fair Grounds. He rallied on the inside and then shifted out to clear the field. He is trained by Shane Wilson. 

Earlier this month, Stakes placed RUE LALA added win #4 racing 51/2 furlongs in allowance company at the Fair Grounds. Today she added another stakes placing third in the  LA Bred Premier Matron Stakes where she was nipped bu a head for second.. RUE LALA is a Brittlyn Stable homebred trained by Lane Wilson.

GUITAR DOCTOR dropped down into claiming company for the first time and had no trouble wiring the field for his 3rd win. He raced 7 1/2 furlongs at Delta Downs and won by 3 3/4 lengths. The four-year-old is owned by Susan K. Love and trained by Eduardo Ramirez. He was bred by  Wayne Love

Brittlyn homebreds trained by Shane Wilson had a strong showing at the Fair Grounds.

MSW BEHEMAH STAR followed his Louisiana Champions Day Turf Stakes in December with a very convincing allowance win at a mile and 70 on the dirt. He pressed the pace in 2nd then got the lead and held sway to win by 3 1/2. His E-Speed rating of 112 was the 2nd highest in his career.

MOMENT OF STARDOM  won his 3rd, taking an AOC at a mile on the turf at the Fair Grounds. He rallied on the inside to clear the field.

Star Guitar’s Ova Charged continued her winning ways by adding the Bob F. Wright Memorial to the list of her now seven stakes races she has won. Breaking alertly Ova Charged soon took the lead and as they turned for home she opened daylight on the rest of the field to win by a widening six plus lengths and stopping the timer for the six furlongs at 1:09.75. Bred and owned by Evelyn Benoit’s Brittlyn Stable Inc., Ova Charged’s record now stands at ten wins from thirteen starts with earnings of $488,780 for trainer Shane Wilson. Her previous start saw her capture the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint for the third year in a row.

PICKIN ANA GRINNIN has several huge wire-to-wire wins - one by over 13 lengths. Today she raced to an unchallenged wire-to-wire win in going a mile in allowance company at Delta Downs.  She once again rewarded her new trainer Eduardo Ramirez and owner Jerry T. Wheeler with this easy win.
B: Coteau Grove Farms, LLC.

Trained by Allen Landry for owner/breeder World War IV Racing & Rebel Tide Racing LLC, 2 year old filly SIX STRING was strong in sprinting to graduate in her first outing. She pressed the pace then cleared and held for the win by 3/4 of a length,

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MANAMA GOLD (f, 2, Star Guitar–Charged Cotton, by Dehere), who attracted plenty of hype prior to this first start, ran to her billing and emerged a 2 1/2 length winner at Meydan. Kept off the fence as Frost At Dawn (Frosted) made the running, the Louisiana-bred was keen to go on rounding the bend and Adrie de Vries had his hands full keeping her content. She tackled the leader at the head of the straight, and ground determinedly past her 250 metres from home, before going on to win a shade cozily. CLICK HEADLINES TO READ MORE

Stakes placed WIN YA WIN added another win - his 7th. - racing 6 furlongs at The Fair Ground. Off the favorite, he cleared to win by over 4 lengths. WIN YA WIN  is a full sibling to Wild About Star, SW, $190,200 and Minit to Stardom, GSW, $536,180. The Brittlyn-bred 6-year-old gelding is trained by Keith G. Bourgeois for owner Robert Asaro Enterprises, Inc. 

The 33rd Louisiana Champions Day was a sunny pleasant day but the Stars were shining brightly on the day. Star Guitar had three individual winners of the nine stakes races for the day. The Louisiana Champions Day Classic was first on Star’s agenda when Touchuponastar led from start to finish while being shadowed throughout the race by Tumbarumba. Touchuponastar was a repeat winner having captured last year’s Classic. Bred by the Coteau Grove Farms of Ginger and Keith Myers, Touchuponastar is owned by Set-Hut Stable (Jake Delhomme) and trained by Jeff Delhomme. His win in the Classic set his record at ten wins (seven stakes races) from thirteen starts with two stakes placings, including a second the Grade III Steve Sexton Mile and earnings of $618,100. CLICK HEADLINE TO READ MORE

Courtesy of the BloodHorse
Coming off convincing stakes victories, including one against open company, Touchuponastar  did exactly as expected back in against fellow Louisiana-breds, dominating the Dec. 9 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. With Tim Thornton aboard, the 4-year-old Star Guitar   gelding led gate to wire, taking the $145,500 feature by a geared-down 1 1/4 lengths in 1:50.12 for 1 1/8 miles over a fast surface. CLICk HEADLINES TO READ MORE

Courtesy of the PAULICK REPORT
Ova Charged Survives Photo For Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint Threepeat

Employing her signature stalking speed, Brittlyn Stable's homebred Ova Charged beat Basalt Street by a thin lip to take her third $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint in a row. Stablemate Spirited Beauty ran third.

Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint S. Fair Grounds, 12/9, $100,000, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f (dirt),
3–Spirited Beauty, 118, ch m, 5 ....$11,000 Star Guitar–Sunday's Child, by Any Given Saturday
O–Brittlyn Stable, Inc., B–Brittlyn, Inc. (LA), T–Shane Wilson, 

Courtesy of the BloodHorse
There are nine championship races slated this year, headed by the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic Stakes, which drew a field of six and will be contested at 1 1/8 miles over the main track. The 3-5 morning line favorite is the Jeff Delhomme-trained Touchuponastar , the 2022 Classic defending champion. The Star Guitar   4-year-old gelding, bred by Coteau Grove Farms, is 5-for-6 this year with one second, and 9-2-1 from 12 lifetime starts with earnings of $528,100. The Set-Hut-owned gelding has won eight of his last nine starts, losing only in the Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (G3) May 29 at Lone Star Park. CLICK HEADLINES TO READ MORE