The marquee night of the 2026 Thoroughbred season takes place June 6 with the Louisiana Legends card at Evangeline Downs.
The 10-race card features six stake races for Louisiana-bred runners, with each stake worth $100,000, and a pair of 2-year-old races for potential future Legends. Evangeline Downs will honor a group of six Louisiana racing legends during the card. The 2026 Legends are jockeys Kerwin “Boo Boo” Clark, Abe Hawkins and Eric Guerin; breeders John Franks and Joe Adcock; and trainer Dale Angelle.
In addition to the excellent card that was drawn, Evangeline Downs has many other attractions for race fans. Prior to the races, jockeys will be available for pictures and autographs in a meet and greet from 4:30-5:00pm and jockeys will be tossing t-shirts from the winner’s circle after each stakes race. Family night staples including face painting, a magician and arts and crafts for the kids are also planned for the evening.
The stakes action begins in the fifth race with the Legends Turf for 3-year-olds and upward at a mile and a sixteenth. Allnight Moonlight and Boss of All Bosses, the one-two finishers in the Don Stemmans Memorial earlier in the meet, look to add another chapter to their rivalry. The pair have split a couple of decisions in state-bred stakes in 2026. Good and Stout, the 2025 Turf champ, may be a little off his top form but has a solid record over the local turf. The Turf honors four-time eclipse award winning owner John Franks.
The Mademoiselle, at 5-1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares might be the most competitive race on the stake docket. Synthetic, Sassi Strutter and Six String have battled multiple times in 2026 and each bring solid credentials into the affair. The Mademoiselle honors breeder Joe Adcock, who after a solid 16-year MLB career, was the leading breeder in Louisiana eight times and spent 17 years on the LTBA Board of Directors.
Next up is the Cheval for 3-year-olds going the distance of one mile. Creole Chrome returns to face state-breds after trying the best in the country in the Blue Grass Stakes and the Pat Day Mile. Lee Street has won three times at the meet, while Wherethehitsare enters off a commanding victory in the Ragun Cajun on Derby Day. The Cheval honors jockey Abe Hawkins, a former slave-turned-jockey who captured the 1866 Travers Stakes aboard Merrill. Hawkins was inducted into the 2024 Racing Hall of Fame by the historical review committee.
Race eight on the card is the Soiree for 3-year-old fillies at one mile. Midnight Passion, a two-time stake winner this season, is the 8/5 morning line favorite. She stretches out to eight furlongs for the first time in her brief career. Liteupthenite, a winner of a route stakes at Sam Houston, and Whisper Me a Smile, who defeated Midnight Passion in a stake on Premier Night at Delta Downs, are a couple of the primary contenders. The Soiree honors trainer Dale Angelle. Angelle trained nearly 1,900 winners in his career, with his top earning runner No It’s Not banking over $300,000.
Highly Wicked brings her perfect six-for-six record over the Evangeline Downs turf into the Turf Distaff. The race for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward will be raced at the distance of one mile. Nodah, Norah G and Kalil are all looking to unseat what looks to be the most prohibitive favorite on the card. The Turf honors jockey Eric Guerin. Guerin was the leading apprentice in 1942 and booted home over 2,700 winners. He was the regular rider for the great Native Dancer.
The Sprint at 5-1/2 furlongs for 3-year-olds and upward closes out the Legends Night card. Nine Part, despite a flat effort in the King Creole, has been tabbed as the 2-1 morning line favorite. Ragtime Wine, cross-entered in the Turf, brings an undefeated record into the Sprint and has looked sensational in two wins at the current meet. El Dinero and Oaklawn shipper Max Got Excited could also draw some attention at the windows. The Sprint honors jockey Kerwin “Boo Boo” Clark. Clark found the winner’s circle over 3,100 times in his career, including the 2015 Kentucky Oaks withLovely Maria.
The Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association and Evangeline Downs will be awarding a total of four $1,000 scholarships during the evening. Students are encouraged to attend the races and enter the drawing, with the winners to be selected after the fifth race. First post time Saturday will be 5:30pm Central Time.
The racing calendar for the remainder of the 2026 season features racing Thursday through Saturday until the end of the meet on Labor Day, September 7.
For more information on Evangeline Downs visit the track’s website at https://evangelinedowns.boydgaming.com/racing.
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