Onemorewildtrain heads the $35,000 Leverne Perry Stakes on Saturday at Evangeline Downs.

© Hodges Photography

BY MARTHA CLAUSSEN

OPELOUSAS, LA–DECEMBER 18, 2024–The first of nine stakes on the final night of the 2024 Evangeline Downs Quarter Horse meet is the $35,000 Leverne Perry Stakes for accredited Louisiana-bred Quarter Horses, 3-year-old and upward.

A competitive field of ten will sprint 250 yards, led by Onemorewildtrain, owned by Jose Carlos Lopez and trained by Leonel Hernandez. Bred by Riley Blanchet, the gelded son of Freighttrain B has won six of his 20 career starts, with a stakes victory in the $50,000 Lakeview Dash at Fair Grounds on September 7. Jockey Noe Castaneda will guide the 5-2 choice who has already banked $180,816.

Tf Jess a Eagle, a 3-year-old gelding by One Dashing Eagle, sold for $26,000 at the 2022 LQHBA Yearling Sale and exits a victory in the Evangeline Downs Dash on October 7 for owners Jose H. Rodriguez and JC Racing Stables, LLC. Nationally prominent jockey Rodrigo Vallejo will ride the sorrel gelding for trainer Guadalupe F. Tristan. His record stands at 19-4-3-5 and earnings of $83,720.

Mardi Gras Derby winner Kp Paintmeasymphony, a son of Paint My Perry owned by Penny Meyers and bred by Meyers and Kenneth Roberts, Sr., is seeking his fifth career win. Leading EVD jockey Arnulfo Gutierrez will reunite with the brown gelding and break from post position nine.

The feature is named in honor of legendary Louisiana horseman Leverne Perry, who served as executive director of the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA). He was instrumental in legislation allowing the expansion of gaming in Louisiana, which led to increased purses and breeder incentive funds.

A passionate advocate for Quarter Horse interests in the state, Perry was particularly successful in political efforts to secure a fair share of gaming revenue for Quarter Horses. This significantly benefited Louisiana-bred Quarter Horses and helped make the state's breeding program one of the most profitable in the country. Perry was inducted into the LQHBA Hall of Fame in 2016 and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2023.

Post time for the Leverne Perry Stakes is 5:25 pm.  All Evangeline Downs races can be seen at Q-Racing Video.com.

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