Hoztile Takeover, ridden by Ubaldo Luna, wins his trial heat and clocks the fastest qualifying time to the Delta Downs Louisiana Bred Derby [RG2].

© Hodges Photography

VINTON, LA–JUNE 20, 2024–18 three-year-olds vied for one of ten spots in the $137,415 Delta Downs Louisiana Bred Derby [RG2], scheduled to return on July 13 for the finals. Hoztile Takeover scored his sixth career win in the second of two trials, setting the time to beat in :19.705 seconds.

Regular rider Ubaldo Luna got the mount aboard Hoztile Takeover for his 1 1/4-length victory over longshot Explosive Legend, clocking a 99 speed index. The heavy favorite's 400-yard winning effort paid $2.40 to win on 1/5 odds.

Hoztile Takeover, out of Ms Pilot Id by Identity Theft, was an $11,500 repurchase by his breeders Triple Lynn Farms and Roland Frederick at the 2022 LQHBA Yearling Sale. Amanda St Amant and Luis Castellanos now own him. The son of One Sweet Jess has lit the board 11 of 13 starts and added $6,000 to his earnings from the trial purse, for a lifetime total of $364,786.

The second fastest time came from the first trial of the evening, set by The Knockout Power, ridden by Leonardo Rodriguez. The son of Power Jam clocked a 93 speed index in :19.895 seconds, winning by a head over Trainarunnin. The slight upset paid $11.60 for the win.

The David Bustamante-trained gelding has three career wins from 11 starts with $85,895 in the bank. The Knockout Power was a finalist in last year's LQHBA Louisiana Million Futurity [G1] and LQHBA Sale Juvenile Stakes. Bustamante also trained the third fastest qualifier Explosive Legend.

Breeder Ken O'Brien sold The Knockout Power for $30,000 in the 2022 LQHBA Yearling Sale. Douglas Traylor owns the three-year-old gelding out of The Only Knockout by Apollitical Jess.

CLICK HERE for complete details on the $137,415 Delta Downs Louisiana-bred trials, including horse, sex, sire, dam, dam sire, owner, breeder, trainer and jockey

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Delta Downs will host a special 12-race program on Friday starting at 4:45 pm. Each race on the card will serve as a qualifying trial for this year’s $654,014 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1), which will take place on closing night, July 13. The race week will conclude on Saturday with a nine-race program starting at the regular post time of 6:15pm. For more information about the season, visit the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com.

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Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation, is the premier racing and gaming entertainment venue in Vinton, LA. Named “America’s Best Horse Racing Track” in 2023 by readers of USA TODAY 10Best, Delta Downs features a six-furlong oval track, 15,000 square feet of casino space and more than 1,500 of the most popular slot machines. Amenities include two restaurants, chart-topping entertainment at the Delta Event Center and the FanDuel Sportsbook.