Jess Pretty N Black, under jockey Jasiel Aquino, sets the fastest qualifying time in the Lee Berwick Futurity trials at Delta Downs Friday night.

© Hodges Photography

VINTON, LA–JUNE 21, 2024–Delta Downs hosted the most important trials of the season on Friday night as 12 heats took place to qualify 10 horses for this year’s richest race, the $654,014 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1).

Fans didn’t have to wait long to witness the fastest qualifier of the night as Eleazar Martinez, Sr.’s Jess Pretty N Black ($10.40) won the opener with a time of 17.663 (91 speed index) seconds for 350 yards under jockey Jasiel Aquino. The score came over a fast track.

Breaking from post position five in a field of eight, Jess Pretty N Black had her mind on business and led throughout her trial. The Guillermo Martinez trainee won by a neck over Ace Trains R Forever, who also qualified for the final.

Jess Pretty N Black’s running time held up throughout the evening as it gave her the quickest qualifying time for the second time this season. She also won her trial for the Lassie Futurity (RG2) with the top time before finishing a troubled seventh behind Rf Fast Dash N Train in the final.

"She has been in our barn for about a month," said Luis Martinez, assistant trainer to his uncle, Guillermo Martinez.  "Her owner (Eleazar Martinez, Sr) sent her to us after the Lassie Futurity. She flipped in the gates in that final, so we just wanted to make her comfortable and build her confidence for the (Lee Berwick) trial. (Jockey) Jasiel Aquino has been great in the mornings, walking her into the gates six or seven times and grazing her afterwards. We were hoping she would qualify and were really happy with how well she ran."

Friday’s tally by Jess Pretty N Black gave her two wins from four starts during her brief career.

Each Lee Berwick trial carried a purse of $10,000 and the winner’s share was $6,000. That gave Jess Pretty N Black an earnings mark of $18,592. The talented filly can add another $327,007 to that number with a win in the final on July 13.

Bred in Louisiana by Grant Farms, LLC, Jess Pretty N Black is a 2-year-old black filly by The Louisiana Cartel, out of the Mr Jess Perry mare Jess Pretty In Black. She was purchased for $33,000 at the 2023 Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Yearling Sale.

CLICK HERE for the complete list of Lee Berwick Futurity finalists with times, sires, dams, owners, breeders, trainers, and jockeys.

Delta Downs will finish the race week on Saturday with a nine-race program. The action is set to get underway at 6:15pm.

For more information about the season, visit the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com.

Additional reporting by Martha Clausen.

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About Delta Downs
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" by readers of USA TODAY 10 Best, 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.

Delta Downs is located in Vinton, Louisiana, on Delta Downs Drive. From Lake Charles, take Exit 7; from Texas, take Exit 4.