Costa Rising scores on Premier Night

Costa Rising continued his win streak Saturday night (Jeff Coady/Coady Photography)

Delta Downs played host to the fourth annual Louisiana Premier Night on

Saturday evening, featuring an all-stakes card of 10 races with a total of $1

million in purse money offered. Highlighting the program was the $194,000

Louisiana Premier Night Championship S., which drew a field of eight.

After two scratches, only six horses lined up to contest the 1 1/16-mile

event over Delta's fast main track. Diggy Fresh (Indian Charlie) broke on top

and led the field through a quarter in :22 3/5, but couldn't hold off Mean

Butterbean (My Friend Max), who was just a head back in second. That one quickly

took over through a half in :47 and three-quarters in 1:12 2/5, but was himself

pressured the entire way by COSTA RISING (Royal Strand [Ire]). With Mario Reyes

aboard, Charles Castille's Costa Rising came four wide down the stretch to take

the lead and easily drew off to record his third straight win and first of 2007

by 5 1/4 lengths.

Sent off the 4-5 favorite, the dark bay paid out $3.60, $2.10 and $2.10 for

stopping the clock in 1:45 while earning his seventh stakes score. Trained by

Joseph Boxie, the four-year-old strung together six straight wins last year and

ran off the board only three times from 13 starts in 2006. Costa Rising now owns

a 16-10-1-2 career record and broke the half-million mark with $544,946 in

lifetime earnings.

Sport of Kings Racing's RASPBERRY WINE (Change Takes Time) was content to

press the pace in second during the $147,000

Louisiana Premier Night Distaff S., stalking through splits of :23 1/5, :47

4/5 and 1:13 2/5. The Albert Stall Jr. charge took over late to post the

half-length win under Kerwin Clark, finishing a mile in 1:41 3/5.

Tortuga Straits is undefeated from six starts after Saturday (Jeff Coady/Coady Photography)

Karla Balensiefen's TORTUGA STRAITS (Gold Tribute) moved his record to a

perfect six-for-six after capturing the $125,000

Louisiana

Premier Night Prince S. with Luis Quinonez aboard. The undefeated sophomore

raced wide around both turns before finishing the seven-furlong test 1 1/2

lengths in front of his nearest rival. Trained by Ralph Irwin, the dark bay colt

finished this event in 1:28 and has earned $363,000, including the winner's

share from five stakes wins. Heiligbrodt Racing Stable's MY FRIEND BELE (My

Friend Max) earned her first stakes victory with a front-running, three-quarters

of a length win in the $125,000

Louisiana Premier Night Starlet S. The James Hudson-trained sophomore miss,

ridden by Tracy Hebert, ran seven furlongs in 1:27 3/5, improving her record to

5-2-2-0 with $110,600 in lifetime earnings.

Brittlyn Stable Inc.'s homebred BROTHER BEAN (My Friend Max) was an easy 5 1/2-length

winner of the $100,000

Louisiana

Premier Night Sprint S. for trainer Victor Arceneaux. With Robby Albarado in

the irons, the dark bay gelding added a first stakes score to his record, which

now reads 6-4-2-0, $146,300, when stopping the clock in :58 2/5 for five

furlongs. Randy Davis and Associates' homebred INDIGO GIRL (Leestown) dueled early before

taking over the $98,000

Louisiana

Premier Night Matron S. and posting a 1 1/2-length win with Clark

holding the reins. The Samuel Breaux-conditioned five-year-old mare added a sixth

stakes win to her line when running five furlongs in :59 2/5, and now shows a

line of 23-11-3-1 with $394,606 in earnings.