Sunbean heads Louisiana Champions Day in Classic

Sunbean is the top draw in Saturday’s Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds (Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography)

Sunbean, a contestant in last spring’s
Grade 2 Louisiana Derby and other graded stakes, returns to Louisiana-bred
company and will be well-regarded when he faces eight rivals in Saturday’s $150,000
Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds.

The Classic serves as the main event of the New Orleans
oval’s annual eight-stakes race series for Thoroughbreds that is restricted to
accredited Louisiana-breds. Due to the expanded 13-race program for Louisiana
Champions Day (LCD), a special early post-time of 12:30 p.m. (CST) will be in
effect on Saturday with gates opening at 10:30 a.m.

One particularly interesting challenge to Sunbean in
Saturday’s Classic is expected to come from String King,
hero of the last two renewals of the Louisiana Champions Day Turf and repeat winner of the Mr. Sulu over the Stall-Wilson turf course in his
last start on November 23. Trainer Charlie Smith, also breeder and owner of the
five-year-old grass star, cross-nominated String King to this year’s Classic and
Turf but has elected to try the main track Saturday in favor of the Classic’s
larger purse.

Populist Politics,
who disappointed as the choice in last year’s Classic, is set for Saturday’s
headliner again after his victory in Evangeline’s Louisiana Legends
Classic over the summer. Most recently he finished third, beaten 3 1/2-lengths by Sunbean, in Delta
Downs’ Gold Cup on November 2.

Sittin at the Bar (outside) is seeking her second LCD victory (Lou Hodges Jr./Hodges Photography)

Hud’s Rebellion can be expected to draw strong support in Saturday’s $100,000
LCD Turf,
assuming — as expected — he goes to the post in the Turf rather than the Classic. In his
last start on August 17, he finished second to String King in the Louisiana
Cup Turf Classic but would not face that rival again going over the Stall-Wilson
turf course this weekend.

Like String King, Hud’s Rebellion was cross-nominated to both Saturday’s Turf
as well as the Classic. The trainer Andy Leggio
Jr. trainee finished second by a half-length to Populist Politics in Evangeline’s Louisiana Legends
Classic on the main track in his previous outing, but that rival is also named
to the Classic Saturday.

Facing Hud’s Rebellion in the Turf will be Sadie’s Soldier, third in last
year’s LCD Turf and Mr. Sulu last out.

The other six Thoroughbred stakes slated for the state-bred
restricted Louisiana Champions Day are the $100,000
LCD Juvenile
sending two-year-olds six furlongs; $100,000
LCD Lassie for
two-year-old fillies at six furlongs; $100,000
LCD Ladies for
older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles; $100,000

LCD Ladies Sprint for sprinters in that same
division at six furlongs, $100,000
LCD Sprint
sending all Louisiana-bred speedsters six furlongs; and the
$50,000
LCD Handicap Stakes, a starter stakes for state-breds
three-years-old and up at a mile and 70 yards.