One King's Man Surges to Premier Night Win

One King's Man ruled the $200,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship  Feb. 7 at Delta Downs, using a big late kick to win by 3 1/2 lengths, highlighting an evening of stakes racing for state-breds.



Ridden by Miguel Mena for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey, One King's Man provided trainer Joe Sharp with his first stakes win, rallying from sixth on the final turn to surge past pacesetter Ide Be Cool and 2-5 favorite Sunbean. The final time for the 1 1/16-mile test, the most lucrative event on the Saturday night card, was 1:46.47 over a fast track.



In other divisional stakes on the night program in Vinton, La., Tensas Harbor and Heitai repeated in their respective races, the $150,000 Premier Night Distaff and $100,000 Premier Night Sprint. Elsewhere, jockey James Graham swept the 3-year-old races aboard 30-1 shot Private Promise in the $125,000 Starlet and undefeated Mr. L. S. Shoe in the $125,000 Prince. Afternoon Tango scored in the $100,000 Matron after the disqualification of first-place finisher Solid Sender for interference in the stretch.



In all, more than $1 million in purse money in 10 stakes was up for grabs at Delta Downs.

Sharp formed a relationship with the Ramseys while an assistant to Mike Maker. They claimed ONe King's Man at Keeneland Oct. 23 for $40,000.



"It felt great," Sharp said of his initial stakes triumph.  "There's no owner I'd rather win for more than any other, but obviously Mr. Ramsey and I have done a lot together. It was a neat story. We claimed the horse with this race in mind a few months ago and we did exactly what we set out to do."



Off at odds of 5-2, One King's Man was unhurried early as Ide Be Cool, pressed by defending winner Sunbean, dictated the pace through quarter-mile fractions of :23.72, :48.83, and 1:14.46. One King's Man, set down for the drive, rallied on the far outside impressively to pass the dueling front-runners and post his first stakes win.



Five-year-old One King's Man is by K One King  , bred by Steve Crowe from the Honour and Glory mare Mist of Honour. The gray gelding, coming off an off-the-turf allowance/optional claiming win to open the season Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, improved his career mark to 9-7-5 in 33 starts and boosted his earnings to $420,304 with the $120,000 winner's share.



Carrying 120 pounds, One King's Man paid $7 for the win. Ide Be Cool, ridden by Diego Saenz, nosed out Sunbean and Richard Eramia for second. The millionaire Sunbean, carrying top weight of 125 pounds, lost for the first time in five starts at Delta Downs while edging Populist Politics by a neck for the show spot. Galveston Harbor, Louisiana Flyboy, and Productive Envoy completed the order.



Mena was also aboard 5-2 shot Tensas Harbor as she made it consecutive victories in the Premier Night Distaff, defeating even-money favorite Our Quista by 4 1/4 lengths for owner Cantrell Family Partnership.



Keith Desormeaux trains the 5-year-old daughter of Private Vow. Tensas Harbor ($7.80), bred by Curt Leake out of the Boston Harbor mare Harbor Princess, completed the one-mile distance in 1:40.54 for her seventh win in 23 starts with earnings of $443,450.



Speedster Heitai, off at 1-10, was a 2 3/4-length repeat winner over Louisiana Glory in the Premier Night Sprint with Gerard Melancon aboard, running five furlongs in :57.93. The clocking was more than a second off the track record the bay gelding set in winning last year's event.



Tom Amoss trains the homebred son of Fusaichi Pegasus  —Sparkles of Luck, by Mr. Sparkles, for Rowell Enterprises. A nine-time stakes winner, Heitai ($2.20) ran his career mark to 13-8-3 in 28 races with earnings of $883,543.



Graham started his Premier Night double in the Starlet with outsider Private Promise ($62), who nudged Forest Lake by a head while clocking seven furlongs in 1:28.44 for Southern Legacy Thoroughbreds and trainer C. Blaine Williams. Even-money choice Wind Chill Factor was third.



Bred by David and Cynthia Crisp, Private Promise is by Private Vow—Wave the Colors, by Brahms. She came from slightly off the pace to register her first stakes win while posting her third victory overall from eight starts with earnings of $130,082.



Graham won the other half of the 3-year-old stakes with some drama in the Prince as undefeated Mr. L. S. Shoe ($4) rallied from eighth to get up by a head over Cat Sup for owner/breeder Phyllis Hodges and trainer James Hodges.



The gray gelding by Forefathers, out of the Maria's Mon mare Maria's Kitty, is now 4-for-4 in his career including three consecutive stakes wins in state-bred company, earning $203,400. He was timed for the seven furlongs in 1:27.37.



Afternoon Tango, the second of three noses on the line in the Matron, was awarded victory when stewards ruled that Solid Sender had drifted in and interfered with the runner-up in the drive. Solid Sender was placed second, with Wire Me Bessie third in the blanket finish. The five-furlong final time was :59.15.



Trained by Patrick Devereux Jr. for Big Aut Farms, 5-year-old Afternoon Tango ($7.60) posted her third stakes victory since August and eighth win overall from 15 starts while banking $300,090. Saenz was aboard the winner.



Bred by Coteau Grove Farms, the dark bay or brown mare is by Afternoon Deelites out of Tango for Tips, by Seeking the Gold.