Legends Night Win for Louisiana Liberty at Evangeline Downs

Jockey Gerard Melancon and Louisiana Liberty sustained a wide rally in a last to first move to capture the Soiree. The early fractions were steady as Highly Wicked set the pace with New Destiny and Sixth Anniversary close behind through an opening quarter mile in 24.08 seconds and a half-mile in 48.38 seconds. Louisiana Liberty was wide down the backside at the tail of the field and began to make some headway with a bid entering the far turn, as favored Star Moment also moved into contention. The duo moved in tandem to battle for the lead inside the final furlong, with Louisiana Liberty edging clear in the final yards to win by a half-length. It was another 1-3/4 lengths back to Highly Wicked holding on for the show spot. The final time for the mile was 1:40.79.

Bred by Coteau Grove Farms LLC and owned by Whispering Oaks Farm LLC (Carrol Castille), Louisiana Liberty is a 3-year-old filly sired by Cloud Computing. She is out of the Pleasant Tap mare Pleasantly Blessed. Winning for only the second time in 11 career starts, her career bankroll increases to $135,230.