Highly Wicked dominates Bon Temps Stakes by five lengths at Evangeline Downs

Highly Wicked did not just collect another stakes trophy at Evangeline Downs. She announced herself as a mare with real regional turf staying power, powering away by five lengths in the Bon Temps Stakes and finishing the mile in 1:39.07 on firm ground.

The 6-year-old daughter of Wicked Strong entered as the heavy 2-5 favorite and paid only $2.80 to win, but the margin told the more important story. In a race for accredited Louisiana-bred fillies and mares 3 and up, she overcame a modest early pace, got shuffled back to next to last on the backstretch, then slipped through a seam in the stretch and kept widening once Timothy Thornton asked for run. Tommie G led through splits of 24.59 for the quarter-mile and 50.30 for the half, but once Highly Wicked found clear sailing she separated from a field that still had depth, with Kalil finishing second and Precious Money third among the eight declared runners, minus the scratched Miss Priority.

That is what makes the performance matter beyond the $75,000 purse. A five-length stakes win at a mile on turf is the kind of result that can move a mare out of the local-specialist lane and into conversations about better placement. Highly Wicked has now won 12 of 24 starts, and the Evangeline record is the strongest argument in her case: seven wins in eight local outings, including all six of her turf starts there. She has handled this course so consistently that the win felt less like a surprise than a confirmation of form.

For trainer Sam B. David Jr. and the Hernandez ownership group of Earl Hernandez, Keith Hernandez and John Duvieilh, the race added another stakes winner to a stable profile already shaped by Louisiana breeding and local turf success. Highly Wicked, foaled in April 2020 out of Highly Confused by Rahy, has now pushed her bankroll to $528,700 after earning $45,000 for the victory. That kind of résumé gives connections options, and it also gives handicappers a clear signal: this mare is not merely holding her own in regional stakes company, she is controlling her level. The 1:39.07 clock was nowhere near the Evangeline turf record of 1:34.19, but the gap between the numbers and the field was the real headline, because it showed how thoroughly Highly Wicked dominated the race shape and the finish.