Mucciolo's Value Horse of the Weekend at Evangeline Downs

A full field of 12 three-year-old fillies will dash five furlongs in a maiden special weight dash at Evangeline Downs on Saturday in Race 5 (8:18 p.m. EDT). The heat for Cajun-bred sophomores looks like a competitive one that could yield some handsome returns, and I will center my picks around a second-timer who has a fine morning-line number attached to her.

#3 Kiss Goodbye (10-1) debuted at Fair Grounds on March 23 in a $20,000 maiden claiming event and rallied well to be a clear second despite losing ground soon after the break. The chestnut daughter of Yankee Gentleman displayed some athleticism on that day when rallying in the stretch, and I fully expect her to move forward off of that productive effort despite the class rise.

The March foal was claimed out of that race by one of the hotter barns on the grounds in Eduardo Ramirez, who is winning at an especially high 41% rate in the early stages of the meeting, and is also firing at a 30% clip first time off of the claim.

Kiss Goodbye willingly passed runners in her first voyage, and I take notice anytime a debuter does so. The pace figures to be an honest one on Saturday, which will aid the top pick and pilot Joel Dominguez, who is 6-for-12 for this conditioner at Evangeline Downs.

For the exotics, #9 Pineapple Alley (3-1) is a must-use for trainer Sam David. The Wicked Strong filly has hit the board in four of her five lifetime outings, and she could control things early on with a clean break in this tilt. I personally think that the sophomore wants to run longer, but she could surely be a major factor on Saturday with her best.

Third-time starter #2 Ask Dale (4-1), Bret Calhoun’s debutante #11 Parish Belle (20-1), and the Brett Brinkman owned/bred/trained #6 Umatilla (15-1) are others that I will dabble with in this contest.

Wagers

• $15 win and place #3 Kiss Goodbye ($30)
• $6 exacta box 3-9 ($12)
• .10-cent superfecta key 3 with 2,6,9,11 with 2,6,9,11 with all ($10.80)

Good Luck!