Birdstone’s Underpressure added a sixth black-type stakes victory to his resume this past Saturday, on Delta Downs’s richest night of racing, Louisiana Premiere Night.
The 6-year-old gelding came home victorious in the featured event, the $150,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship for older horses, which was contested at 1-1/16 miles. The race saw a dramatic finish, as Mallory Greiner’s Underpressure ran down a determined Pound for Pound in the stretch to get the victory under jockey Gerard Melancon.
The stretch run of the Championship turned into a war of wills, as Underpressure slowly but surely cut into the lead of Pound for Pound before overtaking him in the final strides to win by a half-length. Underpressure covered the distance of the Championship in a time of 1:45.51 while running on a fast track.
Trainer Chris Richard was very proud of his hard-knocking gelding after the race. “It was a very competitive race; he always shows up and gives us a big effort. I felt he was coming into the race as good as he ever has. Gerard did an excellent job! We’ll look at some Louisiana-bred stakes at Fair Grounds next.”
Underpressure has now won 12-of-35 career races and his $90,000 payday on Saturday pushed his lifetime bankroll up to $693,382.
Bred in Louisiana by James McIngvale, Underpressure is a 6-year-old gelding by Birdstone, out of the Charismatic mare Charming Colleen.
Birdstone stands at Gainesway for $5,000.