Football season is right around the corner and X Clown might be the play for hunch bettors in the $67,000 Louisiana Cup Sprint on Saturday at Louisiana Downs. The Sprint is one of six stakes on the card, which has a special first post of 1:45 p.m. Central. Each of the $67,000 races is restricted to Louisiana-breds. The top horses set to compete include Net a Bear, who is looking for her 11th stakes win in the Distaff, and Free Like a Girl, a six-time stakes winner who faces older rivals for the first time in the Filly and Mare Sprint. The Sprint is the finale and drew a well-matched cast of 11 in the absence of division leader Bertie’s Galaxy. X Clown will be looking for his third stakes win. He won the allowance prep for the Sprint last month at Louisiana Downs. “It’s a very competitive race,” said Jake Delhomme, the retired NFL quarterback who owns X Clown. “I think there’s about six of them that could possibly win it.” X Clown’s name was inspired by Delhomme’s days with the Carolina Panthers. “X Clown is named after a football play,” Delhomme said. “The year we went to the Super Bowl we played the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis. This is the second round of the playoffs and they’re the No. 1 seed. We beat them on the first play of double-overtime and the play was called X Clown. X Clown was the route. And Steve Smith ran the route. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. “X Clown – he was one I bought out of the yearling sale at Louisiana – was kind of built like Steve Smith, kind of muscle-bound, just full of muscle. I said, ‘I’m going to name him X Clown.’ ” Delhomme’s father, Jerry Delhomme, trains X Clown. The horse, who is now 5, is a son of Jimmy Creed. X Clown won at the six-furlong distance of the Sprint on July 12 at Louisiana Downs, covering the distance in 1:10.77. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 82. The number stacks up favorably Saturday. “We’re going to take a shot,” Jake Delhomme said. “He’s been a great horse for us. He dances every dance – rarely does he throw in a clunker. It’s just if he’s good enough.” Joel Dominguez has the mount from post 6. “X Clown likes Louisiana Downs,” Delhomme added. “He has not run up there much, but he’s run very well every chance he’s had to run up there. Joel knows him, understands him. So, you know, maybe we get lucky and get a trip.” Jerry Delhomme is winning races at a 43 percent clip this year, with a 6-for-14 record in 2022. Jake Delhomme said his father typically carries fewer than 10 horses in his stable. Cosmic Train, another runner for the barn, will start on the Louisiana Cup card in the Turf Classic, which drew a full field of 12. Cosmic Train races for longtime family friend Delanie Calais Jr. He won the Crescent City Derby in March at Fair Grounds and comes off an allowance win at Evangeline Downs. “We’re attempting the turf with him, but it’s the only thing going,” said Jake Delhomme. “His mother won on the all weather. All of her wins were on the all weather. We hope it translates. We think he’ll make a very nice account of himself Saturday.” Gerard Melancon has the mount from post 5. Jake Delhomme is a regular for morning training these days, spending time alongside his father and his brother, the trainer Jeff Delhomme. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures “I didn’t grow up hunting. I didn’t grow up fishing. I didn’t grow up golfing,” Jake Delhomme said. “I went to school, played sports, and we were in the barn. I enjoyed being in the barn. I enjoyed the everyday aspect of it. I probably get more thrill out of the everyday training than I do race day. I love it. It’s a lot of fun.” Juvenile Fillies Lady Flurry made a statement in her debut in June, when she won a Louisiana-bred maiden special weight by nine lengths. She covered 4 1/2 furlongs in 51.63 seconds, and the Beyer Speed Figure of 71 she earned will make her a strong choice in the Juvenile Fillies. “She’s fast,” said Karl Broberg, who trains Lady Flurry for her breeder, Staton Flurry. Lady Flurry is by Lord Nelson. Broberg trained her dam, Patchofbadweather. “She looks a bit like her mom – very Quarter Horse-looking,” Broberg said. “Her dam actually broke her maiden in a stakes at Remington Park.” Lady Flurry won her debut over Guitar Woman, who also returns in the Juvenile Fillies. “At the time, I thought it was a suspect bunch [she beat], but the filly that ran second to her came back to run second in a stakes at Lone Star,” Broberg said. “[Lady Flurry] has done everything right – and she’s fast. We’ll see what happens.” ◗ Bisping returns from racing in New York for the Juvenile.