FIRST SAMURAI’s Not On Herb registered his second career stakes victory on Saturday with a win in the King Creole Stakes at Evangeline.
The 5 ½ furlong dirt sprint saw the David Terre trainee break first before settling in midpack a few lengths off the leaders. Racing in the five path as the field raced down the stretch, he split horses coming down to the line to win by a neck over Sharp Charlie.
Racing for Crusaders Stable, Not On Herb has won five of his 11 starts with two other top three finishes for $165,470 in earnings. His first stakes victory earned him blacktype when he won the Joseph R. Peluso Memorial Stakes in his second start as a juvenile at the Fair Grounds.
This is his third straight season of registering at least one stakes placing after finishing third in the Lafayette Stakes last year.
He is one of four winners from five to race out of Toast to Ashley, a half-sister to the stakes placed Moka Jumble. This is also the family of dual Grade 1 winner Pioneerof the Nile and Grade 2 winner Powis Castle.
FIRST SAMURAI is 17th among all active North American sires by earnings and 19th by winners with 73.4% winners to runners in his career. That group includes 37 stakes winners and three Grade 1 winners.