Freshman sire Vekoma picked up his first black-type stakes winner as Louisiana Jess ran away from the field in the D.S. Shine Young Futurity Aug. 3 at Evangeline Downs.
Breaking from the inside, the colt stalked the lead from the start before jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. brought the 2-year-old three wide around the turn of the 5 1/2-furlong trial. Overtaking Big Rasee , Vekoma’s son continued to strengthen and overtook the lead to win by five lengths in 1:05.67 on the fast main track.
Bred by Clear Creek Stud and Warren Harang, Louisiana Jess is out of the Tale of the Cat mare Miss Jazebel. Owned by Mansfield Racing and trained by Bret Calhoun, Louisiana Jess was a $50,000 purchase at Fasig-Tipton’s The July Sale in 2023 out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.
The colt is undefeated from two starts with $82,320 in earnings.
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Vekoma, who stood this year for $15,000 at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington, has had 32 runners and 13 winners from his first group of progeny to hit the track through Aug. 3.
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A millionaire in his racing days ($1,245,535), the Kentucky-bred Vekoma was 6-0-1 from eight starts. His record includes wins in the 2020 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and Carter Handicap (G1), 2019 Blue Grass Stakes (G2), and the 2018 Nashua Stakes (G3).
He was bred by Alpha Delta Stables and owned by R.A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables.
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Feb. 28, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Feb. 28 drawing
06-20-35-54-65, Powerball: 10, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 28 drawing
8-3-8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 28 drawing
5-4-7-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from Feb. 28 drawing
9-9-1-3-0
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Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Easy 5 numbers from Feb. 28 drawing
04-17-21-27-33
Check Easy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto numbers from Feb. 28 drawing
08-10-15-21-22-33
Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
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Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
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When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) demanded a congressional briefing from President Trump’s administration Saturday (Feb. 28), hours after the U.S. military joined Israel in launching airstrikes against Iran.
“When I talked to Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio, I implored him to be straight with Congress and the American people about the objectives of these strikes and what comes next,” Schumer said in a statement. “Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon, but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home.
“The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat. Confronting Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.
“The administration must brief Congress — including an immediate all-senators classified briefing — and in public testimony to answer these vital questions. The Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act. My prayers are with our brave American servicemembers.”
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Meanwhile, reaction to the attack from Louisiana’s congressional delegation appeared to break predictably among party lines.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) posted to X that the attack “is yet another move by President Trump to protect the United States and sends a message to the world: Never doubt America’s resolve or capacity to defend its interests.”
For years, the Iranian Regime has chanted “Death to America,” targeted our troops, weaponized their terrorist proxies, and killed tens of thousands of innocent people, including Americans. Today, President Trump made it clear: their reign of terror is over.
Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) of New Orleans, however, said he was “deeply concerned” about the attack and said, “The American people deserve to understand the objectives, the risks and the path forward.”
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Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote, “The President’s decision to attack Iran presumably was based upon a clear and present danger to the United States, and a planned execution that does not put the United States in a forever war.”
The President’s decision to attack Iran presumably was based upon a clear and present danger to the United States, and a planned execution that does not put the United States in a forever war. We pray for the safety and success of our servicemen and servicewomen.
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) February 28, 2026
Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.), who is mounting a primary challenge for Cassidy’s U.S. Senate seat, also endorsed Trump’s decision to attack Tehran.
Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and actively plots to kill Americans. President Trump’s decisive strikes send a message that America will not tolerate Iran’s threats to our national security. May God bless our troops and keep them safe as we confront radical… https://t.co/P5IVxiBi2p
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) also backed Trump’s military action, writing that Iran was “facing the severe consequences of its evil actions.”
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Today, Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions. President Trump and the Administration have made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions in response to the Iranian regime’s sustained nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism, and the murder… https://t.co/G5XPELtAmX
Democratic Rep. Cleo Field expressed reservations that Trump had not made a case for the attack to Congress or the American people.
This morning, the United States, in coordination with Israel, launched strikes against Iran — a significant military action with serious consequences for our national security.
While I understand the gravity of the threat, the process here cannot be ignored. The War Powers Act…
Republican Sen. John Kennedy had not yet posted reactions to the Iran attack — dubbed by the Pentagon as “Operation Epic Fury” — on social media or sent statements to the news media.
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Heading into this weekend’s series at Louisiana Tech, No. 12 Southern Miss was confident it could come into Ruston, La., and get a big road series win while also showing the proper amount of respect for its opponent. Louisiana Tech was also confident, but perhaps those hard feelings toward Southern Miss got in the way of it reaching its goals on Friday night.
“Coach (Lane) Burroughs, he doesn’t like Southern Miss,” Louisiana Tech freshman Casey McCoy said earlier this week before the series began. “We’re going to do everything we can to beat them. We want to sweep them.”
Well, the series has yet to be determined, but you can count out the possibility of a Louisiana Tech sweep, as Southern Miss went into “The Love Shack” and won the first game of the series, 8-3, behind a couple of big home runs and exceptional pitching down the stretch. Bulldogs head coach Lane Burroughs was ejected from the game in the fifth inning for arguing with the umpires.
J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park – aka, “The Love Shack” / latechsports.com
The Golden Eagles got off to a quick start in Ruston, as lead-off man Ben Higdon hit a single to left field off of Louisiana Tech starting pitcher Declan Dahl in the top of the first inning. Dahl then gave up a two-run home run to Joey Urban on the next at-bat, giving Southern Miss an early 2-0 lead.
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In the bottom of the second inning, Louisiana Tech tied things up at 2-2 after Casey McCoy hit a two-run bomb against Colby Allen. The Bulldogs then took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third with a single that scored a man from third.
@SouthernMissBSB
Just like in Tuesday night’s beatdown of Alabama, Southern Miss got some big fireworks in the fourth inning. Senior second baseman Kyle Morrison hit what was the Golden Eagles’ second grand slam of the game in the fourth inning against the Crimson Tide, and he followed that by hitting his team’s second homer of the game against the Bulldogs on Friday night. It was a three-run shot to centerfield to give his team a 5-3 lead.
Southern Miss added three more insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning thanks to singles from Davis Gillespie and Seth Smith, and the Golden Eagles ended up taking the first game of the series, 8-3. USM’s experience in the batting lineup remains one of the team’s biggest strengths.
@SouthernMissBSB
Southern Miss senior RHP Colby Allen, who is still adjusting to his new role as the Friday-night starter, was hoping to get more of an extended run in his third start of the season, but some early-inning trouble ended up forcing head coach Christian Ostrander to make a move in the top of the fifth inning. Allen ended the night with five strikeouts, six hits given up, and a total of 87 pitches through 4.2 innings. He was one out away from securing his first win of the season.
Senior LHP Kros Sivley (2-0) got the win on Friday after registering two strikeouts in 1.2 innings with only one hit and no runs given up. Junior RHP Josh Och, who has been outstanding so far this season, got the save, as he struck out the final five batters he faced to end the game.
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Before the season started, some believed the Golden Eagles’ starting pitching might be stronger than their bullpen, but through nine games, the opposite has proven to be true. However, it’s a long season, and it wouldn’t surprise us if USM’s starting pitching starts to peak at the right time. We only got to see three arms from Southern Miss on Friday, so Coach Oz has a lot to choose from over the next two days.
@SouthernMissBSB
According to Warren Nolan’s RPI rankings, Southern Miss currently ranks No. 1 after beating Louisiana Tech on Friday. USM’s in-state rivals, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, rank No. 2 and No. 41, respectively. The Golden Eagles will face both of them in Hattiesburg in the coming weeks, starting with Mississippi State on Tuesday night at Pete Taylor Park. Obviously, it’s way too early to pay too close attention to RPI rankings, but it’s always good to see a team performing well with a tough schedule.
Southern Miss will look to extend its winning streak to nine games on Saturday while also securing a series win over Louisiana Tech. First pitch at “The Love Shack” is scheduled for 4 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more coverage throughout the weekend.
