Eight is great

On a dusty track off in the distance inside the Industrial Park, mighty riders battled their way on horseback to see who would reign supreme as the Grand Knight of the Louisiana Tournoi.
After all the hoofbeats ceased and the dust settled, it was Eric Guillory, on top of General Lee, who took home the trophy for the eighth consecutive time.
Guillory speared all seven rings, representing the seven enemies of cotton, in each of the three rounds. He also won the fastest time award with an average time of 12.26 seconds.
Guillory is now two spots behind Mitch Soileau for most wins all time in the Louisiana Tournoi. Soileau won 10 times and won three consecutive titles on two occassions. He won in 1978, 1980-1982, 1984-1985, and 1987-1989.
Also winning awards Sunday were Shane Trahan, sportsmanship award; and brothers Keith and Kent Saucier, team money award.
Finishing in the top 10 behind Guillory were Alex Haller riding Blazing Bee, second place; Ryan Haller riding American Strong, third place; Marcus Guillory riding Bud, fourth place; John Ross Guillory riding Patriot, fifth place; Kent Saucier riding Betsy, sixth place; Shane Trahan riding Ghost, seventh place; Paul Fontenot, eighth place riding Bring Me the Cash; Keith Saucier riding Sybil, ninth place; and Shane Lee riding Sauce Piquant, 10th place.
The top 10 riders from this year’s competition will not have to go through qualifying next year.
This year’s Tournoi was dedicated to the late David Fontenot, a former Tournoi rider and Tournoi trumpet player. Fontenot passed away March 6, 2018, and several members of his family were in attendance this past weekend.