– 86-DAY MEETING FEATURES SEVERAL MAJOR STAKES EVENTS –

VINTON, LA.- Delta Downs� 2015-16 Thoroughbred season gets underway Friday night in Vinton, Louisiana with an 11-race program that begins at 5:40 pm Central Time. The upcoming season runs through March 12 with live racing set to take place each Wednesday through Saturday night after opening weekend October 16 and 17.

Delta Downs� stakes schedule is an impressive one with 32 big races featuring $4.6 million in total purse money. The first stakes activity of the season will take place on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24 when the track hosts the $100,000 My Trusty Cat and the $200,000 Jean Lafitte respectively.

The My Trusty Cat winner will earn an automatic bid into the $400,000 Delta Downs Princess and the Jean Lafitte winner gets first preference to enter the season�s richest race, the $1,000,000 Delta Downs Jackpot. Both grade III races for 2-year-olds will take place on Saturday, November 21 when the track offers eight stakes races overall and will award over $2.3 million in total purse money. There will be a special post time of 1:15 pm CT on Jackpot Day.

Later in the season Delta Downs will feature a special day of racing dedicated to horses bred in the Bayou State. Louisiana Premier Night will take place on Saturday, February 6 and the program will include 10 stakes races and over $1 million in total purse money. The highlight of Louisiana Premier Night is the $200,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship for older horses competing at 1-1/16 miles.

Fans of Delta Downs will recognize many of the horseman taking part in the upcoming season. Past Delta Downs leading jockeys Colby Hernandez and Gerard Melancon are each scheduled to ride on opening night and former leading trainers Karl Broberg, Keith Bourgeois and Sam Breaux will also hit the ground running with several starters this weekend.

For more information about racing at Delta Downs visit the track�s website at www.deltadownsracing.com. Fans can also get information about through Facebook by visiting the page �Delta Downs Racing�.

 

Delta Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Delta Downs is located in Vinton, Louisiana, on Delta Downs Drive. From Lake Charles, take Exit 7 and from Texas, take Exit 4.