Delta Downs in Vinton, La., was scheduled to run the $100,000 Azalea on Friday night and $100,000 Pelican on Saturday night, but will recard the Azalea for Jan. 20 and the Pelican for Jan. 21, said Chris Warren, the track’s director of racing.
Both races are two turn stakes for 3-year-olds bred in Louisiana.
The races, which were originally set to run Jan. 6-7 and then Jan. 13-14, have been postponed twice because of the recent equine herpesvirus cases at neighboring Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Warren said the races would not be moved again.
“The reason we’re moving the races is that we have a ban in place for ship-ins and both races have quite a few,” Warren said Tuesday.
Warren said Delta put its own backstretch on lockdown on the advice of the state veterinarian in an effort to protect its horse population from equine herpesvirus. The track has not had a case of herpes. Delta is not accepting horses from any locale, including area training centers, until at least Jan. 16.
Also on Tuesday, Warren said John Simon has accepted an offer to become the racing secretary at Delta. Simon, a former racing secretary at Delta, takes over from Matt Crawford, who recently became the racing secretary for Sam Houston. Warren said Simon will start late this week or next week. Warren has been filling the racing secretary role at Delta.
