Category: Chris Warren

EVANGELINE DOWNS RACING CALENDAR FOR 2023 SEASON AMENDED

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THE 61-DAY SEASON RUNS FROM APRIL 7 THROUGH AUGUST 12

 

 

OPELOUSAS, LA –The Louisiana Racing Commission recently approved an amended dates schedule for the 2023 Thoroughbred season at Evangeline Downs.  The meet will now consist of 61 days of racing, with opening night Friday, April 7.

The racing schedule will feature racing on Wednesday through Saturday for the first five full weeks of the meet.  Beginning the week of May 18, racing will switch to a Thursday through Saturday schedule, with closing weekend now set for August 12.  First post each night will be at the new time of 5:30pm Central time.

Director of Racing Chris Warren stated, “I feel the amended race schedule will enhance the overall purse structure and make for a stronger, more appealing race meet for both horsemen and fans alike.”

The 2023 stakes action begins on opening night with the $60,000 Acadiana for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs and the $60,000 Spotted Horse for 4-year-old and up fillies and mares at one mile.  The first Saturday of the meet will feature the $100,000 Evangeline Mile for 4-year-olds and up, along with the $60,000 Lafayette for 3-year-olds sprinting six furlongs.  The Evangeline Downs track maintenance crew has been working diligently for the past few weeks to get the track prepared for the opening night, including having races scheduled for the turf course.

Racing fans should also mark their calendars for April 22 as the “Exotic Animal Racing” makes a return.  The Saturday card will include races featuring camels and zebras that are sure to entertain and delight the crowd.

For more information on Evangeline Downs, visit the track’s website at www.evdracing.com.  Evangeline Downs information can also be found on Twitter @EVDracing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.

Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing, the Fan Duel sportsbook and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, off I-49 on Cresswell Lane at Exit 18.

Battered By Hurricane Laura, Delta Downs Is Back in Business

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By Bill Finley

Take a quick glance at the opening day card at Delta Downs and it might seem like nothing has changed. The fields for Tuesday’s races are full, perennial leading trainer Karl Broberg has seven entered and the feature is a $60,000 stakes for Louisiana-breds that has attracted horses from the stables of Tom Amoss and Steve Asmussen.

But this will be a meet unlike any other at the track that sits just a few miles east of the Texas-Louisiana border. Delta Downs was directly in the path of Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm with winds reaching 150 miles per hour that all but tore the place apart when it hit land on Aug. 27. Since then, there’s been a full-court press to get the track ready for a delayed opening day of a meet that will be conducted during the day.

 

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Delta Downs Suffers Serious Damage in Hurricane, Opening to be Postponed

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By Bill Finley

While no horses or people suffered major injuries as a result of Hurricane Laura, the storm produced serious damage to Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana, leaving the facility in such bad shape that its director of racing operations Chris Warren said there was no chance the track would be able to begin its Thoroughbred meet on time.

“This meet is supposed to start Oct. 6. That isn’t going to happen,” Warren said. “There’s no way. When it will happen, I have no idea.”

“There’s debris and sheet metal everywhere,” he said. “The tote board got demolished. It collapsed and is completely gone. Our camera towers are gone, so is our holding barn. The starting gates got completely turned over and the light poles are torn up. The whole backside rail is pretty much ruined. There’s just a lot of damage and it is everywhere.”

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EVANGELINE DOWNS ADDING TWO DAYS TO THOROUGHBRED MEET

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AUGUST 28 AND 29 WILL BE ADDED TO THE 2019 SEASON

 

OPELOUSAS, LA – Evangeline Downs is announcing that the 2019 Thoroughbred season will be extended by two additional days. Wednesday, August 28 and Thursday, August 29 will now be the final two days of the meeting. The regular 5:50 pm Central Time post time will be in effect for both of those dates.

 

Evangeline Downs has suffered several weather-related cancellations since the season started on April 3. Hurricane Barry is the most recent cause of this happening with the Saturday, July 13 program being cancelled in anticipation of the storm’s impact on the Louisiana area.

 

Evangeline Downs’ Director of Racing Chris Warren says that this was a decision made in conjunction with the track’s horsemen, “Boyd Gaming has agreed to work with the HBPA to add two additional race days to offset some of the days that were lost during the season.”

 

Live racing at Evangeline Downs will resume on Wednesday night with a nine-race program. Post time on Wednesday will be 5:50 pm Central Time.

 

For more information on the Thoroughbred season at Evangeline Downs, visit the track’s website atwww.evdracing.com. Evangeline Downs’ Twitter handle is @EVDRacing and the racetrack is also accessible on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.

 

 

About Evangeline Downs

Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel is owned by Boyd Gaming Corporation, a leading diversified owner and operator of 22 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, New Jersey, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.  Boyd Gaming press releases are available at www.prnewswire.com.  Additional news and information can be found at www.boydgaming.com, or www.evangelinedowns.com.