Due to storms Saturday, May 30, Evangeline Downs cancelled the scheduled stakes races for that evening. The three dirt stakes, which include the $100,000 Evangeline Mile, as well as the Lafayette Stakes and Acadiana Stakes for Accredited Louisiana-breds will be run Saturday, June 6. The date for the $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint and the $100,000 Opelousas Stakes (T) are yet to be determined.
Category: Evangeline Downs
AUSTRALIAN STAR POWER ALERT INSTALLED AS 2-1 MORNING LINE FAVORITE CHALLENGING DEFENDING CHAMPION HEITAI SATURDAY AT EVANGELINE DOWNS
OPELOUSAS, La. � A field of eight top turf sprinters was entered Tuesday in the second running of the $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint. The five furlong Turf Sprint will be run on Saturday, May 30 at Evangeline Downs with a special early post time for the 12-race program of 3:05 p.m.
Australian standout Power Alert, the winner of the Grade 3 five furlong Twin Spires Turf Sprint in stakes-record time at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, has been made the 2-1 morning line favorite. The Brian Lynch-trained gelding, owned by James Covello and A.J. Suited Racing Stable, LLC, is scheduled to have his regular rider Julien Leparoux in the saddle, breaking from post position one. Since arriving from Australia last year, the five-year-old son of Argentine sire Alert, has won three of four starts in the United States, including an allowance win and the Silks Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park. In the Twin Spires, Power Alert zipped the five furlongs in 55.17 seconds, defeating stakes winner Undrafted by three-quarters of a length.
Power Alert will try to knock off the defending champion of the Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint, the Louisiana-bred Heitai, the 3-1 second choice. A dominant sprinter in 2014, Heitai won six of nine starts, which included a commanding 3 ? length victory in last year�s inaugural Turf Sprint. Tom Amoss replaced Karl Broberg as Heitai�s trainer for owner Rowell Enterprises Inc. this year. In 2015, Heitai has won three of his five starts, including the Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park on January 24 and followed that with victories in the Louisiana-bred Premier Night Sprint Stakes at five furlongs on the dirt on February 7 at Delta Downs and the Costa Rising Stakes at five furlongs on the turf on March 28 at Fair Grounds. The five-year-old son of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus took the lead early in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint before fading to eighth place in his last start.
Also to be respected is the 4-1 third choice, Great Minds, who ran an excellent second by a head in a 5 1/2 furlong Keeneland turf sprint allowance on April 17. Trained by Al Stall Jr., Great Minds will be ridden by Evangeline Downs� leading jockey, Colby Hernandez. Gantry, a winner of 11 career races, has been installed as the 6-1 fourth choice for trainer Ron Faucheux.
The $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint is just one of five outstanding stakes races with purses totaling $640,000 on the Saturday program. The Turf Sprint will be the anchor leg of the $100,000 All-Stakes Pick 4 on Saturday at Evangeline Downs. The Pick 4 will cover races 5-8 on the program with post time for the first leg, the $100,000 Opelousas Stakes, scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Central Time.
Here is the field in program order for the $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint, the eighth race on the 12-race card with a scheduled post time of 6:52 p.m. Central Time:
1. Power Alert Julien Leparoux 2-1
2. Great Minds Colby Hernandez 4-1
3. Ty�s Bandit Gerard Melancon 15-1
4. Gantry Richard Eramia 6-1
5. Heitai Diego Saenz 3-1
6. Quick Dagger Joe Patin Jr. 8-1
7. Reflector Roberto Morales 8-1
8. Snappy Girl C.J. McMahon 15-1
Of the four remaining stakes races on the Saturday program, the $100,000 Evangeline Mile includes the most noteworthy entrant, California invader Mystery Train, who has run against the likes of Shared Belief and Finnegans Wake in the last year. Mystery Train, conditioned by trainer Darrell Vienna, is the 2-1 favorite in the field of eight and will be ridden by Colby Hernandez.
For more information about the season at Evangeline Downs visit the track�s website at http://www.evangelinedownsracing.com<http://www.evangelinedownsracing.com> . For more details regarding this year�s $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint race go to http://www.evdracing.com/turf-sprint <http://www.evdracing.com/turf-sprint> .
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, just off I-49 at exit 18.
TENSAS HARBOR TRIUMPHS IN THE MATRON STAKES
LOUISIANA-BRED MARE WINS HER THIRD CONSECUTIVE STAKES RACE
OPELOUSAS, LA. � Tensas Harbor justified the public�s faith in her to win the $60,000 Matron Stakes, tonight�s featured race at Evangeline Downs. Tensas Harbor is owned by Cantrell Family Partnership Limited, trained by J. Keith Desormeaux and Diego Saenz was the winning rider.
Tensas Harbor needed the entire stretch to prevail over Hot Tempo, who had taken the lead on the far turn with an aggressive three-wide charge. Saenz had also sent Tensas Harbor into contention on the turn and eventually got past her foe to win by a length. Hot Tempo finished second, two and a quarter lengths ahead of Synapse, who was third.
The win by Tensas Harbor was her ninth in 25 lifetime starts and put her over the half-million dollar mark in lifetime earnings. The $36,000 first-place purse makes her career total $515,450. She covered the mile distance in 1:37.88. The Matron Stakes was taken off the turf and run on the sloppy main track after heavy rain had fallen in the Opelousas area during the afternoon.
Tensas Harbor is a 5-year-old mare by Private Vow, out of the Boston Harbor mare, Harbor Princess. The bay runner was bred in Louisiana by Curt Leake.
Tensas Harbor was sent off as the 3-2 favorite by the wagering public, paying $5.00 to win, $2.80 to place and $2.80 to show. Hot Tempo returned $8.00 to place and $6.80 to show, while Synapse paid $5.00 to show.
Evangeline Downs continues live racing on Saturday night with a 10-race program. The featured event on the Saturday card will be the $60,000 John Henry Stakes. String King, winner of the Grade 3 Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap at Fair Grounds last time out, is the 2-1 morning line favorite. Post time for the Saturday program is 5:40 pm Central Time.
For more information about the upcoming season at Evangeline Downs visit the track�s website at www.evangelinedownsracing.com <http://www.evangelinedownsracing.com> . For more details regarding this year�s $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint race go to www.evdracing.com/turf-sprint <http://www.evdracing.com/turf-sprint> .
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, just off I-49 at exit 18.
EVANGELINE DOWNS RELEASES 2015 THOROUGHBRED STAKES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015
FOR MORE INFORMATION,
CONTACT DON STEVENS
SCHEDULE; STALL APPLICATIONS
DUE BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20
– NEW 84-DAY SEASON SCHEDULED TO GET UNDERWAY ON APRIL 8 –
VINTON, LA. � Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino has released its Thoroughbred
stakes for the 2015 season which gets underway on April 8. The Opelousas,
Louisiana track will offer 21 stakes races worth total purse money of
$1,930,000 during its 84-day meeting that runs through August 29.
The highlight of the new season will take place on Saturday, May 30
when the track host the second running of the $300,000 Evangeline
Downs Turf Sprint. The five-furlong race is one of the richest turf sprints
in the country and should attract plenty of talented horses such
as Heitai, who won the inaugural edition of the event in 2014. Evangeline Downs
Turf SprintDay will include a total of five stakes races worth $640,000
in purse money.Louisiana Legends Night will take place on Independence Day,
Saturday, July 4 this year. The annual event features eight stakes races for
Louisiana-bred horses and total purse money of $700,000. The highlight of the
evening will be the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Classic for
3-year-olds and up competing at 1-1/16 miles.
Stall applications for the upcoming meet at Evangeline Downs are due by Friday, February 20.
To request a stall application horsemen can call the Evangeline Downs racing office at 337-594-3015.
The address to submit the application to is: Stall Application Committee,
2235 Creswell Lane Extension, Opelousas, Louisiana, 70570. The racing office fax number is 337-594-3166.
Listed below is the entire 2015 Evangeline Downs stakes schedule.
| Date | Race Name | Sex/Age | Dist. | Purse | Closing date |
| Fri., April 24, 2015 | Matron | FM3+ | 1m (Turf) | $60,000 G | |
| Sat., April 25, 2015 | John Henry | 3+ | 1m 1/16 (Turf) | $60,000 G | |
| Fri., May 1, 2015 | Tellike | FM3+ | 5f (Turf) | $60,000 G | |
| Sat., May 2, 2015 | Need For Speed | 3+ | 5f (Turf) | $60.000 G | |
| EVD Turf Sprint Day 5/30/15 | |||||
| Sat., May 30, 2015 | Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint | 3+ | 5f (Turf) | $300,000 G | |
| Sat., May 30, 2015 | Evangeline Mile | 3+ | 1 m | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., May 30, 2015 | Opelousas | FM3+ | 1m 1/16 (Turf) | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., May 30, 2015 | Lafayette* | 3yr La bred | 7f | $70,000 G | |
| Sat., May 30, 2015 | Acadiana * | F3 La bred | 7f | $70,000 G | |
| Legends Night 7/4/15 | |||||
| Sat., July 4, 2015 | Louisiana Legends Classic | 3+ La bred | 1m 1/16 | $125,000 G | |
| Sat., July 4, 2015 | Louisiana Legends Distaff | FM3+ La bred | 1m 1/16 | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., July 4, 2015 | Louisiana Legends Sprint | 3+ La bred | 5 1/2f | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., July 4, 2015 | Louisiana Legends Mademoiselle | FM3+ La bred | 5 1/2f | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., July 4, 2015 | Louisiana Legends Turf | 3+ La bred | 1m 1/16 (Turf) | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., July 4, 2015 | Louisiana Legends Cheval | 3 yr La bred | 1m (Turf) | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., July 4, 2015 | Louisiana Legends Soiree | F 3yr La bred | 1m (Turf) | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., July 4, 2015 | Louisiana Legends Starter | 3+ La bred | 1m 1/16 | $50,000 G | |
| Sat., July 11, 2015 | D.S. “Shine” Young (Filly Division) | F2 La bred | 5 1/2f | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., July 11, 2015 | D.S. “Shine” Young (Colts & Geldings Division) | 2 La bred | 5 1/2f | $100,000 G | |
| Sat., August 29, 2015 | Evangeline Downs Star** | 2 yr | 6f | $75,000 G | |
| Sat., August 29, 2015 | Evangeline Downs Starlet** | F2 | 6f | $75,000 G | |
| G-Guaranteed | |||||
| *Restricted: Horses which have not won a sweepstake | |||||
| **Restricted: Horses must be Stars of Tomorrow sale graduates | |||||
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Evangeline Downs is located in Opelousas, Louisiana, just off I-49 at exit 18.
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