Alvarez, Roberts And Carrillo Earn Leading Horsemen Titles For 2016 QH Season At Delta

VINTON, LA—JULY 13, 2016—Delta Downs finished its 2016 American Quarter Horse season on Saturday with Louisiana Showcase Night. The richest program of the year offered over $1.3 million in total purse money and recognition of this year’s leading horsemen for the 46-day meet that began on April 22.

Although jockey David Alvarez came into closing night with an insurmountable lead in the jockey standings, trainer Kenneth L. Roberts, Sr. and owner Juan A. Carrillo had to wait until the last race of the meet to secure their crowns.

Alvarez, who has now won titles at all four Louisiana racetracks, finished the meet with 50 wins to his credit and total mount earnings of $908,233, which also lead all jockeys in that category. The 37-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico enjoyed his richest score of the meet aboard Open Me a Corona in the $100,000 Louisiana Classic (RG2) on Saturday.

Rounding out the top 10 jockeys at Delta Downs this year were Damian Martinez (35 wins), Joe Badilla, Jr. (32), John Hamilton (31), Donald Watson (30), Alfonso Lujan (25), J. R. Ramirez (25), Gilbert Ortiz (23), Juan Carlos Garcia (18), and Raul Ramirez, Jr. (15).

The leading trainer title was a topsy-turvy affair all season long and the crown was not secured until the final race of the meet.

Coming into the closing night card Michael Taylor and Kenneth Roberts, Sr. were tied with 38 apiece, but that quickly changed as Taylor won the opener to take a narrow lead before Roberts saddled the winners of the next two races and leapfrogged his rival by one.

Neither man was able to win a race until the nightcap arrived which offered Taylor two chances to tie for the crown and Roberts one shot at closing the door. Neither one happened in the richest Quarter Horse race in track history, the $690,295 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1), so Roberts held on for his seventh title since 2001 with 40 victories overall.

Although Roberts led all trainers in terms of wins, Taylor’s barn topped all earners for the season with $1,007,723. The leading trainer from Delta Downs’ 2015 season was the only conditioner to go over the seven-digit mark in total earnings.

Following Roberts in the standings this season were Taylor (39), Adrian Huitron (20), Erasmo Hernandez (17), Martin Trejo (16), Carlos Saldivar (14), Bobby Martinez (12), Trey Ellis (12), Orlando Orozco (11), and Lanny Keith (11).

Winning his first leading owner title this season at Delta Downs was Juan A. Carrillo, who saw eight of his 17 starters make it to the winner’s circle. Overall his horses finished in the top three spots an incredible 94% of the time as he also had three second-place finishes and five thirds. Carrillo also trains his horses which are mostly made up of claiming and allowance types.

Rounding out the top 10 trainers for the meet were Harlow Stables LLC (Eric P. Johnson) (7), Ten For Ten LLC (6), Rogelio Marquez, Jr. (6), Julien R. Stevens, III (5), Martin Trejo (5), Jesse Rodriguez, Jr. (5), Oscar Rohne (5), Double H Racing Investment LLC (5), and Alejandro Moya (4).

Delta Downs is now dark until its 2016-17 Thoroughbred season gets underway on Wednesday, October 19.

For more information about the upcoming season visit the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com or on the Facebook page, ‘Delta Downs Racing’. The track’s Twitter handle is @deltaracing.

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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.