Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeder Association

News April 19, 2024

Delta Downs Ready To Open Its 2016 American Quarter Horse Meet This Weekend

Open Me a Corona winning last year’s $100,000 Louisiana Classic at Delta Downs.

© Coady Photography

VINTON, LA—APRIL 20, 2016—Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel will begin its 2016 American Quarter Horse season Friday and Saturday nights, April 22 and 23. The 46-day meeting runs through July 9 and will feature live programs on a Wednesday through Saturday basis after opening weekend is complete. The first post time each night is set for 6:15 pm Central Time.

Opening weekend will feature two stakes races. On Friday night the track will host the $50,000 John Alleman Memorial (RG3) for Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds (see related story and up competing at 350 yards. Charles Forbes, Jr. and Tommy Hays’ Open Me a Corona will attempt to win the race for the second year in a row. The son of Coronas Leaving You has banked over $750,000 during his illustrious career.

Saturday’s action will include the $20,000 Delta Dash for 3-year-olds and up traveling 250 yards. Guillermo Herrera’s Kind Daddy Dove comes into the race as the top earner in the field with just over $112,000 to his credit.

The first time trials of the season will take place this weekend as well. On Friday the track will conduct five trials for this year’s $71,075 Old South Derby. Saturday’s card will include six trials for this year’s $88,935 Old South Futurity. The finals for the Old South Derby and Futurity will take place on May 13 and 14 respectively.

Another important set of stakes races this season will take place on Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21 when the track hosts the $75,000-added Louisiana Lassie Futurity (RG2) and the $75,000-added Louisiana Laddie Futurity (RG2) respectively.

The richest open-bred stakes races of the season will take place on July 1 and 2 when $100,000-added Firecracker Derby for 3-year-olds and the $100,000-added Firecracker Futurity (Gr. 2) for 2-year-olds take center stage.

The racing season will wrap up at Delta Downs on July 9 with another edition of Louisiana Showcase Night, which features eight stakes races for Louisiana-bred horses and the richest race of the season, the Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1). Last year’s Lee Berwick was worth a staggering $634,530 in purse money, which marked the second highest Quarter Horse purse amount ever awarded at Delta Downs since it opened in 1973.

Some of the nation’s top horsemen and women will be back at Delta Downs this season. Jockey John Hamilton will attempt to win his fifth consecutive riding title while Michael Taylor will try to capture back-to-back training titles. Joan Rood won her second straight leading owner title at Delta Downs last year and is expected to vie for the same position in 2016.

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.

LQHBA is the official authorized representative of the American Quarter Horse racing and breeding industry in Louisiana, the unified voice of quarter Horse breedings in the State of Louisiana for purposes of communicatting the advantages and rewards of breeding Quarter Horses in the State and for the purposes of a conducting and coordinating activities with breeding and racing agencies.