News March  29, 2024

$1,025,782 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1) Set for Saturday at Delta Downs


StallioneSearch.com launched the Lee Berwick Million Futurity(RG1) Preview today.



By Martha Claussen

VINTON, LA—AUGUST 19, 202—The excitement is building for the final racing program of the 2020 Delta Downs Quarter Horse racing season.

On Saturday, August 22, the Vinton, Louisiana racetrack will host its annual Louisiana Showcase Night featuring eight stakes highlighted by the $1,025,782 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1).

Since its first running in 1981, the purse for the Louisiana-bred futurity has grown and a distinguished list of champions has emerged. The Lee Berwick Futurity had previously surpassed $700,000, ranked as the second highest purse behind the LQHBA Louisiana Million held at Evangeline Downs.

On Saturday night, history will be made as this final will now be the richest championship in Louisiana Thoroughbred or Quarter Horse racing.

Trials were contested on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1 with the five fastest qualifiers from each night earning a berth to the lucrative final.

A comprehensive biography on each of the Lee Berwick Futurity finalists is posted on StallioneSearch.com to recognize the breeder, owner, trainer and jockey.

CLICK HERE to view the Lee Berwick Million Preview.

Racing is a true team sport and each individual plays an invaluable role in developing a young horse and eventual champion. Their time, patience and dedication to these talented juveniles is inspiring and truly commendable.

Post time for Saturday’s card is 6:15 pm with eight stakes on the program. The Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1) will run as the tenth race of the evening, with an approximate post of 10:18 pm. (CDT).

Post-race video coverage and interviews with the winning connections of the historic million-dollar Lee Berwick Million Futurity(RG1) final can be found on StallioneSearch.com following the race.

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The Championship Named in Honor of Lee Berwick
Lee Berwick was a highly-regarded advocate for Louisiana Quarter Horse racing. He grew up as a sharecropper’s son and began in the cattle business. Fortunately for the state’s Quarter Horse industry, Berwick quickly developed an interest and passion in Quarter Horses.

His enthusiasm for racing led to the development of Delta Downs racetrack in Vinton, Louisiana. The track opened in September 1973, and Berwick was the president and a major stockholder for several years.

While it is now under the ownership of Boyd Gaming, the Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity (RG1) continues to be named in honor of the esteemed horseman. Berwick served as President of the American Quarter Horse Association in 1969 was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1994. He died in 2001 at the age of 79 and was inducted into the LQHBA Hall of Fame in 2017.

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Martha Claussen served as publicity director at Sam Houston Race Park for ten years. She continues to be active in writing, fan education and Quarter Horse racing publicity in Texas, Louisiana and other regions in North America.


Courtesy Ses