Louisiana Showcase Night Takes Center Stage On Saturday At Delta Downs

The $624,792 Lee Berwick Futurity highlights Delta Downs' richest card of the year.

© Coady Photography

VINTON, LA–JULY 11, 2023–Delta Downs will host the richest American Quarter Horse program of the year on Saturday, July 15 when Louisiana Showcase Night takes center stage.

The annual event is devoted to horses bred in Louisiana with nine stakes races during an 11-race card. The main event will be the $624,792 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1), which will be the final race on the card. Over $1.3 million in purse money will be awarded during the night.

First post time is scheduled for 6:10 pm.

This year’s Lee Berwick field is headed by Rogelio Marquez, Jr.’s One Sweet Sugar, who posted the fastest qualifying time of 17.524 for 350 yards on June 23. The Jesus Marquez trainee will break from post position nine under jockey Jasiel Aquino at morning line odds of 7-2. The daughter of multiple stakes sire One Sweet Jess is attempting to win her second major futurity this season as she also captured the $327,000 Lassie Futurity on May 26. 

The 9-5 favorite for the event also hails from the same barn as One Sweet Sugar, San Lorenzo Blood. The talented filly has won four of five career starts including a score in the Mardi Gras Futurity on March 25 at Louisiana Downs. The daughter of leading sire Apollitcal Blood was the 2-5 favorite to win the Lassie Futurity over her stablemate but stumbled at the start and wound up fourth.

The second richest race on the program is the $145,063 Delta Downs Oaks, a new addition to the Louisiana Showcase night card. The event will pit 10 Louisiana-bred 3-year-old fillies against each other. The 5-2 morning line favorite is San Juana Montano’s Jes Winnin Cartel, who posted the quickest qualifying time of 19.905 seconds for 400 yards on June 21. The Noe Sanchez trainee will be ridden by up-and-coming jockey Arturo Alvarez.

This year’s $144,635 Delta Downs Derby field of nine will be anchored by fastest qualifier Konnan Cartel with jockey Victor Urieta, Jr. in the saddle for trainer Josue Ponce. Konnan Cartel showed talent as a 2-year-old, having qualified for the Laddie and Lee Berwick futurities but was unable to score a win in either. As a 3-year-old the property of Dania Castellanos has really come alive, winning the Vinton Stakes and posting a qualifying time of 19.505 seconds for 400 yards in the Derby, which equaled an astounding speed index of 103.

Listed below are the nine stakes races that will take place on Saturday night in program order.

Race   Stakes                             Purse                 Sex                  Age             Distance
3     Louisiana Starter                   $45,000          Open               3YO&up        350YDS
4     Flying Breed                         $60,000           Open                3YO&up         220YDS
5     Live Oak                               $60,000           Open                3YO&up         870YDS
6     Flashy Hemp                        $60,000           F&M                 3YO&up         330YDS
7     Delta Downs Derby (RG3)   $144,635         Open                3YO                400YDS
8     Louisiana Juvenile                $80,000           Open               2YO                350YDS
9     Delta Downs Oaks                $145,062         Fillies               3YO               400YDS
10   Louisiana Classic (RG2)       $80,000           Open               3YO&up         440YDS
11   Lee Berwick Fut. (RG1)        $624,792         Open                2YO              350YDS

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The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association will conduct drawings for four (4) college scholarships totaling $8,000 during the Louisiana Showcase Night program. Scholarship entrants must be Louisiana high school graduates or a Louisiana high school students graduating in 2023 and planning to attend a higher education institution in the state.

Those eligible may sign up at the LQHBA Scholarship registration table beginning at 5 pm. Registration will close promptly after the fourth race and the winners will be announced in the winner’s circle after Race 5. All entrants must be present to win.

Delta Downs track announcer and simulcast host Don Stevens will be joined by renowned Quarter Horse expert Martha Claussen during the Louisiana Showcase Night program. Claussen will serve as co-host, handicapper, and racing analyst during the star-studded night of racing.

After Saturday, Delta Downs will be dark for one week prior to conducting an additional 15 days of American Quarter Horse racing for 2023. The dates were transferred from Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, which was also the case in 2022.

The Fair Grounds live race programs will take place at 6:10 pm each Thursday through Saturday beginning on July 27 and wrapping up on September 2. The only exception to the schedule will be August 3-5 when the track will be dark during the 2023 Louisiana Quarter Horse Association Yearling Sale.

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About Delta Downs
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. For more information about the season, visit the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com.