Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeder Association

News - Headlines April 18, 2024

Evangeline Downs Begins American Quarter Horse Season This Friday

Evangeline Downs will kick off their opening weekend with stakes action on both Friday and Saturday's race cards.

© Coady Photography

OPELOUSAS, LA—SEPTEMBER 25, 2019—Evangeline Downs is starting a new American Quarter Horse season on Friday evening, the first of 46 nights of exciting racing action this fall. Post time for the 2019 season will be 5:35 pm Central Time.

The highlight nights of the American Quarter Horse season at Evangeline Downs will be Saturday, December 7 and Saturday, December 14. December 7 will feature the Finals of the $1,000,000 Louisiana Million and the $150,000-added LQHBA Breeders Derby. On December 14, the track will host the Finals of the $100,000-added Evangeline Downs Futurity and the $50,000-added Evangeline Downs Derby.

The trials for the Louisiana Million will be held on Friday, November 15 and the trials for the LQHBA Breeders Derby will be the following night, Saturday, November 16. Trials for the Evangeline Downs Futurity take place on Friday, November 22 and the trials for the Evangeline Downs Derby will be held the next night, Saturday, November 23.

Opening weekend of the season will have terrific stakes action as well with two divisions of the $20,000 EVD Dash on Friday night and the $30,000 Billy Montgomery Stakes on Saturday night. The Trey Ellis-trained, Valiant Rogue, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the first division of the Dash, while Cajun Cos, trained by Brenda Foster, is also a 3-1 favorite in the second division on Friday. Fastdashing Lassie, a Kenneth Roberts, Sr. trainee, has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the Billy Montgomery on Saturday.

One interesting note from the 2018 American Quarter Horse season at Evangeline Downs is that the riding title ended in a tie between jockeys John Hamilton and Luis Vivanco, who each had 35 victories for the season. Both are back in 2019 to try and defend their respective titles.

The Silks Clubhouse at Evangeline Downs will be open with buffet service available on five nights during the American Quarter Horse season: November 15, 16 and 22 and December 7 and 14. Service time is scheduled to be 5:00- 8:30pm Central Time each night.

Live racing at Evangeline Downs begins on Friday night with a nine-race program. Post time on Friday will be 5:35 pm Central Time.

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For more information on the American Quarter Horse season at Evangeline Downs, visit the track's website at evdracing.com. Evangeline Downs' Twitter handle is @EVDRacing and the racetrack is also accessible on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.

About Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel is owned by Boyd Gaming Corporation, a leading diversified owner and operator of 22 gaming entertainment properties located in Nevada, New Jersey, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Boyd Gaming press releases are available at www.prnewswire.com. Additional news and information can be found at www.boydgaming.com, or evangelinedowns.com.

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.