New faces, bulked up Stakes Schedule highlight the 2014 Evangeline Downs Racing Season

Opelousas, Louisiana -Racing fans will notice several new faces competing in both the training ranks and the jockey colony that, along with a bulked up Stakes Schedule that features the newly created $300,000 EVD Turf Sprint, are among the highlights for the upcoming thoroughbred racing season at Evangeline Downs Racetrack, Casino, & Hotel. This year’s meet, the 49th consecutive year of pari-mutual racing in Cajun Country will begin on Wednesday, April 9 with an eleven-race program that kicks off at 5:40 p.m. Central Time.

The Stakes Schedule has been bulked up and revamped with the addition of the $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint, a newly created event for three-year-olds and up at a distance of five furlongs on the grass course that will be run on Saturday, June 21, and will be the centerpiece of a special afternoon program that will have a start time of 3:40 pm Central Time and features a total of five stakes events. Louisiana Legends Night, an all Louisiana-bred stakes program that features the best locally bred horses in training has been moved from the first weekend in July to its new position on Saturday, May 24. Also, the D. S. “Shine” Young Memorial, a futurity for Louisiana-bred two-year-olds, has been moved to Saturday, July 5. Featuring two divisions, one for fillies, and one for colts & geldings, the “Shine” offers a purse of $100,000 guaranteed for each.

The most notable of the new faces this season is Breeders Cup Classic winning trainer Al Stall Jr. Stall, who trained the 2010 Breeders Cup Classic winner Blame, has run horses periodically at Evangeline Downs in the past (most notably, Star Guitar to seven consecutive stakes triumphs during the 2009-2012 seasons) has bedded down a sizeable contingent at the Evangeline Downs Training Center, the site of the original Evangeline Downs in nearby Carencro, La. Other outfits stabling on-track for the first time in several years include Andrew Leggio and Shane Wilson, who have been allotted 22 & 36 stalls, respectively and will battle it out in the trainer’s race with Karl Broberg, Sam Breaux, Keith Bourgeois and others. The jockey colony, a traditional strength will once again feature the likes of Diego Saenz, Gerard Melancon, Kirk Leblanc, Kerwin Clark, and Joe Patin Jr., along with returnees Jamie Theriot & John Jacinto. Known as the “Birthplace of Champions” Evangeline Downs has been a launch site for young jockeys looking to make their mark in this demanding occupation, and this year’s jockey roster features several apprentice riders including Josean Rivera, Odilon Martinez, Tyler Woodley, and Courtney Hernandez (the younger sister of Eclipse Award Winning Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. and Colby Hernandez who notched her first career win last month at Delta Downs).

Chris Warren, Director of Racing Operations at Evangeline Downs & Delta Downs, stated “In addition to the bulked up Stakes Schedule, we have made several improvements to the facility that will benefit both our horsemen and patrons. We have expanded our racing paddock making it safer and more comfortable for the equines and horsemen, both the dirt track and the turf course appear to be in excellent shape and have drawn much praise from horsemen already. We have reconfigured and upgraded our first floor grandstand and simulcast area with the addition of a bank of a dozen high definition televisions. Additional seating and an expanded snack bar on the first floor are other improvements that have been made to enhance the customer experience.”

Racing will be conducted on a four-evening-a-week schedule, Wednesday-Saturday, through Saturday, August 30, with a first post of 5:40 p.m. Central Time, with the previously noted exception of Saturday, June 21.