Defending champion trainer, jockey back for Evangeline Downs meet

Racing in Louisiana shifts to Evangeline Downs in Opelousas on Wednesday night following the recent conclusion of the meet at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Evangeline will race 84 dates through Aug. 24. The track will run on a Wednesday-through-Saturday night schedule. First post will be at 5:50 p.m. Central.

Entries for the first week of the meet have been drawn and include some new names as well as some old standbys. Karl Broberg, a perennial leading trainer at the meet, is back for 2019.

“We’ve got a full barn at Evangeline, 40 head,” Broberg said. “It’s a mix between horses we had at Fair Grounds and Delta.”

Broberg won his eighth consecutive training title at Delta Downs during the meet that ended March 9. He set Delta meet records for a trainer with 107 wins and stable earnings of $2 million.

New trainers at Evangeline this season include Miguel Silva and Sarah Delany. Ron Faucheux also will have horses on the grounds, said Chris Warren, director of racing for the Boyd Gaming-owned Evangeline and its sister track Delta.

Tim Thornton is back to defend his riding title on the heels of winning his first Delta title. He dominated the standings there with 142 wins – 56 more than second-leading rider Diego Saenz. Thornton also led all riders in earnings with $2.8 million, setting a single-meet record for Delta.

Warren said new faces to the Evangeline riding colony include Shane Laviolette and apprentice Paulina Ramirez, who won 31 races at Delta.

Evangeline’s purses are projected to average $150,000 per program, Warren said. The $1.3 million stakes schedule comprises 20 races for 2019.

Changes have been made to the $550,000 Louisiana Legends program of six Louisiana-bred stakes on May 25. Evangeline has moved a pair of dirt route stakes that were part of that card to the start of the meet and replaced them with a pair of turf-route stakes on Legends Night.

The dirt races – both for 4-year-olds and up at a mile – are the $75,000 Evangeline Downs Distaff for fillies and mares April 26 and the $75,000 Evangeline Downs Classic on April 27.

The turf races – both for 3-year-olds and up – are the $75,000 Distaff for fillies and mares at a mile and the $75,000 Turf at 1 1/16 miles.

The stakes schedule is once again led by the $100,000 Evangeline Mile for 3-year-olds and up on June 22. Mocito Rojo won the race last meet and is stabled at Evangeline.

Evangeline’s closing weekend will spotlight 2-year-olds, with the $50,000 Evangeline Downs Princess for fillies on Aug. 23 and the $50,000 Evangeline Downs Prince on Aug. 24.