Delahoussaye back in Louisiana

A pair of old friends spent a day at the races here Thursday. Ray Sibille, the former jockey, was running a horse he trains in the final race. Eddie Delahoussaye, the former jockey and Sibille’s best friend, came along for the afternoon.

Delahoussaye, his wife, Juanita, and their daughter, Mandy, returned to their native Louisiana seven months ago after residing near Santa Anita in Southern California for more than 30 years. They are living in Lafayette, near Sibille and his wife, Dot.

“It’s about a two-hour drive to come here,” Delahoussaye said.

Delahoussaye, 63, retired in 2002 following a career in which he won 6,384 races, including two Kentucky Derbies, two Belmont Stakes, one Preakness, and seven Breeders’ Cup races. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

Sibille, 62, retired in 2004 after winning 4,264 races, most notably the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Turf with Great Communicator.

Now a trainer, Sibille has a small string based at the Evangeline Training Center, about 15 minutes from Lafayette. The Evangeline Training Center is at the site of the old Evangeline Downs, where Sibille won his first recognized race as a jockey in 1969. He has won 60 races as a trainer. Evangeline Downs now has a newer facility.