Delta meet kicks off amid hotel expansion, rule changes
With a $1 million race for 2-year-olds on the horizon and a $45 million hotel expansion project underway, Delta Downs in Vinton, La., is riding a wave of momentum heading into its 86-date meet that opens Friday night. The track also will host the state’s first Thoroughbred meet to fall under new medication guidelines and claiming rules put in place by the Louisiana Racing Commission.
Delta Downs races through March 12. The meet’s main event is the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot on Nov. 21. The 1 1/16-mile race again will anchor a card of eight stakes worth $2.3 million. The program also includes the Grade 3, $400,000 Delta Downs Princess for 2-year-old fillies. The first four finishers in the Jackpot and Princess will earn respective Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks eligibility points on a scale of 10-4-2-1.
“We’ve been very lucky with the Jackpot and Princess the last couple of years,” said Chris Warren, director of racing for Delta and its sister track, Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La.
Goldencents, the winner of the last two runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, captured the Jackpot in 2012. Take Charge Brandi took last year’s Princess as part of her Eclipse Award-winning campaign at 2. Overall, the Jackpot has produced 12 Kentucky Derby starters, according to Delta Downs.
Warren said the Jackpot card will again have a special early post of 1:15 p.m. Central. Delta also is set to bring back an all-stakes pick four with a guaranteed pool of $200,000.
Delta, which operates a slots casino, is adding a new hotel tower as part of the expansion project. It will house 167 additional rooms and suites and is due to be completed by the end of 2016, according to a release from the track’s parent company, Boyd Gaming. As part of the project, Delta is redesigning its existing 200 rooms, expanding its special events center, and making changes to its food and beverage facilities. Construction has begun, said Warren.
“Delta Downs is one of our company’s strongest-performing properties,” said Boyd president Kevin Smith.
For the upcoming meet, Delta boasts a 32-race stakes schedule worth $4.6 million. Warren said purses are projected to average $250,000 a program. Highlights on the racing calendar include the Jackpot prep, the Jean Lafitte, on Oct. 24 and the $1.03 million Louisiana Premier Night program Feb. 6.
Matt Crawford is the new racing secretary at Delta, while the new track superintendent is Aaron Pelt. Both have spent part of their professional careers at Lone Star Park. Karl Broberg, a mainstay at Lone Star, is back to defend his training title against a number of new faces, including J.R. Caldwell, Sarah Delaney, Randy Mayfield, Danny Pish, and Chris Richard.
On the administrative front, Louisiana in August amended its claiming rule to require a horse running back within 30 days of being claimed to start for a tag that is at least 25 percent higher than what it was claimed for. In the past, a claimed horse could start for either the same price or higher within the 30-day window. The rule went into effect Sept. 30. In addition, national uniform medication rules have been adopted by the commission, and they go into full effect during the course of the Delta meet. There is a grace period from penalties through Nov. 15.
Post time for Delta’s meet has been moved up five minutes to 5:40 p.m. Central.
Delta will race Wednesdays through Saturdays with an exception during Christmas week, when there will be 1:15 p.m. cards Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 21-23. There will be no racing Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, or Christmas.
Warren said that in a wagering format change, the rolling double and the rolling pick three will start with the first race at this meet instead of the second. The track plans to card 11-race programs at least until the start of the neighboring Fair Grounds meet Nov. 19.