Delta raises Jean Lafitte purse, moves race

A day after Delta Downs announced the purse for the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot for 2-year-olds would be raised back up to $1 million and held two weeks earlier on Nov. 20, the track released its full stakes schedule with the former prep for the Jackpot, the Jean Lafitte, now being run on Jan. 14.

Delta has increased the Jean Lafitte purse from $175,000 to $250,000, and with the move to January the one-mile race will now be for 3-year-olds rather than 2-year-olds. The Lafitte will share a card with the My Trusty Cat, which had served as the prep for the Delta Princess. The My Trusty Cat, a seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies, had its purse raised, too, from $125,000 to $200,000.

Other highpoints on the stakes schedule include the $1 million Premiere Night program of 10 divisional stakes for horses bred in Louisiana on Feb. 5. It will be the second-richest program behind a special Saturday afternoon card this Nov. 20, when the Delta Jackpot and Grade 3, $500,000 Delta Princess for 2-year-old fillies at a mile will head an eight-stakes card worth $2.4 million.

Delta has scheduled 22 stakes worth just over $4 million, down from last meet’s schedule of 34 stakes worth $4.4 million. The 88-night Delta meet opens Oct. 27 and runs through March 26.