Evangeline Downs gains 10 Quarter Horse dates

The Louisiana Racing Commission on Friday approved the transfer of 10 Quarter Horse dates from Fair Grounds to Evangeline Downs as part of a plan to run 39 total Quarter Horse dates at Evangeline.

The committee voted to approve the plan by a vote of 9-2, despite objections from the Louisiana Quarter Horse Association, which opposed the plan because the 39 total dates fell short of the statutory minimum. Commission officials said that the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic justified awarding race dates below the minimum.

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In addition, an official for Boyd Gaming, which runs the track, said that Evangeline would only be able to support $60,000 in daily purses if the statutory minimum were run this year, well below the purse distribution in a normal year, due to the closure of casinos in the state because of COVID-19. The casinos, which are now operating at a restricted capacity, provide heavy subsidies to racing purses at tracks in the state.

The Quarter Horse dates will run from Sept. 17 through Dec. 19. A minimum of eight races will be held daily.

Also during the meeting, which was held telephonically, the racing commission unanimously approved 84 Thoroughbred race dates at Delta Downs later this year and early next year, running from Oct. 6 to Feb. 27. A minimum of nine races will be held daily, with exceptions on four of the 84 days.