Evangeline opens Quarter Horse meet

Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La., will open a 46-date meet for Quarter Horses on Wednesday night. The season runs through Dec. 19.

Evangeline will put on its richest card of the meet Dec. 16, when it runs four stakes on a card worth $1.5 million. The $1 million Louisiana Million, which is a restricted Grade 1, will be supported by the $300,000 Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Breeders’ Derby, the $100,000 Evangeline Downs Futurity, and the $50,000 Evangeline Downs Derby. Trials for the Louisiana Million will be Nov. 17.

Evangeline will race Wednesday through Saturday nights most weeks, with post for the first race 5:35 p.m. Central. On the last week of the meet, Evangeline will run Monday and Tuesday cards on Dec. 18-19. Those programs will start at 3:15 p.m.

Jockey David Alvarez won last year’s riding title and is back for the new season, as is the leading trainer from a year ago, Orlando Orozco.

Foster leading trainer at Louisiana Downs

Joey Foster won the Louisiana Downs training title for the second year in a row when the 84-date meet wrapped Sept. 27. He won 68 races from 303 starts, according to an announcement from the track.

Gerardo Mora, 25, won his first Louisiana Downs jockey title, with 77 wins from 477 starts. The leading owner was Jorge Gomez, with 12 wins from 114 starts.

Louisiana Downs opens a Quarter Horse meet in January.