Evangeline opens with revamped turf course, new barns

Turf racing is back on at Evangeline Downs.

The Opelousas, La., track opens Wednesday night with a rejuvenated turf course after the surface was closed down for much of last season due to maintenance procedures that took longer than anticipated. The first races over the turf will come at the end of April or the first part of May, said Chris Warren, director of racing for Evangeline.

“The quality of the turf course should be the best it’s been in years,” he said. “We’ve been working diligently for the last year with our consultant.”

Evangeline will race 84 dates through Aug. 25. The track is racing on a Wednesday through Saturday night schedule with a standard first post of 5:40 p.m. Central.

Evangeline has made a date change to its richest night of stakes, the $550,000 Louisiana Legends program. The card of seven stakes for Louisiana-breds will be run on May 26 rather than its traditional spot in early July.

Warren said the change was made to better stagger some of the statebred days in the state, with Louisiana Legends Night now offering more time to the Louisiana Cup program at Louisiana Downs.

Mobile Bay, the reigning Louisiana-bred Horse of the Year, won the $75,000 Star Guitar on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and is being pointed for the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Classic, trainer Victor Arceneaux told the publicity department at the New Orleans track. Mobile Bay will be going for his sixth consecutive stakes when he runs at Evangeline.

The $100,000 Evangeline Mile for 3-year-olds and up remains the meet’s signature race, and it will be contested June 23. There also are a number of opportunities for 2-year-olds, with two $75,000 divisions of the D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity on July 14 and a pair of $50,000 sprints July 25. In all, there are 20 stakes worth a cumulative $1.3 million.

Purses for the meet are projected to average approximately $140,000 a program, said Warren. Karl Broberg, who won last year’s training title, is back for the new season, while new trainers include Sam David Jr., and Allen Milligan. Trainer Robertino Diodoro, who has a division of horses at the nearby Evangeline Downs Training Center, said he would be running some horses at the meet. It will be the first time he has had starters at Evangeline.

Jockey Timothy Thornton is back to defend his riding title in a colony that includes Diego Saenz, who won the recent title at Delta Downs, the sister track of Evangeline.

Warren said Evangeline has built two additional barns in advance of the new meet, making for 84 more stalls. The stable area can hold just over 1,000 horses now, said Warren, and all stalls have been allotted.

“Bascially, we’re filled up,” said Warren.

Warren said Evangeline has added televisions in the grandstand area since last season, and that changes have been made to the clubhouse restaurant. He said country artist Lee Greenwood will appear in concert Saturday night at Evangeline.