Louisiana Downs opens with earlier Saturday post time

Louisiana Downs is getting an early start Saturday.

The Bossier City, La., track launches its 84-date meet at 12:55 p.m. Central. It’s an earlier post than usual, and it will be in place for the Saturday cards during the season that runs through Sept. 25.

“We want to do more ontrack family activities,” said Eric Halstrom, the new vice president of operations for Louisiana Downs.

The traditional post of 3:15 p.m. will remain in place for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

“That hits the national market pretty well,” Halstrom said.

Halstrom, the 49-year-old who has held high-ranking positions with Canterbury Park and Fair Grounds, is in his first full Thoroughbred meet at Louisiana Downs. He joined the track last August.

Patrons returning Saturday will see some new faces in the entries, which average more than nine horses per race for both the eight-race opener and the seven-race card Monday.

“We had Thoroughbreds stabled here all winter for the first time,” Halstrom said of a training center operation. “It’s really paying off. We’ve got some new horsemen here that were here all winter. They love of our racing surface.”

New faces include Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who will have a division on hand after stabling this winter at Louisiana Downs. He said training here reminded him how much he liked the local surface. Asmussen said he also has horses in place because he has a number of Louisiana-breds.

Asmussen won the richest race at Louisiana Downs last year when Limation captured the Super Derby.

This year, the Grade 3, $300,000 fixture will be run a week later, on Sept. 7. Last meet, it was held on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, but this year the 1 1/16-mile race will move back to a Saturday.

“Labor Day weekend, people are busy,” Halstrom said. “There’s a lot of stuff going on locally. We think that the next weekend, we’ll be able to knock it out of the park ontrack.”

The Super Derby will anchor a card of seven stakes worth a total of $660,000. As part of the program, Louisiana Downs has renamed the $60,000 Unbridled – a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up – the Frank L. Brothers.

Brothers, who trained champion Hansel, won nine training titles at Louisiana Downs. He is retired from training but remains active as a bloodstock adviser.

The prep for the Super Derby, the $60,000 Prelude, is Aug. 3. The same card includes six divisional stakes for Louisiana-breds, each worth $50,000 as part of Louisiana Cup Day.

In all, there are 14 stakes this meet worth a total of $1 million.

Purses are projected to average $110,000 per day with seven-race cards to be the norm, Halstrom said.

“That’s very similar to last year, slightly up,” Halstrom said of purses fueled in part by 850 slot machines. “We did move purses up on the bottom level. Last year, we had a purse increase in the middle of the year. This year, we started off a little more aggressive with the beginning of our book to help those helping us early in the meet.”

Karl Broberg is back to defend his training title, and Emanuel Nieves, his riding title. Richard Eramia, a multiple title winner at Louisiana Downs, said he plans to ride at the meet as well as at Lone Star Park.

The feature Saturday is a first-level allowance for fillies and mares at a mile on turf led by Behold the Queen and Araminta.

Distance test for Fat Clemenza

Fat Clemenza, who has won 3 of his 4 starts, makes the move to two turns for the first time Saturday night in the $70,000 Equine Sales Derby at Evangeline Downs.

The one-mile race is for 3-year-old colts and geldings who graduated from designated auctions in Louisiana.

Fat Clemenza is the most accomplished member in the 10-horse field by virtue of his victory in the $50,000 Evangeline Downs Prince last year at 2. In his most recent start April 11, he won a seven-furlong allowance at Evangeline. Fat Clemenza gets pedigree support for the two turns from his sire, Closing Argument, who in 2005 finished second by a half-length in the Kentucky Derby won by Giacomo.

Ashley Broussard has the mount from post 4 for owner Darrah Wentworth and trainer Harvey Lourd III.