Louisiana Downs reopens as flood threat passes

Louisiana Downs reopened its backstretch to horses on Wednesday, five days after evacuating the 250 animals based there when a nearby levee was in danger of giving way. Officials had been monitoring the levee and called for the horses to be moved off the grounds last Saturday over concerns the levy could break following a month of significant rainfall.

But on Wednesday, with "no danger left in any levee breaches," the horses were let back into the stable area, said Trent McIntosh, the director of racing operations for Louisiana Downs.

Louisiana Downs has been operating as a training center since its meet closed Oct. 4. Most of the horses stabled on the grounds are Thoroughbreds, as the track's Quarter Horse meet does not open until January.