Night racing returns as 84-date meet begins

Delta Downs in Vinton, La., will revert to night racing for the first time in two seasons Wednesday, when the track opens an 84-date meet. The Delta meet runs through Feb. 25.

The track has not raced Thoroughbreds under the lights on a regular basis since the 2019-2020 meet. A hurricane took out the track lighting system a few months after that season and the new one had to undergo updates after safety concerns were raised by the riding colony.

Since that time, Delta has conducted Quarter Horse meets under the lights. First post for most cards during the new Thoroughbred season will be 4:55 p.m. Central. The track will generally race Wednesday through Saturday.

“We were going to run two days and two nights, but the commission wants us to run nights except for special holiday days, so we’ll have the lights on starting Oct. 5,” said Chris Warren, director of racing for Delta. “We’ll have two day cards in November and three days in December.”

Purses for the Delta meet are projected to average $230,000 a program, which is similar to last season, said Warren. The track’s 18-race stakes schedule is highlighted by the Louisiana Premier Night card Feb. 4. It features six divisional stakes for Louisiana-breds led by the $150,000 Championship.

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The open-company stakes making up the calendar include the $100,000 Delta Mile for 3-year-olds and up Nov. 5. Its counterpart for fillies and mares, the $100,000 Treasure Chest, is Nov. 4. Delta also will feature 2-year-olds at a mile in both the $100,000 My Trusty Cat on Nov. 11 and the $100,000 Jean Lafitte on Nov. 12.

The stakes schedule opens Friday night with the $100,000 Magnolia for Louisiana-bred fillies and mares, which drew multiple stakes winner Free Like a Girl. Its open counterpart, the $100,000 Gold Cup on Saturday night, drew a full field of 10.

Warren said the track’s more than 1,200 stalls are accounted for. Austin Gustafson is among the new trainers on the grounds, and perennial leading trainer Karl Broberg has a string for the meet. Entries for the first week have been drawn, and the nine-race cards average nine to 10 horses a race.

Vicente Del-Cid, a leading Eclipse Award candidate for outstanding apprentice of 2022, is part of a riding colony that includes veterans Tim Thornton, C.J. McMahon, and Joel Dominguez. Del-Cid won the recent title at Evangeline, and through Sunday ranked fourth in wins in North America.

“I’m blessed to be riding good horses,” Del-Cid said through a translator. “I have a very good agent.”

Patrons returning to Delta will find the second-floor buffet area has been transformed into a sit-down restaurant, said Warren. The track plans a number of giveaways as part of the new season. Warren also is the director of racing for Evangeline, which opens a 46-date meet for Quarter Horses on Wednesday night. Both tracks are owned by Boyd Gaming.

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