Evangeline Downs begins 43rd season of horse racing
By Tom Dodge
OPELOUSAS – There was air of excitement mixed with sadness at Tuesday’s press conference to kick off the 43rd consecutive year or racing at Evangeline Downs.
Last week, the former Executive Director of Racing and Assistant General Manager David Yount passed away after a lengthy illness and the 2008 season is dedicated in his memory.
“He was Mr. Racing here,” General Manager Mike Howard said of his former co-worker and friend. “He was a very committed and passionate individual. His energy and drive was phenomenal.”
Howard reflected on a few unusual things that Yount brought to the track, including camel and ostrich races as well as amateur boxing bouts between races and car shows and festivals.
“We were either to help him or get out of his way and let things happen because he was going to do it,” Howard said. “He was passionate to the industry until the very end and his vision was to make Evangeline Downs the number one racetrack in the state of Louisiana.
“We start the 2008 meet with a heavy heart as we lost our leader and a great friend, Director of Racing Operations Steve Darbonne said of Yount’s passing. “We will move forward because he built a strong and dedicated team.”
The 85-night spring/summer season kicked off on Wednesday as the facility is coming off a record breaking 2007 which saw sizeable increases in both simulcast handle and total handle, and in field size average.
Evangeline Downs will offer horsemen a beefed-up Stakes schedule as part of a daily purse structure of approximately $200,000 a night.
The expanded stakes schedule is worth in excess of $2 million and includes three new events.
They are: the Opelousas for two-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs on closing weekend and a pair of state-bred races, the Salute for three-year-old fillies, and the Acclaim for three-year-old colts & geldings. The Opelousas will have a purse of $75,000, and both the Salute and the Acclaim will be worth $60,000. In addition, many of the races received increases from last year; the majority of those are now worth $60,000, compared to $50,000 in 2007.
The fourth edition of Legends Night, along with the Evangeline Mile, will headline the 2008 stakes calendar. The “Mile”, is the richest race of the season with a purse of $200,000. Legends Night, a stakes-laden program restricted to horses bred in the Pelican state, honors those who have made an indelible impact and contribution to Evangeline Downs and racing in the state of Louisiana. This year’s edition will feature eleven stakes races worth a total of more than $900,000, highlighted by the two $100,000 D.S. “Shine” Young Futurities for two-year-olds, one for colts & geldings and one restricted to fillies.
The biggest quarterhorse event of 2008 will be the America’s Cup Quarterhorse Challenge as horses from across the country, South America and Canada quality to race for the $900,000 purse.
“We have our challenges to match last year,”Darbonne said. “But we are looking forward to the year, especially when the new turf track opens later this season.”
This year’s meet will once again run through the traditional closing night on Labor Day, with racing conducted Wednesday through Saturday.
Post time will be 6:20 p.m. on all nights.