Evangeline Downs

Any worries that the first day under which horses had to be registered with the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority in order to compete would create chaos were squelched early on in the day Saturday when a number of tracks reported that not a single horse had to be withdrawn from a race due to the new rules. The TDN sent out survey questions to a number of racing officials Saturday to determine how many, if any, horses had to be scratched because either the horses or their owners...

The Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) affirmed lifetime bans for two sibling jockeys from the Patin family on Tuesday related to the brothers' criminal convictions for possessing illegal horse-shocking devices in races at Evangeline Downs in 2015. The hearings concluded in bizarre fashion when Joseph Patin Jr., 58, apparently slipped out of the meeting room without telling anyone after first hearing that his younger brother, Billy Patin, 53, wasn't going to be allowed to work as an exercise rider despite Billy previously agreeing to a lifetime ban of his license...

Louisiana's Evangeline Downs wrapped up its 84-night meet Saturday with Diego Saenz taking home the leading jockey title. Saenz won 116 races at the meet from 403 mounts (29%) for earnings of $1,872,243. Eduardo Ramirez, a former assistant to Karl Broberg, beat his former employer for the training title with 44 wins at the meet, good for 31% and earnings of $541,682. Jimmy Johnson's Red Rose Racing won the owner's race with 30 visits to the winner's circle (34%). Final earnings for the stable were $300,307. Evangeline Downs kicks off...

Rob Tuel has been named the full-time track announcer at Evangeline Downs, officials at the track announced Wednesday. Tuel succeeds Michael Chamberlain, who spent six years behind the mic at the Opelousas, Louisiana, track. Tuel's racecalling career began in 2004 at Eureka Downs in Kansas, describing both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse action. He has also called races in his home state of Nebraska at FairPlay Park, Lincoln Race Course and Atokad Park. "I am honored and thrilled to be selected as the new track announcer at Evangeline Downs," said Tuel....

A temporary restraining order issued Sep. 4 has blocked a Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) mandate from taking effect that seeks to force the Fair Grounds to open its backstretch stabling to as many as 500 Thoroughbreds displaced by Hurricane Laura in the last week of August. An Orleans Parish Civil District Court judge is now expected to rule on the injunction after a Sep. 11 hearing. The news site Crescent City Sports first reported on the 57-page request for injunction filed by attorneys for the Fair Grounds, which is...

Evangeline Downs is marking its return June 5 with the first of 50 live racing nights featuring a nine-race program. The season had originally been scheduled to kick off Apr. 8. The season's highlights include Louisiana Legends Night, held July 4, as six stakes races will be run with purses totaling $360,000 and dual divisions (2-year-old colts and fillies) of the D.S. "Shine" Young Futurity, contested on closing night Aug. 29. Live racing at Evangeline Downs will be conducted weekly, Wednesday through Saturday. First post will be 5:50 pm C.T....

A New York Times study published Tuesday reporting where the COVID-19 outbreak is peaking and waning based on per-capita population statistics shows that Grand Island, Nebraska, where Fonner Park is located, is currently second in the nation in terms of news cases reported in the last two weeks. Grand Island has a population of 85,000. The Times reported 764 coronavirus cases there in the last two weeks, meaning the per-thousand infection number is 8.98. Only Marion, Ohio, was higher (32.13) based on per-capita rankings. On Apr. 22, the Nebraska Racing...