EVANGELINE DOWNS HOSTS $600K STAKES NIGHT AND HONORS LOUISIANA RACING LEGENDS
OPELOUSAS, LA –The marquee night of the 2024 thoroughbred season takes place this Saturday, June 1, 2024, with the Louisiana Legends card at Evangeline Downs. The 10-race card features six stake races for Louisiana-bred runners, with each stake worth $100,000, and the first 2-year-old race of the season for potential future legends. As part of the Legends night card, Evangeline Downs will also honor six Louisiana racing legends throughout the night. Honorees include famed Louisiana jockeys Calvin Borel and Mark Guidry; long-time trainers Larry Robideaux, Joseph Broussard, and Eddie Johnston; as well as former racetrack administrator Charles Ashy, Sr.
Racing fans are in for an exciting race card along with multiple other race day offerings. Prior to the races, jockeys will be available from 4:30pm-5:00pm for pictures and autographs in a meet and greet from, plus they will be tossing t-shirts from the winner’s circle after each stakes race. From 5:30pm-7:30pm the whole family can enjoy face painting, a magician, and balloon animals. In addition to the full dining offerings available at Evangeline Downs, food trucks with specialty foods and treats will also be available in the paddock area during the races.
The stakes action begins with the Mademoiselle, a sprint for fillies and mares, featuring Ova Charged, fresh off a win on the Kentucky Oaks card at Churchill Downs. This race honors Charles Ashy, Sr. a Louisiana Legend known for his longtime leadership as the General Manager of the original Evangeline Downs in Carencro Louisiana. His work in bringing Off Track Betting and Slots to the racetrack changed the landscape of racing in Louisiana.
The Cheval, for 3-year-olds at a mile, features a competitive group with many possible winners. This race will honor Louisiana Legend and member of the National Racing Hall of Fame, Calvin Borel. Still actively riding, Calvin, or “Boo Boo” as he is sometimes known, has won nearly 5,300 races in his career including three Kentucky Derby wins.
A full field of 12 runners will face off in the Turf Distaff for fillies and mares at a mile. This exciting race will honor the late Louisiana Legend, Joseph “Spanky” Broussard. A trainer known for some of his top horses, Broussard also represented more than 1,000 winners and was inducted into the Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Soiree will test 3-year-old fillies at the distance of one mile and feature multiple horses that have competed against each other back in February at Fair Grounds. It’s sure to be a great rivalry for fans to enjoy. The Louisiana Legend being honored in this race is another posthumous honoree, Edward “Eddie” Johnston. A trainer of horses that earned nearly $13 million dollars in purses, Eddie was known not only for training champions, but also as an active board member of the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association.
The Legends Turf, at a mile and a sixteenth, will be an interesting handicapping puzzle with a full field of 12 set to run. The race will honor another late Louisiana Legend, Larry Robideaux. Training for 61 years, Larry raced across the state, in Hot Springs, and Kentucky. He ran horses in the Kentucky Derby as well as the Preakness and was elected into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in 2014.
The Legends Sprint will close out the card with a field of 11 slated to travel 5-1/2 furlongs. The race will feature favorite, Sharp Charlie, and will honor Louisiana Legend, Mark Guidry. The Lafayette native is another member of Louisiana’s elite Cajun Jockeys who amassed over 5,000 career wins during his time in the saddle and is currently tied for 30th on the all-time list.
In addition to all the racing and activities happening Legends Night, the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association will be awarding two $1,000 scholarships during the evening. Students are encouraged to attend the races and enter the drawing, with the winners to be selected after the fifth race. First post time Saturday will be 5:30pm Central Time.
For more information on Evangeline Downs, including a full stakes schedule, visit the track’s website athttps://evangelinedowns.boydgaming.com/racing.
Evangeline Downs information can also be found on Twitter @EVDracing and on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.
The racing calendar for the remainder of the 2024 season features racing Thursday through Saturday until the end of the meet on August 24.
About Evangeline Downs Racetrack& Casino
Encompassing over 750 acres, Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation, features over 39,000 square feet of casino space as well a racetrack that boasts state-of-the-art facilities with a 7/8-mile turf track and 1 1/8-mile chute. The casino includes over 1,000 slot and video poker machines, two dining options, and plenty of meeting space including track-side private club suites. Evangeline Downs also includes a newly opened FanDuel Sportsbook. For more information, visitwww.evangelinedowns.boydgaming.com and connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.