OPELOUSAS — Live racing is returning to Evangeline Downs.
The racing season for Evangeline Downs was scheduled to kick off on April 8 but that was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The start of the season, which will feature 50 live racing nights, will kick off Friday, June 5th with a nine-race program.
There will be two major evenings of stakes racing held during the season.
Louisiana Legends Night, the track’s annual celebration of the Louisiana-bred Thoroughbred, will be held on Saturday, July 4, as six stakes races will be run with purses totaling $360,000.
Also, there will be two divisions of the $60,000 D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity night, one for 2-year-old fillies and one for 2-year-old colts and geldings, contested on the final night of the season on Saturday, August 29.
Evangeline Downs also announced upgrades-safety measures to the track for this season. A new rail has been installed on the turf course. The rail is from Duralock Performance Fencing of Oxfordshire, England and is made from vinyl, which increases the safety for both horses and riders should they contact it. This rail is currently in use in racing jurisdictions around the globe including Dubai, France, the United Kingdom, New York and Kentucky.
The live racing at Evangeline Downs this season will be conducted on a Wednesday-Saturday weekly schedule. Post time this season will be 5:50 p.m.
For more information on racing at Evangeline Downs, visit the track’s website at www.evdracing.com.