DELTA DOWNS SET TO BEGIN 2017-18 THOROUGHBRED SEASON WEDNESDAY NIGHT

By Don Stevens —-

– 84-DAY MEETING RUNS THROUGH MARCH 10 –

VINTON, LA. – Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel will kick off its 2017-18 Thoroughbred season on Wednesday, October 18. The 84-day stand will feature live racing Wednesdays through Saturdays with first post time set for 5:30 pm each night.

This year Delta Downs will offer a stakes schedule that features 24 races and at total of $1.975 million in total purse money. The stakes activity kicks off on opening weekend with the $100,000 Magnolia on Friday night and the $100,000 Gold Cup on Saturday. The Magnolia is a one-mile affair for fillies and mares 3-year-old and up and the Gold Cup is also an eight-furlong race for horses 3-year-olds and older. Both races are restricted to Louisiana-bred runners.

The richest program of the year will happen on Saturday, February 10 when the track hosts another edition of Louisiana Premier Night. The exciting card will feature some of the best Louisiana-breds competing in 10 stakes races worth total purse money of $895,000. The headliner on Louisiana Premier Night is the $150,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship.

The leading horsemen from last year at Delta Downs are expected to vie for top honors once again this year. Diego Saenz will be seeking his fourth leading rider title while Karl Broberg will compete for this seventh consecutive leading trainer title during the meet. Broberg has been the leading trainer in North America for three straight years and currently leads all conditioners in 2017 with nearly 400 winners thus far.

For more information about racing at Delta Downs visit the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com. Fans can also get information about through Facebook by visiting the page ‘Delta Downs Racing’. The track’s Twitter handle is @deltaracing.

Delta Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD), features exciting casino action, live horse racing and fun dining experiences. Delta Downs is located in Vinton, Louisiana, on Delta Downs Drive. From Lake Charles, take Exit 7 and from Texas, take Exit 4.