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2011 American Quarter Horse Meet Going Strong at Delta Downs Special Report by
Martha Claussen - April 30, 2011 - They are off and running at
Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino. The
2011 American Quarter Horse meet began on
April 15 at the Vinton, La., racetrack with fast horses, plentiful slot
machines and even errant alligators.
More on that later in this feature. The 46-day season offers racing each Thursday through Sunday with post time set for 6:45 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and a new afternoon post of 3:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Chris Warren, director of racing and simulcasting at Delta Downs, reports that officials will monitor the response for the Sunday matinee cards. “We made the decision to try Sunday afternoons to attract more of a live crowd,” said Warren. “The first Sunday was a little light, but we will watch it for a few weeks and see how it progresses.” Strong Trainer and Jockey Colony
Roberts, 58, was born in Lafayette, La., and has a strong record in Louisiana and Texas. He has 50 horses stabled at Delta Downs, and, despite a slow start on opening weekend, feels that his runners will fare well this meet. “We have some nice stock, and I believe they will show their potential as the meet progresses,” Roberts said. “Slow starts don’t worry me; we are like a train. We start slowly and pick up steam and pull away.” Roberts played both basketball and football at Kashmere High School in Houston. His brother, Roy also trains Quarter Horses and has 25 stalls for the 2011 Delta meet. Other horsemen to watch include Heath Taylor, who has been the top trainer at Delta Downs six times; Janet VanBebber, who notched her 1,000th career win earlier this year; Larry Fuselier, Frank Cavazos, Michael Zingelmann, Alvin Smith and Benny Pennington. Pennington has trained racehorses for more than 30 years. He resides in Franklin, Texas, and has been pleased with the Delta Downs racing program. “I have both Louisiana-breds and Texas-breds,” Pennington said. “The purse for a Louisiana-bred 2-year-old allowance is $24,000; in Texas, the same race runs for $11,000. As much as I love running in Texas, the purses here are too good to ignore. Plus, the management at Delta Downs has gone out of their way to cater to the needs of the horsemen.”
Riders Gilbert Ortiz, Jeff Jerman and J.R. Ramirez are off to strong starts. Ortiz has won the riding title four times, and Danny Lavergne, who was honored as leading rider in 2006, are just a few of the top jockeys in the colony. Stakes Schedule Offers More Than $1.5 Million in Purses The 2011 Delta Downs Quarter Horse stakes schedule offers 27 featured races from April through July 3. A pair of 2-year-old futurities will highlight the Saturday, May 14 card as Delta Downs presents the Louisiana Lassie (RG2) and Louisiana Laddie Stakes (RG2). On June 4, the Adequan East Derby and John Deere East Juvenile Challenge finals will be held with the winners representing Louisiana in the Bank of America Challenge Championships at Los Alamitos in October. The final weekend of the meet will be highlighted by the running of the $100,000-added Firecracker Futurity (G3) and $75,000-added Firecracker Derby on Saturday, July 2. The meet wraps up on July 3 with Louisiana Showcase Night, a premier day of racing with seven stakes including the $150,000-added Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity (RG1) on Sunday, July 3. Last July, McM Dashmaster captured the $375,700 Lee Berwick Memorial Futurity. The talented son of Heza Fast Dash, trained by Bobby Martinez for owners Ponderosa Ranch PC Inc. and McM Farms went on to win the $301,919 LQHBA Sales Futurity (RG1) in October at Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino. Alligator Crossing Last May, an alligator wandered onto the track prior to one of the Thursday night races, obviously causing quite a stir. Outriders Jan Morton and Bret Thibodeaux expertly ushered the reptile out of sight and the races resumed in a timely manner. Just last week, another alligator ambled onto the track before the post parade. The 15-footer made quite an impression, but had the good sense not to interrupt the races. “It was unusual to see one in April,” said Warren, who reported that at least three alligators reside in the Delta Downs infield. “May is the traditional breeding season, and they seek a sandy surface to lay their eggs.” Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Strong Supporter The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders
Association, (LQHBA) is committed to improving the quality of the
accredited Louisiana Bred racing program as host to an annual Yearling
Sale and Fall Mixed Sale and work with the American Quarter Horse
Association to promote American Quarter Horse racing. Gaming and Entertainment Options Plentiful Boyd Gaming, a publicly held Las Vegas casino company (NYSE:BYD), acquired Delta Downs in 2001. The company spearheaded a $35 million facility renovation and launched the grand opening as a racino with slot machines on Feb. 13, 2002. In 2004, another major $50-million expansion took place, resulting in an on-site hotel and larger slot facility. As the first racetrack in Louisiana to offer slot machines, Delta Downs remains hugely popular with Louisiana and Texas gaming fans. With more than 1,600 video machines, including a separate high-limit area, slot aficionados are rewarded with plentiful promotions. Contests and racing fans have the opportunity to win $7,500 in May and June by entering the Triple Crown Handicapping Contest on May 7 and 21 and June 11. In addition to live and simulcast racing, Delta Downs presents a variety of concerts and specialty acts in its Event Center and Gator Lounge. Multiple-platinum recording group War performed on April 23, and Gloriana and Jimmie Vaughan and The Tilt A Whirl Band are booked in May. Local and regional performers including Krossfyre and Gregg Martinez and the Delta Kings take to the Gator Lounge stage on weekend evenings. Delta Downs and Boyd Gaming have not missed a beat in promoting their annual Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred meets. With purses fueled by their growing slot machine revenue, horsemen continue to set up shop in Vinton, La. Racing fans are fulfilled by full, competitive fields resulting in hefty payouts. The rewards are plentiful; just watch for alligators.
Martha Claussen has been prominent in the Texas racing industry since 1997 as a publicist, writer and handicapper |
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Kenneth
Roberts Sr. will attempt to add his fourth
leading trainer title at Delta Downs this year. 
A
solid jockey colony led by three-time leader, Alfonso Lujan, is
in place. Lujan won his first local riding title in 2007 before
repeating that feat in 2008 and 2010, when he booted home 71 winners.
Lujan has been the leading rider by wins in the national AQHA standings
for five of the past six years. The 33-year-old rider finished 2010 with
a record of 166 wins and purses of $2,373,511. He was sidelined in
January when he suffered a broken hand in accident in the paddock at
Louisiana Downs, but is fully recovered.
