DELTA DOWNS KICKS OFF 2025-26 THOROUGHBRED SEASON FRIDAY NIGHT
EARLIER POST TIMES AND EXCITING PROMOTIONS AWAIT FANS THIS SEASON –
Touchuponastar pictured winning the 2025 Louisiana Premier Night Championship
VINTON, LA. – Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel will kick off its 2025-26 Thoroughbred season on Friday night, October 10. The track will begin live racing at 4:45 pm Central Time throughout the meeting, which runs through February 21. The new post time will allow more exposure for simulcast fans across the country.
After the two-day opening week of racing, Friday and Saturday, the track will go to a Wednesday through Saturday format for much of the season. Exceptions include the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
In addition to the new earlier post time this year, Delta Downs will serve up plenty of promotion for race fans in the OTB. Each Wednesday patrons will be treated to a free program. On Thursdays the track will serve one free hot dog per person and on Fridays thirsty racegoers can quench their thirst with a free domestic beer. To receive these gifts, patrons must swipe their Boyd Rewards card in the OTB kiosk and present their ticket at the bar or program stand. Must be 21 years or older.
The track will also roll out exciting bi-monthly promotions in the OTB for fans to participate in. Cash prizes will be awarded on the second and last Friday of each month during the 20-week meet.
Serious on-track and simulcast horseplayers are in for a special treat during the holiday weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years when the track will offer an unprecedented low takeout rate of just 10% on all wagers. The dates for this include November 25 and 26, December 22 and 23, as well as December 29 and 30. First post time on November 25 and 26 will be at 12:55pm while the first race for the December dates will be at 12 noon.
During the season, Delta Downs will offer a stakes schedule that features 24 races and a total of $2.245 million in purse money.
The stakes activity begins on opening weekend with a pair of Louisiana-bred contests, each carrying a purse of $100,000. Fans will be treated to the Gold Cup and Magnolia on Saturday night, each run at one mile with the Magnolia restricted to fillies and mares only.
The richest program of the year will happen on Saturday, February 7 when the track hosts another edition of Louisiana Premier Night. The exciting card features the best Louisiana-breds competing in 10 stakes races worth total purse money of $995,000. The headliner on Louisiana Premier Night is the $150,000 Championship for 4-year-olds and up competing at 1-1/16 miles.
The battle for leading jockey this year will go through defending champion Tim Thornton, who has won the riding title at Delta Downs five times since 2018. Thornton most recently dominated the jockey colony at Evangeline Downs, winning the 2025 riding title there with 96 trips to the winner’s circle and more than $2 million in mount earnings.
Allen Landry will be gunning for his second straight leading trainer title at Delta Downs this season. Like Thornton, Landry spent his summer at Evangeline Downs where he saddled 38 winners, and his barn took home over $1 million total earnings. That feat earned the longtime Louisiana conditioner the title of top trainer for 2025 in Opelousas.
For more information about racing at Delta Downs this season, including a detailed schedule and stakes dates, visit the track’s website at www.deltadownsracing.com. Fans ca-n also get information throughout the season with our social media accounts. The Facebook page is found at ‘Delta Downs Racing’, and the track’s X handle is @deltaracing.
Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation, is the premier racing and gaming entertainment venue in Vinton, LA. Delta Downs features a six-furlong oval track, 15,000 square feet of casino space and more than 1,500 of the most popular slot machines. Amenities include two restaurants, and chart-topping entertainment at the Delta Event Center.