EVANGELINE DOWNS 2026 THOROUGHBRED SEASON OPENS APRIL 3

LOUISIANA LEGENDS NIGHT SET FOR JUNE 6

OPELOUSAS, LA –The 60th season of racing in the Acadiana region begins on Friday, April 3 with the opening of the 2026 Thoroughbred season at Evangeline Downs.  The opening weekend kicks off the 73-nights of racing, with a pair of stake races each night.  First post is set for 5:30pm Central.  

Evangeline Downs will be unveiling a new wager with the Bayou Bet 6.  The jackpot-style pick 6, with a 15% takeout and a 0.20 minimum denomination, will payout 100% of the jackpot to a single winning ticket that correctly selects the last six winners on the card.  In the event there are multiple winning tickets, 90% of the pool will be paid out, with 10% rolling into the carryover jackpot pool.

Following the opening weekend, racing will be conducted on a Wednesday through Saturday schedule until May 2.  Racing switches to Thursday through Saturday through the end of August.  A special Monday card has been added for August 31, with the Louisiana Breeders Sale taking place at Evangeline Downs the following day.  The season concludes with racing on Friday, Saturday and Monday of Labor Day Weekend.

Tim Thornton, a perennial challenger for leading jockey, will be back to defend his 2025 title.  Thornton led the jockey colony with 96 winners last season.  Elio Barrera, the leading rider in 2024, will be one of the main contenders looking to unseat Thornton from the top spot.  Joel Dominguez had a solid showing at the recently concluded Delta Downs meet and will look to build off that.  Some new faces in the jockey colony to start the season are Harry Hernandez, Kevin Roman and apprentice Jamison Mudd.

Allen Landry backed up his 2025 Evangeline Downs trainer title with another at the recently concluded Delta Downs meet.  Landry led the backside with 38 wins last season, one better than Sam Breaux.  The Breaux barn should be primed to contend again after a solid showing at Delta Downs over the winter.  Brett Brinkman and Juan Larrosa, the 2024 training champ, will be well supported at the windows with most of their runners as well.

The 2026 stakes schedule will kick off opening night with the running of the $60,000 Acadiana and the $60,000 Spotted Horse.  The following night co-features are the $60,000 Lafayette and the $100,000 Evangeline Mile.  The Saturday card also includes the $50,000 Buggin Out Stakes, the first of four stake races for Alabama-breds raced in conjunction with the Alabama HBPA and the Birmingham Racing Commission.

Racing fans will want to make plans to attend the races the first weekend of May for the simulcasting of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 1 and the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2.  The Friday card will include a trio of stake races including the $60,000 EVD Distaff, while the Derby night card showcases the $60,000 EVD Classic. 

The marquee night of the season will take place on Saturday, June 6 with Louisiana Legends Night.  The program features six stake races for Louisiana-bred runners, with each purse $100,000 guaranteed.  
July racing will include stakes action over the July 4th weekend.  The Friday, July 3 card includes the Opelousas, with the John Henry Stakes on Saturday, July 4.  Each race will carry a purse of $60,000 and be contested over the turf course.  The $70,000 Shine Young fillies division closes out the month on Friday, July 31.

The stakes calendar will finish up in August with the $70,000 Shine Young colts and geldings division on Saturday, August 1.  The special Monday, August 31 card will be packed with four stake races.  The $75,000 First Lady Sharon Landry and the $75,000 Au Revoir are scheduled for the turf.  The $75,000 Louisiana Stallion Stakes presented by Coteau Grove Farms, one for the filly and mares and one for the boys, are main track events.

For more information on Evangeline Downs visit the track’s website at https://evangelinedowns.boydgaming.com/racing.  

Evangeline Downs information can also be found on Twitter @EVDracing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing.   

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 a one mile main track. 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, visit www.evangelinedowns.com and connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Founded in 1975, Boyd Gaming Corporation is a leading geographically diversified operator of 28 gaming entertainment properties in 10 states, and manager of a tribal casino in northern California. The Company is also a strategic partner and 5% equity owner of FanDuel Group, the nation's leading sports-betting operator.