THORNTON, LANDRY AND END ZONE ATHLETICS CAPTURELEADING HORSEMEN TITLES FOR 2024-25 THOROUGHBRED SEASON AT DELTA DOWNS

TOP HONORS WERE AWARDED ON CLOSING NIGHT, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22 

VINTON, LA. –  The 2024-25 Thoroughbred season at Delta Downs wrapped up on Saturday and the leading horsemen awards were handed out during the 11-race program. Jockey Tim Thornton won his first riding title since the 2021-22 season; longtime Delta Downs conditioner Allen Landry earned his first leading trainer title; and Endzone Athletics (Karl Broberg and Matt Johanson) won their 13th leading owner title during the 76-day meeting.

Tim Thornton. Hodges photo.

Thornton has now won five leading rider titles at Delta Downs dating back to the 2018-19 season, when he started a string of four consecutive crowns until Vicente Del Cid unseated him during 2022-23 and once again in 2023-24. Del Cid missed the first month of the 2024-25 season but quickly rose the ranks and eventually finished second to Thornton at season’s end.

Overall, Thornton won 85 races from 352 mounts (24%), and he finished in the money, first, second or third, with 55% of his rides. The Louisiana native also lead all jockeys in terms of mount earnings with a total of $1,996,075. Thornton owns the Delta Downs record for mount earnings in a single season. During the 2018-19 meeting his mounts racked up $2,894,080 in money won.

Thornton’s richest win of the season came on Louisiana Premier Night when he rode millionaire Touchuponastar to a win in the Championship. It was the third consecutive win in the race for Thornton and his Louisiana-bred superstar horse.

Following Thornton in the standings this year were Del Cid (69 wins), Elio Barrera (55), Joel Dominguez (46), Jose Luis Rodriguez (35), Thomas Pompell (32), Alex Birzer (31), Jansen Melancon (29), Casey Fusilier (27), and Carlos Lozada (24).

Allen Landry. Hodges photo.

Landry’s first leading trainer title at Delta Downs came after a season-long battle with Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez, who took over the barn of 13-time leading trainer Karl Broberg before the season began. In the end, Landry finished on top of the standings with 45 wins from 172 starts (26%) to Ramirez-Rodriguez’s 42. Overall, Landry’s runners were in the money 56% of the time and they earned a season-leading $1,165,920.

Following Landry and Ramirez-Rodriguez in the standings were Brett Brinkman (35), Juan Larrosa (24), Eduardo Ramirez (19), Jonathan Wong (19), Edith Mojica (18), Sam Breaux (17), Benard Chatters (17), and Isai Gonzalez (16).

End Zone Athletics. Hodges photo.

End Zone Athletics, Inc. continued its dominance at Delta Downs this year with 35 wins and $565,095 in total earnings. Their runners won at a 26% rate and finished in the money 53% of the time. Although its numbers didn’t approach their record-setting amount of 78 wins and $1,322,480 accomplished during the 2021-22 season, End Zone’s finish at the top of the standings this year was never in doubt as they outpaced second-place owner L and G Racing Stables (Silvia & Genesis Castillo) by 20 wins in the standings, 35 to 15.

Rounding out the top 10 owners for the season were Redwood QH Racing LLC (Jose Barrientos) (12), Gerald L. Averett, Jr. (11), Norman Stables, LLC (Robert A. Norman) (10), Elite Thoroughbred Racing, LLC (Michele Rodriguez) (10), Mark N. Hibdon (8), Barrone Farms, LLC (Lon M. Barrone) (8), Terrell Jarrett, Jr. and Lara Racing Stables, LLC (Jorge H. Lara) (7), and Donegal Racing (Gerald W. Crawford) (7).

Delta Downs now looks forward to its upcoming American Quarter Horse season which gets underway on April 25 and runs through July 12. The 46-day meeting will feature live racing each Wednesday through Saturday night with first post time set for 6:15 pm Central Time.

For more information about the Delta Downs Quarter Horse season, including specific race days, go to the track’s website at www.deltadowns.com/race. Fans can also follow the track on Facebook and X.

Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation, is the premier racing and gaming entertainment venue in Vinton, LA. Named “America’s Best Horse Racing Track” by readers of USA TODAY 10Best for 2023, 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, chart-topping entertainment at the Delta Event Center and the FanDuel Sportsbook.