Evangeline Downs facts for kids

Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino is a special place in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. It's a "racino," which means it has both a racetrack for horses and a casino. You can find it just east of Opelousas.

This exciting place is owned and run by a company called Boyd Gaming. It has a big oval track that is one mile long. There are also almost 1,000 horse stalls where horses can rest. Evangeline Downs hosts two main types of horse races: Thoroughbred flat racing and American Quarter Horse racing. The first track opened on April 28, 1966, in a different town called Carencro, Louisiana. It moved to its current spot in Opelousas in 2005.

History of Evangeline Downs

On April 28, 1966, Evangeline Downs first opened its doors. It was located in Carencro, Louisiana, near Lafayette, Louisiana. The track was right along a major highway.

Changes in Ownership

In 1982, a group of people bought the track for $12.4 million. Just three years later, in 1985, they sold it for $16.5 million. The new owners soon faced money problems. They couldn't pay the prize money for the races. Because of this, the Louisiana Racing Commission said they might have to close the track.

Evangeline Downs had to ask for special legal help to deal with its money troubles. It closed for a while in October 1986. The owners couldn't fix the problems, so a court decided to sell the track. The main company that had loaned money for the property bought it at an auction for $333,335. Luckily, races started again in April 1987.

Moving to a New Location

In 1992, Evangeline Downs added video poker machines. But in 1996, people in Lafayette Parish voted to ban video poker. This meant the track had to make a plan to move. They chose to move to St. Landry Parish, where voters had said "no" to a similar ban.

In 2002, a company called Peninsula Gaming bought half of the track for $15 million. A few months later, they bought the other half for another $15 million. Peninsula Gaming was in charge of moving the track to Opelousas. They opened a casino at the new site in late 2003. Horse races then began at the new location in 2005. Later, in 2012, Peninsula Gaming became part of Boyd Gaming.

In 2009, a group called the Horseplayers Association of North America rated 65 thoroughbred racetracks. Evangeline Downs was ranked as the 6th best track!

Sports at Evangeline Downs

Evangeline Downs is known for more than just horse racing.

Boxing Matches

On November 6, 2014, a boxer named Regis Prograis had a fight there. He won against Jeff Humphries with a knockout in the very first round!

Famous Horse Races and Jockeys

On September 5, 1977, a very famous horse named John Henry won his first big race at Evangeline Downs. He won the Lafayette Futurity. John Henry is now in the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame!

Many talented jockeys, who are the riders in horse races, started their careers at this track. Some of these famous jockeys include Robby Albarado, Ronald Ardoin, Calvin Borel, Curt Bourque, Eddie Delahoussaye, Kent Desormeaux, Mark Guidry, Randy Romero, Shane Sellers and Ray Sibille.

See also

In Spanish: Hipódromo y Casino Evangeline Downs para niños