Evangeline Downs Picks, Entries and Results

Evangeline Downs Track Details

Address: 2235 Creswell Ln, Opelousas, LA 70570
Website: www.evangelinedowns.com  

Meeting: Evangeline Downs conducts a Thoroughbred race meet from the beginning of April to the end of August, and a Quarter Horse meet from the end of September until mid-December. The thoroughbred meet features both dirt and turf racing and its richest horse race is the $100,000 Evangeline Mile for older horses on dirt. The meet also hosts several lucrative stakes for Louisiana-breds on both surfaces, as well as a few other open company stakes worth $75,000.

History: Evangeline Downs opened for business in its original location in Carencro, Louisiana on April 28, 1966. After changing hands a few times, Peninsula Gaming acquired the track in its entirety in 2002 and elected to move it to its current location in Opelousas, LA, in order to build an adjoining casino, which was completed in late 2003, though racing on the site didn’t begin for another two years. In fact, it was the first racino to be built from the ground up. The track features a one-mile dirt oval and a seven-furlong turf course. On September 5, 1977, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee John Henry won his first-ever stakes race at Evangeline Downs, capturing the Lafayette Futurity.

Facilities: Evangeline is a racino, meaning there is also a casino on site. The casino offers more than 1300 slot machines, several eateries, an events center and even a hotel. Clubhouse admission to the track is free with a minimum purchase of food and beverages.