Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel, Vinton. Delta Downs Racetrack Casino & Hotel has a mix of gaming excitement, horse racing action. Sections of this page. Let TJ Gautreaux & Louisiana Soul take you home with their soulful performances this weekend at the Gator Lounge. Catch them tonight and tomorrow starting at 9 pm. Casino Vinton, LA 6,126 people checked in here Vanessa Alcover is feeling blissful with Kelvin Barber Rivera and 2 others at Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino. Aug 18, 2019 i have only great things to say about delta downs. I have been many times in the past five years and rate there casino and race track with a top rating. Hotel is right up there as far as how nice it is and ive been to shreveport-kinder la-and bosier city. The race track has.
| Delta Downs | |||||||||||||||
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| No. of rooms | 200 | ||||||||||||||
| Total gaming space | 48,000 sq ft (4,500 m2) | ||||||||||||||
| Casino type | Racino | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 30°11′38″N93°37′23″W / 30.194°N 93.623°W | ||||||||||||||
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Delta Downs Racetrack, Casino and Hotel is an Americanthoroughbred and quarter horse racetrack in Calcasieu Parish, near Vinton, Louisiana in the southwest portion of the state. The facility is owned by Boyd Gaming.
History[edit]
The track opened in September 1973, under the direction of Lee Berwick. Berwick was primarily looking for a recognized facility to run Quarter Horses, having earlier held races on his farm in St. Joseph, Louisiana. Delta Downs in Vinton would hold both Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred race meetings, some years in a mixed format. In the 1990s, the track was bought by developer Shawn Scott for $10 million. Shortly thereafter, it was sold for over $100 million to Boyd Gaming after a law was passed allowing for slot machines at Delta Downs. After the purchase, Boyd Gaming made over $120 million in capital improvements. The casino, hotel and track were badly damaged by Hurricane Rita in 2005; the casino and hotel were partially opened two months later. The track was closed for about six months after the hurricane. Fueled by revenue from the slots casino, the quality of racing at Delta Downs has improved. The winter Thoroughbred meeting has produced several stakes-quality horses in recent years.
On January 11, 1990, jockey Sylvester Carmouche rode a 5-year-old named Landing Officer through a thick fog to a twenty-four length win. Landing Officer had gone off at 23-1 odds.[1] After the race it was determined that Carmouche had hid Landing Officer in the fog as the other eight horses in the race circled the track and the jockey was subsequently charged with felony theft by fraud.[2] Carmouche was convicted of the charges on March 14, 1990[3] and he was subsequently banned for ten years from state tracks by the Louisiana Racing Commission[4] but the ban lasted just eight years.[5] Aaron Kuriloff writing for ESPN put Sylvester Carmouche 11th of the top 25 cheats, frauds and scams perpetrated in sports around the globe.[6]
Track[edit]
Delta Downs Reservations
The track is a 6-furlong (1.2 km) oval. There is a 550-yard (0.50 km) Quarter-Horse chute, in addition to a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) and 1.0625-mile (1.7099 km) Thoroughbred chutes. The track surface is a mixture of sand (from the Sabine River) and clay, with a limestone base. The track has stabling for 1,200 horses. The Delta Downs grounds features horse pastures which are visible from the entrance. Draft and miniature horses and thoroughbreds are on display. The Quarter Horse Red River Rebel, owned by Malcom Chiasson, holds the track record as of 2011; he is also the leading money-winning quarter horse in Louisiana.[7]
Casino[edit]
The casino has more than 1,600 slot machines; the racino has only slots, due to restrictions in state law. The hotel has 370 rooms, and 50 suites.
Racing season[edit]
Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Vinton La
The track usually holds races from November to mid-July, with the Thoroughbred meet beginning in November and the QuarterHorse meet commencing in April. Delta Downs hosts the Grade III, $1,000,000 Delta Jackpot Stakes for 2-year-olds, the Grade III, $500,000 Delta Princess Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, the Restricted Grade I Lee Burwick Futurity, and the Grade II Firecracker Futurity.
References[edit]
- ^Phantom Rider Sylvester Carmouche Galloped Out of the Bayou Mists—and into a Peck of Trouble
- ^Jockey Faces Felony Charge : Racing: Sylvester Carmouche, accused of hiding his horse in fog during a one-mile race, also was suspended by the Louisiana track
- ^`Foggy' jockey convicted
- ^Circumstances Remain Foggy on Suspension of Jockey Carmouche
- ^Perfect filly eyes sweet 16 ; Hallowed dreams a godsend
- ^25 great hoaxes, cheats and frauds in sport
- ^Delta Downs racing website Retrieved 2011-06-02.