Louisiana Downs

Following a spate of cancellations throughout the east, Louisiana Downs announced it will cancel the Thursday, Jan. 18 card due to continuing storms and freezing conditions throughout the region. The Bossier City oval also cancelled Monday and Tuesday's cards. Also forced to alter plans due to the weather, Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky announced it will cancel Friday and Saturday's live racing. Saturday's Leonatus S. will be redrawn and is expected to be carded for Feb. 2. Friday's forecast called for about one inch of snow during the day with...

Live racing at Parx was cancelled Tuesday and Wednesday in the wake of a winter storm which moved through the Philadelphia area Monday night. Frigid temperatures and wintry conditions also forced the cancellation of live racing both days at Mahoning Valley in Austintown, Ohio. Additional cancellations include Tuesday's card at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, Louisiana.

You could be forgiven if the fifth race at Louisiana Downs Monday evening was well off your radar screen, but Don'tcrossthedevil (Cross Traffic)'s 4 1/4-length victory in the one mile and 70 yard allowance completed a long and winding road to redemption for co-owner Kevin Knuckley and trainer and breeder Jaylan Clary. Clary bred the 4-year-old gelding with her late father, trainer Michael Neatherlin, and the bay made his winning debut at Remington Park just weeks after Neatherlin died in the fall of 2021. A second open-lengths victory briefly had...

The Super Derby, which was put on hiatus in 2022, will return to the Louisiana Downs stakes schedule in 2023. The nine-furlong race for 3-year-olds will be run Sept. 2 and will be worth $200,000. "We are looking forward to a great Thoroughbred season and the return of the Super Derby," the track's racing operations/ racing secretary Matt Crawford said. "Of course, Louisiana Cup Day will return [Aug. 5] with purses of $75,000 for the six stakes for Louisiana-breds. In addition, we will debut the $50,000 Alabama S. [June 24]...

Louisiana Downs has named Matt Crawford the new racing secretary for both the current Thoroughbred meet and the 2023 Quarter Horse meet. He had previously been assistant racing secretary at the Bossier City track from 2008-13 and has since served as racing secretary at Delta Downs, Canterbury Park, Sam Houston Race Park, Ruidoso Downs, Zia Park, Hialeah, and Lone Star. "Matt has a noted tenure in our industry and knows our region very well," said general manager of racing Mitch Dennison. "We are fully committed to serving our horsemen at...

Staton Flurry is set to be represented over the next couple of weekends in major graded stakes in the Midwest, but the Arkansas native is also not one to shy away from his Mid-South roots. On June 20, an otherwise sleepy and uneventful Monday afternoon on the American racing scene, Flurry homebred Lady Flurry (Lord Nelson) raised more than a few eyebrows, streaking home to best fellow Louisiana-breds by some nine lengths in a time that nearly lowered a track record that had been around for nearly four decades. "I...

4th-Louisiana Downs, $23,000, (S), Msw, 6-20, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :51.63, ft, 9 lengths. LADY FLURRY (f, 2, Lord Nelson--Patchofbadweather {SW}, by Storm and a Half) blew out three furlongs from the gate in a bullet :35 4/5 (1/36) over this strip June 14 and was the 1-2 mortal to kick her career off on a winning note. Showing good speed to race widest in a line of four early, the Flurry homebred poked her red blinkers in front entering the turn and from there, it was lights out. Firmly...

Louisville's Mitch Dennison has been named general manager of racing at Louisiana Downs. Dennison will oversee racing, mutuels, facility projects, and sponsorships at the Bossier City racetrack and casino. Dennison has served as an assistant to Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for the past 13 years, overseeing strings at Ellis Park and Louisiana Downs. He had also previously been affiliated with the D. Wayne Lukas barn. Despite his experience on the backside of the track, Dennison said he had an eye on racetrack management. "I have been active in both...

Morris G. Nicks, who trained for parts of six decades, primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana and Kentucky, died Nov. 25 at his home in Waskom, Texas. He had been fighting cancer and was 74 years old. His passing was confirmed by his wife Ellen in a Daily Racing Form story that broke the news Sunday. His son, the trainer Ralph Nicks, told DRF that his father had requested no funeral services to be held. According to DRF, Nicks grew up on a farm in Texas and galloped horses and rode in...

Louisiana Downs wrapped up its 84-day meet, which ran from May 1 to Sept. 21, Tuesday evening. Journeyman Carlos Lozada won 84 races from 391 rides (21%) to take the leading jockey title. His mounts earned $1,053,720. The 36-year-old Puerto Rican native was winning his second title, having also won in 2019. "I thank my family, my agent Ronald Ardoin, and each of the owners and trainers who supported me this season," said Lozada. "Louisiana Downs has been a very good track for me." Shane Wilson, in just his second...

5th-Louisiana Downs, $22,000, (S), Msw, 8-30, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:06.90, ft, 9 1/2 lengths. DROP DEAD SEXY (f, 2, Unified--Half a Notion, by Half Ours) became the sixth winner for her freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}) with a dominant debut display. Bet into 49-10 from a morning line of 6-1, the $15,000 KEESEP yearling was driven through by Alexander Castillo to take up the running after a furlong and led narrowly into the turn with three pursuing her from the outside. She began to assert five-sixteenths of a...

Louisiana Downs will host Louisiana Cup Day Saturday, Aug. 21, with a post time of 2:45 p.m. CT. The annual event will feature six stakes contests, each worth $50,000 and all for Louisiana-breds: the six-furlong Juvenile for 2-year-olds; the six-furlong Juvenile Fillies for 2-year-old fillies; the six-furlong Filly & Mare Sprint for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up; the six-furlong Sprint for 3-year-olds and up; the Turf Classic at 1 1/16 miles on the grass for 3-year-olds and up; and the 1 1/16 mile Distaff for fillies and mares 3-year-olds...