Louisiana Downs

Veteran jockey agent Tony Martin has returned from a brief retirement to represent apprentice Jamison Mudd, currently based at Fair Grounds. "I've seen some good ones come, and some good ones go," Martin said. "I think this kid has got a lot of talent." Martin represented Joe Talamo, who captured the Fair Grounds riding title at the 2006-2007 meet and later earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding apprentice jockey. "I've been watching [Mudd] since the first weekend he rode at Louisiana Downs and I liked what I saw," Martin said....

What will racing look like in 10 years? We asked some of racing's best and brightest to give us their predictions. Want to submit an answer? Email suefinley@thetdn.com   Louisiana Downs Racing Secretary Stuart Slagle: My 2036 Racing Travelogue  DATE:  Jan 25, 2036 10:00 PM EST            CITY:  HAVANA    Wow, what a year! I kicked things off in Havana, where the legendary Oriental Park made its comeback with Hong Kong Jockey Club's assistance following the successful launch of Chongua Racecourse. The Gran Premio Laz Barrera Internacional was a huge draw,...

Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), which in recent seasons has ended racing at such high-profile tracks as Arlington and Calder over alleged profitability issues, on Tuesday threatened to pull out of Fair Grounds over a recent court ruling that bars it from using a certain type of slot machine, saying the ban would cause it to lose money at the New Orleans track and 13 off-track-betting outlets it owns. Reporting by Anthony McAuley and Tyler Bridges at NOLA.com first broke the news, which emerged out of an "emergency" Louisiana Racing Commission...

Louisiana Downs has promoted Roxanne Tanner to director of racing, the track said in a Wednesday release. Tanner has been employed by the track for nearly three years and previously served as the racing ambassador. Prior to Louisiana, her roles both on the front side and backside have included venues such as Arlington Park, Churchill Downs, Prairie Meadows, and Oaklawn Park. "I'm appreciative for each experience I've had within the industry to get me to this point," Tanner said. "I've been very blessed to work with some amazing people in...

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...