Racing officials at Evangeline Downs have cancelled the remainder of Saturday’s 12 race-program due to heavy rains saturating the racetrack.  Following today’s first race at 3:07 p.m. CT, extreme downpours and lightning in the Opelousas area caused an approximate one hour delay before the scheduled second race. Fans at the race track were alerted of the official cancellation at 4:20 p.m.

Saturday’s card featured five stakes races worth a total of $640,000 in purses, including the second running of the $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint, slated for the eighth race on the program. Earlier today, the five furlong Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up, and the two other grass races, were moved to the main track due to consistent rainfall which occurred earlier in the week.

“We are very disappointed to cancel today’s racing program for our fans who came out to Evangeline Downs looking forward to an exciting day of racing, but the severe conditions forced us to halt the program for the safety of all concerned,” said Vice President Steve Kuypers of Boyd Gaming, parent company of Evangeline Downs. “No immediate decision has been made regarding the rescheduling of today’s stakes races.”