The Delta Jackpot Stakes was an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

run annually at

Delta Downs Delta Downs Racetrack, Casino and Hotel is an American thoroughbred and quarter horse racetrack in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, near Vinton, Louisiana in the southwest portion of the state. The facility is owned by Boyd Gaming. ...

Vinton, Louisiana Vinton is a town in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,400 in 2020. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area. History The Old Spanish Trail, which was neither old nor Spanish, wandered north and ...

between 2002 and 2017. A Grade III stakes open to two-year-old horses, it was raced in November over a distance of miles (8.5

Furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s) on dirt.

History

The inaugural running of the Delta Jackpot took place in 2002. Run over a distance of one mile (1.6 km), it carried a purse of $500,000. For the following year, the race was lengthened to miles and the purse was increased to $1 million to make it the second-richest race for two-year-olds in North America behind only the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile The Breeders' Cup Juvenile is a Thoroughbred horse race for 2-year-old colts and geldings raced on dirt. It is held annually in late October or early November at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup ...

. The 2005 running of the Delta Jackpot Stakes was cancelled due to

Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico and the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which included three of the top ten L ...

. The 2017 running was cancelled due to

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest t ...

. Delta Downs management discontinued the race after an agreement regarding the race's future could not be reached.Delta Jackpot Will Not Be Renewed in 2018
/ref> Sponsored by

Boyd Gaming Boyd Gaming Corporation is an American gaming and hospitality company based in Paradise, Nevada. The company continues to be run by founder Sam Boyd's family under the management of Sam's son, Bill Boyd (born 1931), who currently serves as the ...

, the Delta Jackpot Stakes was run as a graded race for the first time in 2006. It was run on the same day as the

Delta Princess Stakes The Delta Princess Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. A Graded stakes race, Grade III event for the first time in 2008, it is raced in November. It is open to two-year-old Filly, fillies ...

for two-year-old

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

. The 2007 running of the Delta Jackpot Stakes finished in the race's first dead heat, with Z Humor and Turf War stopping the timer in 1:45.43. As a result of the tie, both horses split $800,000 in purse money. Due to the 2008 economic downturn, the purse was reduced in the 2008 and 2009 runnings from $1,000,0000 to $750,000. The purse was increased back to $1,000,0000 in 2010.

Records

Speed record: * 1:44.71 – Rise Up (2013) Most wins by a jockey: * 2 –

Gerard Melancon Gerard Melancon (born May 10, 1967 in Rayne, Louisiana) is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. On June 9, 2016 he won the 4,500th race of his career at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, Louisiana :''Opelousas is also a common name of th ...

* 2 –

Kent Desormeaux Kent Jason Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year with 598 wins in 1989. He has won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes ...

Most wins by a trainer: * No trainer has won this race more than once. Most wins by an owner: * No owner has won this race more than once.

Winners

DH – Dead Heat

References

{{reflist
Delta Jackpot Stakes at Pedigree Query

Delta Jackpot Stakes at the NTRA
*
Video at YouTube of the 2006 Delta Jackpot Stakes
Horse races in Louisiana Delta Downs Flat horse races for two-year-olds Graded stakes races in the United States Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Tourist attractions in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana Recurring sporting events established in 2002 2002 establishments in Louisiana

History

Records

Winners

See also

References