06/18/2026..VINTON, LA. – Delta Downs held two qualifying trials for this year’s $131,287 Delta Downs Derby (Louisiana breds) on Thursday night. The fastest qualifier for the July 11 final came out of the second trial as Luis Armando Castellanos’ Valiant Heart Z ($3) scored the track under jockey Jorge Javier Garcia to post a 400-yard time of 19.727 seconds. The Santiago Villaseca trainee earned a 100 speed index for the effort.

– THE $131,287 FINAL WILL TAKE PLACE ON LOUISIANA SHOWCASE NIGHT, JULY 11 –

The win by Valiant Heart Z marked the fifth of his 10-race career and it was his third tally in a row. Each trial carried a purse of $15,000 and the winner’s share was $9,000. That paycheck raised Valiant Heart Z’s bankroll to $86,645. He’ll have the chance to add $65,643 to that total if he wins the final on Louisiana Showcase Night, July 11.

Bred in Louisiana by Slash Z Quarter Horses, Valiant Heart Z is a 3-year-old bay gelding by Gold Heart Eagle V, out of the Valiant Hero mare Ym Valentine.

Listed below are the 10 qualifiers for the Delta Downs Derby in order of qualifying time.

            Horse                                      Jockey                                    Trainer                                   Time

1          Valiant Heart Z                       Jorge Javier Garcia                 Santiago Villaseca                   19.727

2          San Lorenzo Bossman            Leonardo Rodriguez               Juan C. Garcia                         19.833

3          Cm Dashing Cartel                 Noe Castaneda                        Jose U. Lopez                         19.978

4          Nxs                                          Arturo Alvarez                        Eduardo Morales                     20.057

5          Stay in the Fastlane                 Federico Vargas                      Vann Haywaood                     20.121

6          Mjs Heart                                Randy Edison, Jr.                    Phillip Calais, Jr.                     20.165

7          Tomacc                                    Pedro Espinosa                        Kenneth Roberts, Sr.               20.284

8          Ceds Fast One                         Ubaldo Luna                           Trey Ellis                                 20.352

9          Rogue Candy                          Humberto Vital                       Gilberto Gonzalez                   20.367

10        Mardi Gras Train                     Lucas Constantin                    Salvador Flores                       20.373

Delta Downs will conduct a special 11-race program on Friday night with first post time set for 5:45pm. Each race on the card will serve as a trial for this year’s $602,705 Lee Berwick Futurity (RG1), the richest race of the season which takes place on Saturday, July 11.

For more information about the season visit the track’s website at www.deltadowns.com/race,  Fans can also follow the track through social media on Facebook and Twitter.

Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel, a property of Boyd Gaming Corporation, is the premier racing and gaming entertainment venue in Vinton, LA. Delta Downs features a six-furlong oval track, 15,000 square feet of casino space and more than 1,500 of the most popular slot machines. Amenities include two restaurants, chart-topping entertainment at the Delta Event Center and the Delta Downs Sportsbook.

Delta Downs is located in Vinton, Louisiana, on Delta Downs Drive. From Lake Charles, take Exit 7 and from Texas, take Exit 4.