Jockeys Avoid Ambulance in Evangeline Downs Race

In a startling incident at Evangeline Downs racetrack in Louisiana, eight jockeys aboard quarterhorses dramatically altered course to avoid an oncoming ambulance during the eighth race on Saturday evening, prompting stewards to declare the contest a no-contest. The event unfolded around 8:35 p.m. local time in St. Landry Parish, just east of Opelousas, with no injuries reported to horses or riders.

The race, covering 870 yards and requiring runners to navigate one turn, marked the final event on a card that otherwise featured shorter straightaway sprints of 250 to 400 yards. As the field approached the far turn shortly after the start, the ambulance, which typically trails races along the inside rail for emergency response, veered into the path of the oncoming horses. Video footage captured the vehicle moving the wrong way around the inner rail, forcing several jockeys to check their mounts or sharply swerve to evade a potential collision. One horse, Kvn Valiant Corona from the rail, made the most abrupt adjustment, while others maintained enough separation to complete the course without contact.

Explosive Legend held an early lead before One Fast Cajun, ridden by Kody...