OPELOUSAS, LA—DECEMBER 19, 2011—Despite missing the last six nights of the season due to a morning training incident, Alfonso Lujan notched his fifth consecutive leading rider title at the 2011 Fall Quarter Horse season at Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino.

Lujan, a 33-year-old native of Odessa, TX landed in the winner’s circle at an impressive rate of 21% and won a total of 53 races with purse earnings of $489,878 during the 46-night season while recording his twelfth leading rider title in the state of Louisiana.

Lujan, who broke his ankle in that training incident and is expected to be out of action for 3-4 more weeks, just held off the late charge of longtime rival Danny Lavergne who won a total of six races during the final three nights of racing to finish with 52 wins and $462,526 in purse earnings.

Veteran John Hamilton was next in the standings with 36 wins and purse earnings of $465,601 with newcomer David Alvarez and J. R. Ramirez rounding out the top five with 36 and 33 wins, respectively.

The leading trainer title also went right down to the wire as Kenny Roberts swept past Vann Haywood and Kevin Broussard to record his sixth leading trainer title in the past eight seasons here at Evangeline Downs. With a total of 31 wins from 127 starters, a win rate of better than 24%, Roberts’ starters amassed more than $380,000 in total purse earnings. Haywood, last year’s leading trainer, hit the winner’s circle at an amazing 31% with totals of 28 wins from just 89 starters and total purse earnings of $269,825, while Broussard recorded 27 wins and his charges recorded $261,416 in total purse earnings.

Rapid Transit, who won all three of his starts including the LQHBA Futurity, a Restricted Grade I event and the richest race of the year at Evangeline Downs, was named the Horse-of-the-Meet. Owned by Pablo Gonzalez and trained by Miguel Rodriguez, the Louisiana bred gelded son of Dashin Bye was ridden by Raul Ramirez Jr.

Live racing will return to the Opelousas, La. oval on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 with the start of the Spring/Summer Thoroughbred racing season. The 84-night meet will have a four-evening-a-week schedule, Wednesday-Saturday.

Full-card simulcasting will continue daily both at Evangeline Downs and at Races and Aces, their Video Poker and Off-Track-Betting Parlors in South Central Louisiana.