Harry Hernandez Captures Leading Rider Title At Evangeline Downs Thoroughbred Meet

Harry Hernandez made his first full summer at Evangeline Downs a successful one by capturing the riding title at the recently concluded Thoroughbred meet. Allen Landry showed his strength in numbers to repeat in the trainer race, while Juan Cano dominated in the owner standings. Hernandez moved to the front in the standings midway through the season and never relinquished the top spot to capture his first riding title at Evangeline Downs. He finished the season with 66 winners from 364 mounts, winning with 19 percent of his trips. Add in 62 seconds and 50 thirds and Hernandez hit the board with 49 percent of his rides. Hernandez led the jockey colony in purse earnings with $1,569,105, leading a quintet to break the million-dollar barrier. Colby Hernandez led the balance with $1,312,485, followed by Isaac Castillo with $1,288,570, Jansen Melancon with $1,180,140 and Elio Barrera at $1,108,715. The complete top 10 jockeys for the 2026 season were: Harry Hernandez (66 wins), Elio Barrera (52), Jansen Melancon (47), Isaac Castillo (43), Colby Hernandez (41), C.J. McMahon (36), Carlos Perez (35), Casey Fusilier (34), Tim Thornton (31) and a tie for tenth between Jose Luis Rodriguez and Joel Dominguez with 30 winners. Allen Landry showed his strength in numbers by winning with 55 of his meet-leading 214 starters to easily repeat in the trainer's standings. Landry's runners won at a 26 percent clip and added 36 seconds and 32 thirds to hit the board in 57 percent of the barn's starts. His barn was the only outfit to cross the million-dollar threshold with purse earnings of $1,341,195. Seven other barns eclipsed the half-million mark with Juan Larrosa leading the way with $715,250. W. Bret Calhoun was next with $619,610, followed by Juan Cano with $594,025, Sam David Jr. with $574,750, Lee Thomas with $564, 010, Shane Wilson with $549,275 and Ronnie Ward with $530,450. The complete top 10 in the trainer standings: Allen Landry (55 wins), Juan Cano (35), Juan Larrosa (33), W. Bret Calhoun (26), Lee Thomas (20), Sam David Jr. (20), Brett Brinkman (18), Ronnie Ward (18), Shane Wilson (17), and Sam Breaux with 16 wins. Juan Cano was a runaway winner in the owner's race with 31 wins from 115 starters. Adding in 18 seconds and 13 shows, Cano-owned runners won at a 27 percent clip and hit the board in 54 percent of his starts. Elite Thoroughbred Racing, LLC (Michele Rodriguez) topped the earnings list for owners with $520,880. Juan Cano was second with $469,655 and the team of Earl Hernandez, Keith Hernandez and John Duvieilh finished third with $368,310. The complete top 10 in the owner standings were: Juan Cano (31 wins), Elite Thoroughbred Racing, LLC (18), L and G Racing Stables (Joe Alfredo Castillo) (15), Hernandez, Hernandez and Duvieilh (13), Brittlyn Stable Inc. (Evelyn Benoit) (9), Ronnie Ward (8), Baronne Farms, LLC (Lon Baronne) (8), Larry Romero (8), Clyde Moran Sr. (8) and Bankroll Racing Stables LLC (Jason Guidry and Juan Larrosa) with 7 wins. Evangeline Downs will be dark for a few weeks. Live racing resumes with the start of the American Quarter Horse meet on Friday, Oct. 2. Post time for the 46-day season will be at 5:35pm Central Time. For more information on Evangeline Downs visit the track's website at https://evangelinedowns.boydgaming.com/racing. Evangeline Downs information can also be found on Twitter @EVDracing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EvangelineDownsRacing. Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved This story was originally published September 8, 2026 at 11:55 AM.