Gourmet Dinner invades for Delta Jackot

Gourmet Dinner shipped out of Miami on Monday morning headed for Louisiana, where he will run in the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Jackpot on Saturday. The 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds is the centerpiece of the Delta Downs meet and will highlight a program of eight stakes worth $2.3 million. The card will be the richest run this year in Louisiana.

Entries for the program will be taken Wednesday, with the Jackpot to be slotted as the seventh race. It will have a post of 4:15 p.m. Central. The Jackpot also will be the final leg of a $100,000-guaranteed pick four that begins with the fourth race during the special daytime card Saturday.

Gourmet Dinner is based at Calder and was to arrive Tuesday morning at Delta, which is located in the small, southwestern Louisiana town of Vinton. He will start as one of the top contenders in the Jackpot, which should draw a full field of 10. Others that officials expect include Blue Laser, winner of the Grade 3 Grey at Woodbine; Bug Juice, a multiple stakes winner against New York-breds who arrived Friday night from Belmont Park; and Sweet Ducky, a multiple stakes winner from Monmouth who breezed a bullet half-mile in 47.80 seconds Saturday morning at Delta.