Hamilton makes splash at Louisiana Downs

There is nothing like a little change of scenery to shake up one’s outlook on things. Just ask jockey Quincy Hamilton and his agent, Kevin Johnson.

A native of Texas, Hamilton has been a perennial top-five rider on the I-35 corridor circuit from his home state northward into Oklahoma. This summer, however, the 27-year-old has elected to shift his tack a couple hundred miles east to Louisiana Downs, and the results have been immediate. Through the first five weeks of the young season, Hamilton has booted home 15 winners, good enough for fourth in the standings behind Louisiana Downs veterans Don Simington and Richard Eramia and fellow newcomer Justin Shepherd.

“I just felt it was time to try something different,” Hamilton said. “I had tried Chicago in the summer a time or two and just didn’t see things going forward. I thought that we could start to build some business here this summer and maybe try the Fair Grounds this winter.”