The 42nd running of the Super Derby is happening Saturday, Sept. 14, at Louisiana Downs.

The purse, at $250,000, is larger than in the past. Three of the 11 horses running are locally owned, and Racing Ambassador Roxanne Tanner said this may be the first Super Derby in which the winner is a horse trained by a woman — Regalo, trained by Brittany Russell.

Tanner said the day will be exciting and event filled.

“This is like Thanksgiving, except it’s horse racing. Bring the stretch pants if you need to,” she joked.

To Kevin Preston, founder and president of Premier Gaming Group and owner of the Bossier City track, those are all things to celebrate. Then he added more.

The “new” Lucky Palace being constructed just off the lobby gaming floor will be open next week, he said.

“It took a long time but it’s bringing two iconic brands together, and I couldn’t be happier,” Preston said. “It just kind of gives you chills when you walk through there. It’s been such an iconic place in town for so long and coming to another iconic place and being able to provide some really, really, great food is going to be great.”

Damage caused by a tornado has meant two months of seven-day-a-week roofing work for Bossier City’s Cypress Solar & Roofing, which signed on as the Super Derby presenting sponsor.

In addition to repairs are improvements.

“Aside from hundreds of new slot machines we’re adding on the floor, we’re adding an authentic pizza and ice cream place right next to Lucky Palace,” Preston said. “It’s our own that we created, and being from Chicago obviously we’ve had sauce people in here, cheese people in, crust people in, tasting all different kinds of concoctions to pick the right type of pizza.”

The new eatery, to be called Scoops and Slices, should be open in 30 days.

Louisiana Downs also has brought valet service back on weekends, becoming the first of the local casinos to do so, he said.

After the Super Derby and the new openings, Preston plans to take a breathe, to “settle in and see how things go,” but he also is aware of new competition that will be coming in 2025 with the opening of the Bossier Live! Casino.

To compete, he said the track will do more of the same.

“I think for us it’s always been the service with our team,” Preston said. “I think our customers feel like they are family, which is important.

“People say they train for that kind of stuff, but truly we are so engaged with our customers,” Preston continued. “Laying the groundwork of having a Lucky Palace, having some options, also with the horse racing it’s different, I think we’re in a different position. It’s more of a destination type thing with us.

“We’ll continue to innovate and continue to build and establish a relationship with our customers.”