Shiskabob

The People's Horse

In 2003, the movie Seabiscuit, the story of a sports icon from the 1930s, stirred excitement in thoroughbred racing fans and horse lovers across the nation. In the early 1980s Louisiana Downs had its own four-legged hero of race fans, a dark bay gelding named Shiskabob.

Of unimpressive parentage, Shiskabob became known as “The People Horse" at the Bossier City race course as he met varied conditions and competition with an inspiring tenacity. Fans took him to heart and reveled in his stretch-running style. He won a record six stakes races on the Louisiana Downs turf course, including his tour de force, the 1981 Louisiana Downs Handicap, with Jockey Ronald Ardoin in the irons.  Shiskabob’s career winnings of $362,272 over five seasons set a Louisiana Downs record.

The horse's untimely death only enhanced his legend. Thundering along with the pack on the backstretch in the 1984 Alliance Stakes, Shiskabob miss stepped and broke a leg. Sadly surveying the severity of the injury the next day and realizing nothing could be done for the horse, his owner and trainer LeRoy Adcock had him humanely put down. Louisiana Downs' management allowed him to be buried along that backstretch and later immortalized him with a monument and plaque near the entrance to the racetrack. The track management later instituted the Shiskabob Handicap to be run annually in his honor.

Opened in 1974, Louisiana Downs (which became Harrah's Louisiana Downs in 2002) has provided Bossier City and Bossier Parish with some of their greatest national recognition, as well as color, pageantry and  entertainment. Three winners of the track's premier event, the Super Derby, have gone on to win Eclipse Award Horse of the Year honors.