History

Antebellum Days
1852-- Union Race Course, which today is the site of Fair Grounds, is laid out on Gentilly Road, thus making it the oldest site of racing in America still in operation. Two other tracks, the Metairie and Louisiana Courses, both laid out in 1838, are in operation as well.

1854-1855-- Series of match races between Lexington and Lecomte at Metairie.

1857-- Unable to compete with the Metairie Course, Union Course ceases operation until 1859. The Louisiana Course closed two years earlier.

1859-- Metairie Trotting and Pacing Club, which for a number of years conducted such races at Metairie, leases Union Course and renames it Creole Race Course. Among the notable horses to race there was the trotter Ethan Allen, known as the "Pride of New England."

The Civil War
1862-- Metairie suspends operations as New Orleans is occupied by Union soldiers under the rule of Generals Benjamin "The Beast" Butler and Nathaniel P. Banks. Duncan Kenner's Ashland Plantation near Donaldsonville is raided by Union troops in July, his Thoroughbreds sold at auction. Among the buyers was George W. Wilkes, editor of the Turf publication Spirit of the Times published in New York. Accounts of the day state that Wilkes sent the horses North for "improvement in the breed for the Turf, the saddle and for general purposes." Metairie Course becomes Confederate Army Camp Walker.
1863-- Creole Race Course evolves into the Mechanics' and Agricultural Fair Grounds and is leased for the duration of the war by several promoters such as the notorious Mississippi riverboat gambler George Devol. Boxing and baseball games along with bull and bear fights are attractions which accompany Thoroughbred, harness, Quarter Horse, and cavalry races. Racing during the war at Fair Grounds, as it is now know in 1863, is as popular as ever despite the lack of quality horses, most of which have been confiscated by the Union. Cavalry officers and promoters prosper.

Reconstruction
1865-- With the end of war, the Metairie Jockey Club reorganizes and announces plans to resume racing. It is rebuild and runs from 1867 until 1872. The club held 13 meetings, racing in the spring and winter but only the last three meetings were profitable. A rift develops between the older and younger club members, all wanting control of Metairie.
1867-- Painting entitled Life on the Metairie by artists Theodore Moise and Victor Pierson is completed. It is displayed to the public in the clubhouse at Fair Grounds and later raffled off. 1871-- Younger members of the Metairie Jockey Club form a new association, the Louisiana Jockey Club and plan to conduct spring and fall meetings at Fair Grounds. The track is renovated and Gustav Breaux is elected president. Directors of the new jockey club include Charles Howard, director of the Louisiana Lottery, and John A. Morris, whose father Francis was an owner with Leonard Jerome of Jerome Park in New York. Meanwhile, plans to turn the old Metairie Course into a cemetery come to fruition as stock in the new entity is sold.

A New Beginning
April 13, 1872-- Inaugural day of racing of the Louisiana Jockey Club at Fair Grounds. E. Harrison's Templo wins the first race, a two-mile hurdle with eight jumps in 3:58 1/4. the first stakes race, the Grand Inaugural Post Stakes, is won by M.H. Sanford's Monarchist, a son of the great Lexington, in two straight two-mile heats. General George Custer's Frogtown runs second in a pair of two-mile heats to T.G. Moore's filly Hollywood. Grand Duke Alexis of Russia attends the races. Fall meeting is beset by a horse epizootic. Prominent owner William Cottrill of Mobile, Alabama, dominates most of the meetings from 1872 into the 1880's. The Alabama Stakes at Saratoga, inaugurated in 1872, is named in his honor.
1873-- A "post parade" is witnessed at Fair Grounds for the first time. Starter (Captain) William Conner (former member of the Metairie Jockey Club), a journalists and manager of tragedians, "called the horses to walk, after the French style, up and down the homestretch, in procession...This new system...would have succeeded admirably had it been carried out in proper spirit by the jockeys," said a newspaper account of the day. Pari-mutuel wagering was introduced as an option to horseplayers and by 1900, Fair Grounds was the only track in the country that had accepted and continued the system.

1877-- Reconstruction ends; federal occupation of New Orleans ceases on April 24.

1880-- The New Louisiana Jockey Club is formed and headed by former Metairie members Col. Robert Simmons and G.W. Nott. A campaign is implemented to raise $75,000 to buy Fair Grounds. A newspaper account of the day stated: "The Fair Grounds with its racecourse and clubhouse form an estate which should be preserved. It would be a public calamity were this property to pass into private hands and be divided up." Racing commences again on March 30 and former president Ulysses S. Grant attends the spring meeting.

1882-- Electric lights used for the first time in the grandstand. A regular steeplechase course is installed.

1886-- Duncan Kenner is named president of the New Louisiana Jockey Club at Fair Grounds. New Orleans sportsman Leon Lamothe leases the track for a four-day winter meeting beginning on December 18.

1887-- Management of Fair Grounds is taken over by the partnership of Caldwell & Lamothe. J.F. Caldwell, said to be the "greatest starter in the world," took over the job of handling the fields at the post. John Cambell opens a school for jockeys at Fair Grounds.

1889-- Jockey Tod Sloan, weighing 91 pounds, rides in his first race on January 11 and finally breaks his maiden on March 6. Fred Taral is among the 24-member jockey colony as well.

1893-- First 100-day meet. Racing charts appear in local newspapers for the first time. Pat Garrett, the man who killed Billy the Kid, races a stable at the meeting.

1894-- The Crescent City Derby, forerunner of the Louisiana Derby, is inaugurated and won by T.H. Steven's heavily favored Buckwa. Ridden by Roy Williams, the gelded son of Buckra won the one-mile event by two lengths over five other three-year-olds.

1895-- Jockey Ed "Snapper" Garrison rides Hi Henry to victory in the Ladies Day feature on March 15 of the spring meeting. Buckwa wins the 1 1/16 mile Thanksgiving Handicap on November 28 during the fall meeting. For Christmas, the track presents jockeys with gold cuff links studded with diamonds and rubies.

1896-- A new starting device perfected by H.H. "Curely" Brown was tried out. Elastic netting about two-feet wide and suspended on uprights on both sides of the track formed a barrier across the track about level with the jockeys' eyes. When the horses were properly lined up, the starter would pull a lever which operated springs, causing the net to fly up. John Madden was among leading owners for the '96-'97 season with $2,984 in earnings.

1898-- Fair Grounds is converted to Army Camp Foster during the summer for Spanish American War maneuvers. Winnie O'Conner, schooled by Father Bill Daly and destined to become one of the Turf's greatest riders on two continents, rides his first race on December 5. Danny Maher, Tommy Burns, and Roscoe Troxler are among those in the Fair Grounds jockey colony for the winter meeting, along with a jockey named Coombs who was indefinitely suspended for pistol practice in the jocks' room.

1899-- A new steeplechase course is laid out complete with water jumps.

A New Century
1900--George Smith, a.k.a. "Pittsburgh Phil," Riley Grannan, Mose Gunst, and John "Bet A Million" Gates were among the plungers making their presence felt in the betting rings.
1902-- Frank James, brother of Jesse, is appointed betting commissioner for Samuel Hildreth, owner of the largest racing stable at the track. Lucien Lyne and Jimmy Winkfield are among the jockey colony. Steeplechasing permenantly ends and the steeplechase course is obliterated. The grandstand is enlarged during the summer.

1905-- The New Orleans Jockey Club inaugurates a meeting at City Park race track on February 11. On November 30, opening day at Fair Grounds, City Park opens a winter meeting in direct conflict.

1906-- Noted Broadway figure "Diamond Jim" Brady is on hand to see 200-to-1 longshot North Wind win the feature on January 17. Fair Grounds and City Park race simultaneously during the winter causing a race track war.

1907-- Matt Winn is sent down from Louisville by the American Turf Association to mediate the racing conflicts in New Orleans. Acting as general manager of both Fair Grounds and City Park, he brings about agreement over racing dates and other matters. However, the public as well as horsemen tire of racing and the influence of bookmakers. Lt. Governor Sanders summed up public opinion, "There can be no doubt that racing as presently carried on in this community is demoralizing in its tendencies..." When betting on horses is outlawed in Missouri, the grandstand from Union Park race track in St. Louis is dismantled, shipped to Fair Grounds, and reassembled. The 5,000-seat Grandstand with a central area known as the "Palm Gardens" constitutes the largest auditorium in New Orleans.

1908-- Matt Winn returns to Kentucky and soon becomes manager of the New Louisville Jockey Club. The Locke Law brings an end to racing in New Orleans for seven years.

1915-- Racing resumes at Fair Grounds on January 1, under the auspices of the Businessmen's Racing Association, who conduct a 40-day meeting. Joseph A. Murphy, a well-known racing official is general manager. No bookmaking is permitted at Fair Grounds. Useeit eventually the dam of Black Gold, sets a six-furlong record of 1:12 on January 30.

1916-- The soon-to-be-great filly Pan Zareta makes her local debut on January 7, winning a six-furlong sprint under 124 pounds.

1917-- Jefferson Park opens in adjoining Jefferson Parish.

1918-- Pan Zareta winner of 76 races and now known as the " Queen of the Turf" dies of pneumonia in her stall at Fair Grounds on January 19 and is buried in the infield. Jockey Earl Sande makes his major track debut, riding two long-shot winners on the January 26 program. The first New Orleans Handicap is contested and is won by Hauberk, who traveled 1 1/16 miles in 1:49 2/5 for the winner's share of $3,744. On the morning of December 28, Fair Grounds' grandstand burns to the ground.

1919-- Three days after the fire that burned down the grandstand, workmen have a temporary facility ready for the 54-day meeting on January 1. Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney's Red Rose wins the Crescent City Junior Championship for two-year-olds on February 27. Later in the year, a permanent grandstand, which is the reassembly of the grandstand from defunct City Park race track, is erected. Damask wins the 1 1/8-mile Louisiana Derby (formerly the Crescent City Derby) at Jefferson Park, collecting the winner's share of $4,975.

1921-- Mrs. J. Phillips' Guy, ridden by Chick Lang, wins the one-mile New Year's Handicap.

1923-- Mrs. Rosa Hoots' two-year-old Black Gold wins at first asking in a three-furlong dash on January 8.

1924-- Heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey is on hand to see Romany win the Jack Dempsey Purse on February 11. Eventual champ Gene Tunney visited the track on February 14 for a race named in his honor. Black Gold wins the Louisiana Derby with John Mooney in the irons.

1926-- Kentucky horsemen and sportsman Colonel E.R. Bradley, long associated with the New Orleans Turf as owner of the Palmetto Club, becomes the new owner of Fair Grounds and orders the building of new stables and a clubhouse.

1927-- A record crowd of more than 23,000 turns out for opening day on January 1.

1928-- Black Gold, winner of four Derbys including the Louisiana and Kentucky Derbys, breaks down during the running of the Salome Purse on January 28 and is buried on the infield. Colonel Bradley sponsors the introduction of yet another mechanical starting gate.

Great Depression
1932-- With the Depression gripping the nation, purses for races worth $1,000 are cut to $600. Colonel Bradley retires and the track is leased to a group of Chicagoans headed by J.C. Schank. Purses drop to $500.
1934-- A syndicate headed by Robert S. eddy Jr., Joseph Cattarinich and associates, operators of Jefferson Park, acquires Fair Grounds for $375,000.

1936-- John F. Clark's speedy Clang records the three-furlongs track record of :34 against time on March 28. Johnny Longden rides Rushaway to a win in the 1 1/8-mile Louisiana Derby in the track record time of 1:50 4/5 on March 29. The photo-finish camera makes its debut. 1938-- Johnny Longden wins his second Louisiana Derby in three years, riding Wise Fox, a son of Gallant Fox, to a photo victory on March 27.

1939-- Greentree Stable's Day Off, with Eddie Arcaro up, wins the Louisiana Derby on March 26. The winners share is $9,510.

1940-- The legislative act giving legal sanction to racing in Louisiana was signed by Governor Sam Jones on July 18. The Louisiana State Racing Commission is established. The current owners of Fair Grounds (Eddy and associates) sells the track to real estate developers who plan to convert it to a subdivision.

World War II
1941-- On January 2, Fair Grounds goes on the auction block, but at the last moment is saved from destruction by Sylvester W. Labrot Jr. who, armed with a 30-day option which was purchased by William G. Helis, puts together a group of New Orleans horsemen/businessmen that form the Fair Grounds Corporation. John S. Letellier, Anthony Pelleteri, and Herbert J. Schwartz are among the investors. The Fair Grounds Breeders and Racing Association is formed to oversee racing. When the winter meeting opens on Christmas Day, Alfred Vanderbilt, Charles T. Fisher, J.L. Sullivan, Walter Chrysler, Valdina Farms, and King Ranch are represented by stables.
1942-- Over 20,000 fans witness Calumet Farm's Whirlaway, winner of the 1941 Triple Crown, win the inaugural Louisiana Handicap on December 12. His apperance at Fair Grounds was part of a war relief effort developed by the newly formed Thoroughbred Racing Associations.

1944-- C.L. Duluy's Marriage, winner of the previous seasons New Orleans Handicap becomes the first horse to win the race back-to-back with a nose victory over Rounders on February 19.

1945-- Racing ends in the middle of the meeting as a directive from the War Mobilization Department calls for all race tracks to close down by January 3.

1946-- Hal Price Headley's Pellicle ships in from Florida and wins the Louisiana Derby.

1947-- The racing strip is completely rebuilt.

Atomic Age
1950-- Bill Shoemaker rides the final month of the year at Fair Grounds on the way to his first national riding title. Red Camelia wins the New Orleans Handicap.
1958-- Mrs. Joe W. Brown s Tenacious, one of the most popular horses to ever race at the track, wins the New Orleans Handicap and captures the event again the next year.

1960-- Tenacious, Ray Broussard up, becomes the only horse in the 47 running of the Louisiana Handicap to win the event three times.

1966-- Help On the Way wins the inaugural Fair Grounds Oaks on February 19. The added-value of the race is $10,000.

1967-- Marion Van Berg's Mike's Red set a track record for one mile and 40 yards on March 18, speeding the distance 1:38 3/5.

1971-- Fair Grounds Racing Hall of Fame is established. Jefferson Downs in Kenner opens after the old Jefferson Downs is destroyed by Hurricane Betsy.

1974-- Track announcer Tony Bentley debuts on Thanksgiving Day and begins a 22-year tenure.

1975-- Golden Chance Farm s Master Derby climaxes a year-long rivalry with Colonel Power and Honey Mark by defeating those two in the Louisiana Derby on March 22. Master Derby goes on to become the year s Preakness Stakes winner.

Oil Boom
1977- 78-- John Henry makes nine starts and places twice during the meeting, earning $2, 663 before going on to Horse of the Year honors in 1981 and 84.
1981-- The Stall-Wilson turf course is installed.

1982-- Calumet Farm's Eclipse Award-winning filly Before Dawn cruises to an easy win in the Fair Grounds Oaks on March 27. A day later, in one of the most exciting Louisiana Derby finishes ever, Mrs. Joe W. Brown s El Baba defeats eventual Preakness favorite Linkage.

1983-84-- Randy Romero of Erath, Louisiana in winning the third of his four Fair Grounds riding titles, sets a track record for wins with 181.

1984-- Black Chip Stable's Wild Again, the eventual winner of the inaugural Breeders' Cup Classic, wins his first stakes race in the New Orleans Handicap in March 18.

1986-- Aaron Jones Tiffany Lass completes a successful Fair Grounds campaign under the tutelage of veteran trainer Angel Barrera by winning the Oaks on March 22. Tiffany Lass receives the Eclipse Award as the nation s top three-year-old filly of 1986.

1988-- Roussel and Lamarque s Risen Star gallops to victory in the Louisiana Derby on March 13. After going on to capture the Preakness and Belmont Stakes later in the year, this son of Secretariat is voted an Eclipse Award as top three-year-old colt.

1989-- Lettuce Farm s millionaire Honor Medal just misses in his bid to become the only horse in the 62-year history of the New Orleans Handicap to win it three times, losing in a photo to stablemate Galba on March 5.

1990-- Mike Hooks Malagra speeds six furlongs in 1:08 4/5 in winning the Week of Fame Sprint Championship and erasing Colonel Power s 15-year old track record.

A New Era
April 12, 1990-- Fair Grounds is sold as the Krantz family, owners of Jefferson Downs, purchases controlling stock interest from the Roussel group.
1991-- Fair Grounds hosts the first Louisiana Champion Day on December 7. The day is dedicated to an all Louisiana-bred, ten-race program with purses totaling over $700,000. A total of 14,989 fans wagered $1,624,398 on the card.

1992-- Jockey Shane P. Romero, a New Iberia, Louisiana native, captures an unprecedented fifth consecutive riding title by winning 100 races. The talented Cajun reinsman achieves an in-the-money percentage of almost 39% while his mounts earn over $800,000 in purses.

1993-- Dixieland Heat completes an undefeated season with a gritty winning performance in the 68th running of the Grade III Louisiana Derby on March 20. Trained by Gerald Romero, and ridden by his brother, Randy, the Leland Cook-owned runner would go on to represent his Louisiana connections well in both the Blue Grass Stakes and the 119th edition of the Kentucky Derby. A seven-alarm fire completely destroys the grandstand on the night of December 17. With a round-the-clock effort for 19 days, Fair Grounds erects temporary facilities and conducts racing for its remaining 60 days.

1994-- Construction begins in July on the new $27.5 million grandstand/clubhouse project. The first permanent structure, and OTB Building, is completed in December and doubles as a clubhouse.

1995-- Robert E. Meyerhoff's Concern, winner of the 1994 Breeders' Cup Classic, wins the New Orleans Handicap on March 12. Construction on the rebuilding project is halted in September when scandals involving the gaming industry jeopardize the financing.

1996-- An all-time record of $3,848,662 is wagered on February 3. Dixie Poker Ace becomes Louisiana's all-time money-winning Thoroughbred by winning the tenth race on March 15, bringing his earnings to $848,326. Overbrook Farm's Grindstone is victorious in the Louisiana Derby in stakes record time on March 17 and goes on to win the Kentucky Derby, thus making him the only other horse since Black Gold in 1924 to score that double.

1997-- Fair Grounds opens its new grandstand/clubhouse facility to the public on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27. Scott's Scoundrel becomes Louisiana's first equine millionaire with a second-place finish in the Louisiana Champions Day Classic on Dec. 13.

1998-- The Louisiana Derby is upgraded to Grade II status in December. Louisiana Champions Day offers $1 million in purses, the richest day in Louisiana racing history.

1999-- Both 2-year-old champions of 1998, Silverbulletday and Answer Lively, began their 3-year-old seasons at Fair Grounds, and Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet makes his 4-year-old debut in the New Orleans Handicap. Louisiana Derby and Explosive Bid Handicap offer record $600,000-added purses. Fair Grounds shatters records for purses and single-day and season handle. More than $383 million is wagered on the 88-day card, and purses average nearly $263,000 per day.

2000-- Louisiana Derby purse again elevated, this time to $750,000, which helps attract strongest field ever and generate record single-day handle ($9.08 million). Fair Grounds again breaks season records for total handle ($424 million) and purses ($276,000 per day). Louisiana approves legislation allowing Fair Grounds to accept wagers by telephone and Internet, and Fair Grounds Phone Bet launches in fall. New Orleans Handicap, Fair Grounds Oaks and Explosive Bid Handicap all elevated to Grade II status beginning in 2001.

2001-- Fair Grounds sets total handle record ($430 million) for a seventh straight season. Louisiana-bred filly Hallowed Dreams wins the Victoria Lass Handicap on March 17 in track-record time of 1:08.34 for six furlongs, improving her record to 20 wins from 21 starts. Fair Grounds Net Bet launches in spring.

2002-- War Emblem, who started three times at Fair Grounds in the 2001-02 meet, wins the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Lecomte Stakes and Whirlaway Handicap elevated to Grade III status beginning in 2003, giving Fair Grounds eight graded stakes, its most ever. Mountain General runs six furlongs in 1:08.03 to set track record in Thanksgiving Handicap on opening day of 2002-03 season. Fair Grounds-based Steve Asmussen leads all trainers nationally with 407 wins.

2003-- Funny Cide, who was placed second in the Louisiana Derby, wins the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, the second straight year that the winner of the first two legs of the Triple Crown has started earlier that season at Fair Grounds. Mineshaft wins the New Orleans Handicap en route to being named Horse of the Year. New Orleans voters approve slot machines in October.

2004-- Peace Rules becomes only the third horse to win the Louisiana Derby and New Orleans Handicap in successive years. Bayou Breeders' Cup Handicap run as Grade III race for the first time, increasing the total of graded stakes at Fair Grounds to nine. Churchill Downs Incorporated completes purchase of Fair Grounds in October. Randall Soth named president.

2005-- Fair Grounds introduces new stakes schedule, creating major event days. Louisiana Derby, New Orleans Handicap and Fair Grounds Oaks are run on same day (March 12) for the first time. Fair Grounds Oaks winner Summerly goes on to win Kentucky Oaks, the second straight year that double has occurred; Ashado won both races in 2004. Hurricane Katrina strikes New Orleans on Aug. 29, flooding most of Fair Grounds' property and tearing the roof off of the grandstand/clubhouse. Fair Grounds officials, working with state regulators, shorten the 2005-06 season to 37 days and transfer the meet to Louisiana Downs, marking the first winter without racing in New Orleans in 91 years.

2006-- Fair Grounds is partially rebuilt in time to host New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in late April, and other restorations are done in time for start of 135th racing season on Thanksgiving Day, where a facility record crowd of 8,732 welcomes racing back to New Orleans.

2007-- Several Kentucky Derby contenders can be found during the winter at Fair Grounds. Lecomte Stakes winner Hard Spun goes on to finish second in the Kentucky Derby. Preakness winner Curlin, with the trainer/jockey combination of Fair Grounds regulars Steve Asmussen and Robby Albarado, trains in New Orleans for a month.