109th LOUISIANA DERBY PROMISES FOOD AND FUN DURING THE SIGNATURE RACE DAY OF FAIR GROUNDS 150TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
1751 Gentilly Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70119 www.fairgroundsracecourse.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamie Garrett, Sr. Director of Marketing, 504.948.1203, [email protected]
109th LOUISIANA DERBY PROMISES FOOD AND FUN DURING THE SIGNATURE RACE DAY OF FAIR GROUNDS 150TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
NEW ORLEANS (Monday, March 21, 2022) – With the culmination of its 150th Thoroughbred racing season, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots has set the stage for an amazing day of the highest quality horse racing in the country and an enjoyable social experience. A strong field of nine 3-year-old Kentucky Derby® hopefuls has been entered for Saturday’s 109th running of the $1 million Louisiana Derby (Grade II) presented by Twinspires.com. In addition to the purse money, the top four finishers will earn coveted points (100-40-20-10) on the road to the 148th Kentucky Derby® (Grade I) presented by Woodford Reserve®, to be run Saturday, May 7th at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
“This year has been very special to us as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the track. We are very excited to welcome fans back to enjoy the racing of the Louisiana Derby which continues to be one of the most popular and historical events that New Orleans has to offer. The talent that will be on display by our jockey team as well as the Thoroughbreds is unparalleled in our state.” said President of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Doug Shipley.
In addition, the $400,000 Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (Grade II) will offer the same number of points enroute to the Longines® Kentucky Oaks (Grade I). The Fair Grounds Oaks features the return of the undefeated champion two-year old filly of 2021, Echo Zulu, who is the current favorite for the Longines Kentucky Oaks. Other graded stakes on the 12-race program include the New Orleans Handicap (Grade II) and the Mervin H. Muniz, Jr. Memorial Classic presented by Horse Racing Nation (Grade II). First post for Louisiana Derby Day program is 12:00 p.m. CDT, one hour earlier than the typical 1:05 p.m. CDT first go.
Culminating with the $1 million Louisiana Derby presented by Twinspires.com (scheduled post time 5:44 p.m. CDT), the quartet of Grade II stakes will be run consecutively (races 9-12) and comprise a $500,000 guaranteed All Stakes Pick Five.
Food and Fun
Experience the fan favorite of Fair Grounds Corn beef and Cabbage or visit local fare by food truck vendors on the apron featuring: Copelands, Diva Dawg, The Gourmet Snack and Sneaux LA will be near the apron providing snowballs.
Messina’s will be proving their award winning buffet services in both the Club House dining room as well as the Black Gold room for table reservations.
Special Programming Notes
• Entertainment
o New Orleans Police Department Mounted Patrol will present the American Flag for the National Anthem adjacent to the Winner’s Circle promptly at 11:30 a.m.
o American Idol contestant from season 18 and 20, Faith Becnel will sing the national Anthem.
Admission and Valet Parking
• Grandstand and the Derby Day Tent Experience General Admission is $5. Clubhouse admission is $20. Children ages 12 and under will be admitted free to all areas. Clubhouse dining reservations and daily Box rentals are sold out, however, general seating is available in both the clubhouse and grandstand area on a first-come, first-serve basis.
• Special Event Valet Parking prices are in effect for the day. Regular valet parking is $20 and Premium Valet Parking is $30.
About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots (“Fair Grounds”), the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, LA, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN). Fair Grounds also operates 15 OTBs (12 with video poker facilities) throughout southeast Louisiana. Live racing at Fair Grounds is underway with the 150th Thoroughbred Racing Season – highlighted by the 109th running of the Louisiana Derby in March of 2022. More information can be found online at www.fairgroundsracecourse.com.
Information set forth in this press release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”) provides certain “safe harbor” provisions for forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are made pursuant to the Act.
The reader is cautioned that such forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time and/or management’s good faith belief with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statement was made. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking information to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include the following: the effect of economic conditions on our consumers’ confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit; additional or increased taxes and fees; public perceptions or lack of confidence in the integrity of our business; loss of key or highly skilled personnel; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; general risks related to real estate ownership, including fluctuations in market values and environmental regulations; catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations, including the impact of natural and other disasters on our operations and our ability to obtain insurance recoveries in respect of such losses; inability to identify and complete acquisition, expansion or divestiture projects, on time, on budget or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; legalization of online real money gaming and sports wagering in the United States, and our ability to capitalize on and predict such legalization; the number of people attending and wagering on live horse races; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a
timely manner; inadvertent infringement of the intellectual property of others; inability to protect our own intellectual property rights; security breaches and other security risks related to our technology, personal information, source code and other proprietary information, including failure to comply with regulations and other legal obligations relating to receiving, processing, storing and using personal information; payment- related risks, such as chargebacks for fraudulent credit card use; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or applicable money-laundering regulations; compliance with payment processing and payment transmission regulations; work stoppages and labor issues; difficulty in attracting a sufficient number of horses and trainers for full field horseraces; inability to negotiate agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; the inability of our totalisator company, United Tote, to maintain its processes accurately, keep its technology current or maintain its significant customers; weather conditions affecting our ability to conduct live racing; increased competition in the horseracing business; changes in the regulatory environment of our racing operations; declining popularity in horseracing; seasonal fluctuations in our horseracing business due to geographic concentration of our operations; increased competition in our casino business; changes in regulatory environment of our casino business; the cost and possibility for delay, cost overruns and other uncertainties associated with the development and expansion of casinos; concentration and evolution of slot machine manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; impact of further legislation prohibiting tobacco smoking; geographic concentration of our casino business; changes in regulatory environment for our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; increase in competition in the advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; inability to retain current customers or attract new customers to our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; uncertainty and changes in the legal landscape relating to our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; and failure to comply with laws requiring us to block access to certain individuals could result in penalties or impairment in our ability to offer advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming.
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