Fair Grounds 153rd Racing Season Set for Friday, Nov. 22

Top barns return for renewed glory; McPeek, Walsh, and DeVaux add stalls

Eclipse winners Jose Ortiz and Axel Concepcion to join the riders colony

New Orleans, La (Nov. 7, 2024) – Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots’ 153rd Thoroughbred racing season is set to open on Friday, Nov. 22, kicking off 76 days of live racing through Sunday, March 23. Enticed by Fair Grounds’ $8.875 million in combined stakes purses for 2024 - 2025, thriving turf course, and unparalleled “Road to the Derby” series, several of the sport’s top trainers will have an increased presence on the backside and two Eclipse-winning jockeys will head south looking for their first opportunity to shine in the Crescent City.

Following their much-celebrated successes on the sports’ top stages, Ken McPeek, Brendan Walsh, and Cherie DeVaux each have been awarded an increased number of stalls. McPeek returns to Fair Grounds after saddling the winner in both Kentucky Derby 150 and Kentucky Oaks 150, the first time since 1952 that a trainer has swept both races in the same year. 

The 153rd meet will continue the tradition of showcasing top talent from perennial leading trainers Brad Cox and Steve Asmussen, as well as Tom Amoss, Al Stall Jr., Joe Sharp, Dallas Stewart, Bret Calhoun, and last year’s leading conditioner, Shane Wilson.

Both Phil Bauer and Whit Beckman will have close to double the number of stalls from last year. Other trainers of note who will have an increased presence are Lindsay Schultz, Rob Atras, Chris Block, and Tanner Tracy.

Key fresh faces who did not have a string at Fair Grounds last year include Brittany Russell, Will Walden, Ignacio Correas, Linda Rice, and Michael Tomlinson.

Having relocated to Kentucky’s racing circuit from New York last spring, jockey Jose Ortiz will try to replicate his Churchill Downs successes this winter in New Orleans. Boasting more than 3,000 career wins, Ortiz is one of the top riders in North America and in 2017 was decorated with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey. With wins in the 2022 Preakness (G1) and 2017 Belmont (G1), only one jewel is absent from his Triple Crown resume. 

Fair Grounds’ will welcome back Louisiana-native Brian Hernandez Jr., who secured his spot in the history books by winning both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, piloting Mystik Dan and Thorpedo Anna to become the 9th jockey ever to accomplish an Oaks/Derby double. Over the summer, Hernandez Jr. was selected as the 2024 Mike Venezia Memorial Award recipient for his extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship.

Winner of the 2023 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, Axel Concepcion will be an exciting new presence for the 153rd racing season. Joining him will be another rising star, as Jeiron Barbosa will move his tack to Fair Grounds from the Maryland circuit. Barbosa was a finalist for the apprentice Eclipse Award in 2022. 

$325,000 in purse increases are scheduled for the track's 63-race stakes program, highlighted by a boost in two “Road to the Derby” races. The purse for the Lecomte (G3) increased to $250,000, up $50,000 from last year. The purse for the Risen Star (G2) will be bumped from $400,000 to $500,000. Last year’s winner Sierra Leone went on to run second in the Kentucky Derby and later win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

In 2024, the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve was yet again dominated by the talent traveling through Fair Grounds’ “Road to the Derby” prep races, as all of the top six finishers, minus the two who shipped in from Japan, either raced or trained at Fair Grounds ahead of their excellence on the first Saturday in May. 

With its signature progression, the series begins at 1 1/16 miles for the $100,000 Gun Runner (Dec. 21) and the Lecomte (Jan. 18). The $500,000 Risen Star (Feb. 15) extends to 1 1/8 miles, while the Grade 2 $1,000,000 Louisiana Derby (March 22) is a 1 3/16-mile test for the 3-year-olds. 

Closing weekend of the 2024 - 2025 meet will showcase the centennial running of the $500,000 New Orleans Classic presented by Relyne GI By Hagyard (G2).

The historic track located in New Orleans' Mid-City neighborhood of Bayou St John will continue its celebrated traditions which attract large, festive crowds, including the 100th running of the Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 28), Louisiana Champions Day (Dec. 14), Exotic Animal Races (Jan. 14 & Feb. 1), Wiener Dog Races (March 8), and the Shantel Lanerie Memorial Stakes & Survivor’s Second Line (March 23).

Regular post time for the 76-day, 2024-2025 Fair Grounds racing season will be 12:45 p.m. CT. There will be an earlier noon CT first post on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28), Road to the Derby Kickoff Day (Dec. 21), Road to the Derby Day (Jan. 18) Louisiana Derby Preview Day (Feb. 15), and Louisiana Derby Day (March 22).

Entries will be drawn for opening day on Friday, Nov. 15. Condition Book #1 can be found here:https://www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAreaDownloadAction.cfm?sn=CB-FG-20241122-20241208D.