Venue: Fair Grounds Race Course
Town: Louisiana, US

Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. In 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Julius C Branch and Henry Augustine Tayloe, organized races at the Louisiana Race Course, laid out on Gentilly Road, making this the oldest horseracing site in America still in operation, after Freehold Raceway closed in 2024. Racing began on April 10, 1838, and lasted for five days. In 1852 it was renamed the Union Race Course. In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Fifteen, New Orleans Fair Grounds was ranked #12, behind Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, Louisiana, which was ranked #6. On April 10 Bernard de Marigny, Julius C Branch and Henry Augustine Tayloe organized the Spring Meeting of The Louisiana Jockey Club at the Louisiana Race Course. Tayloe was a member of the founding dynasty of American horseracing: the son of John Tayloe III, founder of the Washington Jockey Club, imported the first Epsom Derby winner Diomed, bred the foundational American thoroughbred Sir Archy, and the grandson of John Tayloe II who imported Childers (by Flying Childers), Jenny Cameron and Jolly Rogers (three of the most important colonial imports) to his stud farm Mount Airy). April 10 the first race for "The Creole Purse" $1,000, free only for horses bred and owned in the state of Louisiana; two-year-olds a feather' three-year-olds 86lbs; four-year-olds, 100lbs' five-year-olds, 110lbs; six-year-olds, 118lbs; aged 124lbs; with the usual allowance of three pounds to mare and geldings; mile heats. First Day, First Race - owners and horses: Fergus Duplantier, Louisianese; John F Miller, Lord of the Isles; Robert J Barrows, Tom Jones; Y.N. Oliver, Pocohantas; Sosthene Allian, Tresorrier. Second Race, sweepstakes for three-year-olds, weights as