On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of the Gulf Coast, the restoration project at Fair Grounds Race Course continues, as does the countdown to the return of racing.


Fair Grounds administration returned to its offices in early July, and it re-opened its off-track betting facility adjacent to the grandstand Aug. 16. Brice Building Company is handling the restoration project.


Katrina forced the race track to shift its 2005-06 season from New Orleans to Harrah’s Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., where it conducted an abbreviated 37-day meet from Nov. 19-Jan. 22.


Fair Grounds’ 135th season, the first live racing in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, begins Nov. 23 and is headlined by the $600,000 Louisiana Derby (gr. II) March 10, 2007

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.