Fair Grounds kicks off 81-day meet with Starlight Racing

Fair Grounds, generally

accepted to be the third-oldest racetrack in the country, will kick off its

143rd season of Thoroughbred racing on Friday. The 81-day live meet includes 47

stakes worth $5.73 million, headlined by Louisiana Derby Day on March 28.

Closing Day is March 29.

Opening Day will feature Starlight Racing. Clubhouse admission and access to

the Miller Time Beer Garden is $10, and guests must be 21 years old to enter.

Grandstand general admission is $5, and children under age 12 are admitted free.

First post is 5 p.m. (CST) and live racing continues through Sunday with post

times of 1:25 p.m.

Starlight Racing will also be held December 26, January 16, February 27, and

March 20.

Formerly set on the calendar as opening day, Thanksgiving Day (November 27)

will again bring back the popular local tradition of live racing on the fall

holiday highlighted by the 89th running of the $60,000 Thanksgiving Handicap, a

six-furlong test for top sprinters. There will be a special early first post on

Thanksgiving of 11 a.m.

The majority of the Fair Grounds stakes schedule takes place on four banner

days. Louisiana Champions Day on December 13 is comprised of 11 stakes worth

$1.1 million for Louisiana-breds.

Over the course of the meet, Fair Grounds presents 10 graded stakes races in

multiple divisions beginning on January 17 with Road to the Derby Kickoff Day.

Comprised of five stakes worth $560,000, Road to the Derby Kickoff Day is

highlighted by the 71st running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte. The Lecomte is

the first of three graded races at Fair Grounds for three-year olds that offer

qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby. The Lecomte offers 10 qualifying

points to the winner, along with four points for second, two points for third,

and one point for the fourth-place finisher.

The $125,000 Silverbulletday for three-year old fillies hoping to race their

way to the Kentucky Oaks will offer qualifying points for the Oaks on an

identical 10-4-2-1 scale as the Lecomte. The 29th running of the Grade 3,

$100,000 Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap for older turf horses will also be run on

Kickoff day along with the $75,000 Louisiana Handicap for older horses on the

main track and the $60,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Handicap for older fillies

and mares on the turf.

Louisiana Derby Preview Day consists of six stakes worth $945,000 on February

21 and is highlighted by a pair of graded stakes offering qualifying points

toward the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.

The Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star, the second of three local preps for

Kentucky Derby hopefuls, offers a reward of 50-20-10-5 points towards the

Kentucky Derby to the top four finishers. The same 50-20-10-5 bonus will be

available towards the Kentucky Oaks in the Grade 3, $175,000 Rachel Alexandra

Stakes for three-year old fillies.

The Grade 3, $125,000 Mineshaft Handicap for older horses on the main track,

the Grade 3, $125,000 Fair Grounds Handicap for older horses on the turf, the

$60,000 Bayou Handicap for older fillies and mares on the turf, and the $60,000

Duncan F. Kenner for older sprinters round out the stakes offerings on Louisiana

Derby Preview Day.

Louisiana Derby Day on closing weekend brings down the curtain on the

season's stakes program with eight stakes worth $2.12 million, highlighted by

Fair Grounds' marquee event, the 102nd running of the Grade 2, $750,000

Louisiana Derby. The final local chance to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, the

Louisiana Derby offers 100 qualifying points to the winner, 40 points to second,

20 points to third, and 10 points to the fourth-place finisher. For the second

year in a row, the 2014 Louisiana Derby produced the second-place finisher in

the Kentucky Derby, when Commanding Curve ran second to California Chrome.

The Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks once again produced the Kentucky Oaks

winner in 2014 when Untapable scored an easy victory in that race, continuing

the long string of successes by fillies who have won the Fair Grounds Oaks in

that Kentucky centerpiece. Six of the last ten Fair Grounds Oaks winners have

captured the Kentucky Oaks in their next start. The Fair Grounds Oaks offers a

100-40-20-10 slate of Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

Other stakes offered on Louisiana Derby Day include the Grade 2, $400,000

Grade II New Orleans Handicap for older horses on the dirt, the Grade 2,

$300,000 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial Handicap for older horses on the turf, the

$75,000 Crescent City Derby for Louisiana-bred sophomores on the dirt, the

$75,000 Crescent City Oaks for Louisiana-bred three-year old fillies on the main

track, the $60,000 Star Guitar for older Louisiana-breds on the dirt, and the

$60,000 Costa Rising for Louisiana-breds dashing on the turf.

Four-time reigning Fair Grounds riding champion Rosie Napravnik announced her

retirement after guiding Untapable to a win in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Napravnik had amassed 460 wins in New Orleans over the last four years. Her

nearest challenger in recent years, James Graham, will return in an attempt to

take down the riding title in Napravnik's absence.

Other returning riders include Richard Eramia, a top-six jockey in New

Orleans for the last several years; Robby Albarado, a seven-time Fair Grounds

riding champion who recently tallied his 1,000th career Churchill Downs win;

Florent Geroux, who will spend his second winter in New Orleans fresh off a win

in the Breeders' Cup Sprint; as well as local favorites Brian Hernandez Jr.,

Kerwin Clark, and Miguel Mena.

Steve Asmussen, a 13-time Fair Grounds training champion, will again return

to the Crescent City off a season in which he notched 60 victories, easily

clearing runner-up Tom Amoss, with whom he tied for the title in the 2012-13

racing season. Amoss returns with another large string and joins returning

standouts such as Al Stall Jr., Bret Calhoun, Karl Broberg, Mike Stidham, Mike

Maker, Wayne Catalano, Eddie Johnston and Larry Jones. Former Maker assistant

Joe Sharp, who started his own training career this fall, will also have stalls

assigned on the Fair Grounds backstretch.

In conjunction with

Twinspires.com, Fair Grounds will be offering bonus points for key plays on

Fair Grounds races made through Twinspires.com.

Opening weekend will offer players the opportunity to be part of the $10,000

Double Bonus from Twinspires.com. Fair Grounds will offer 26 rolling Daily

Double pools opening weekend, and for every five Daily Double wagers players

cash, they will earn one share of the $10,000 bonus prize. Players may earn

additional shares by cashing multiple Daily Doubles (Cash 10 Daily Doubles, earn

2 shares; Cash 15 Daily Doubles, earn 3 shares), and the $10,000 pool will be

split among all eligible shares earned by players.

More information can be found at:

http://www.twinspires.com/fair-grounds-opening-week-10000-double-bonus.

Thanksgiving Week Points-a-Plenty will allow players to double or triple

their points for the entire day over Thanksgiving weekend by hitting either the

early double to double points, or hitting both the early double and the early

Pick-3 to triple their points. Additional Twinspires.com wagering promotions

will occur throughout the season.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com