Fair Grounds sets handle records on Louisiana Derby Day

Fair Grounds set on-track and all-sources handle records on Saturday's

Louisiana Derby Day, which featured five black-type events, four graded,

including the $600,000 Louisiana Derby (G2), $500,000 New Orleans H. (G2),

$500,000 Mervin H. Muniz Jr. Memorial H. (G2), and $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks

(G2).

"This was the richest day of racing in Louisiana history, and the quality of

racing lived up to it," Fair Grounds President Randy Soth said. "It's one of the

best days of racing I've ever seen. My sincere thanks to everyone involved, from

the racing office to the horsemen to our administrative staff."

The on-track crowd of 6,321 wagered $901,941, the highest on-track wagering

total in the 10-year history of Fair Grounds' grandstand/clubhouse facility. The

total was 4 percent higher than the $866,466 on Louisiana Derby Day in 2005, the

previous record.

Louisiana Derby Day was not held last year as Fair Grounds held an

abbreviated meet at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City in the wake of Hurricane

Katrina.

The all-sources handle of $12,400,747 was a 9 percent increase over Louisiana

Derby Day in 2005. That card generated a then-record $11,310,990 in all-sources

handle.

Saturday's attendance was 5 percent below the 2005 Louisiana Derby Day crowd

of 6,672.

Michael and Doreen Tabor's CIRCULAR QUAY (Thunder Gulch), trained by Todd

Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, captured the 94th running of the

Louisiana Derby, the highlight of the 11-race program.

Thunder Gulch, owned by Tabor and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, won the 1995

Kentucky Derby (G1). The last Louisiana Derby winner to be sired by a Kentucky

Derby winner was Grindstone in 1996, who was sired by 1990 Kentucky Derby winner

Unbridled. Grindstone went on to become the second Louisiana Derby winner to win

the Kentucky Derby. The first was Black Gold, who is buried in the infield at

Fair Grounds.