The Fair Grounds Oaks is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for three-year-old

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually in March, usually on

Louisiana Derby The Louisiana Derby is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Run in late March, the race is open to horses, age three, willing to race miles on the dirt. It currently o ...

day at

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $400,000.

History

The race was inaugurated on 19 February 1966 as the eighth event on the card where the featured event was the A. B. Letellier Memorial Handicap. The event was held on a sloppy track with

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

bred Help On Way, ridden by Larry Gilligan defeating Dutch Maid with Gee Ma in third. Help On Way next start was unsuccessfully run against colts and geldings in the

Arkansas Derby The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. In 200 ...

. The following year in 1967 winner Furl Sail continued to win the

Acorn Stakes The Acorn Stakes is an American Grade I race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. It is raced on dirt over a distance of one mile with a current purse of $500,000. It is the first leg of the US Triple Tiara ...

and

Mother Goose Stakes The Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt in late June or early July, the race currently offers a purse of $300,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a mi ...

and was fourth in the

Coaching Club American Oaks The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in ...

. In 1977 the Fair Grounds administration made a scheduling change and ran the event a second time in December over a distance of miles. In 1978 the event was run in December again with split divisions. The track administration then reverted to a March running with the shortened distance of miles but did not hold the event in 1979. The event was first upgraded in 1982 to a Grade III race. The race was run as the Coca-Cola Fair Grounds Oaks in 1989 and 1990 with sponsorship from

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

. In 2006 the race was cancelled due to massive damage inflicted upon Fair Grounds Race Course by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. The race is considered a prep race to the

Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing The Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown, is a set of three horse races in the United States which is open to three-year-old fillies. Presently the only official Triple Tiara is the three race series in New Y ...

, including the

Kentucky Oaks The Kentucky Oaks is a Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred Filly, fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky O ...

, the

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes The George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of miles on the dirt annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The event currently offers a ...

and

. The race has produced numerous

winners, including Tiffany Lass, Blushing K. D.,

Silverbulletday Silverbulletday (foaled January 22, 1996 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred champion racehorse. Bred in Kentucky, she was sired by Silver Deputy and out of the GII winning mare Rokeby Rose. Her damsire was Tom Rolfe, the 1965 Preakness Sta ...

, Ashado, Summerly, Proud Spell,

Rachel Alexandra Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...

and Believe You Can.

Records

Speed record: * miles – 1:42.20 Blushing K. D. (1997) Margins: * 12 lengths – Truly Bound (1981) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 3 –

Donnie Meche Donnie James Meche (born October 10, 1974 in Rayne, Louisiana) is an American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. Donnie Meche won his first race at Evangeline Downs in May 1993. He was the top apprentice rider at Louisiana Downs in 1994. He i ...

(1997, 2000, 2003) * 3 – Florent Geroux (2015, 2020, 2021) Most wins by a trainer: * 4 – J. Larry Jones (2008, 2012, 2015, 2019) * 4 - Steve Asmussen (2003, 2005, 2014, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 2 - Albert M. Stall (1968, 1997) * 2 - Winchell Thoroughbreds (2005, 2014)

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry
† In the 1969 running of the event Around The Horn was first past the post but was disqualified and place second for interference in the straight and Royal Fillet was declared the winner.

References

{{reflist, 2 Fair Grounds Race Course Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in New Orleans

Horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1966 1966 establishments in Louisiana Grade 2 stakes races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

References