The commencement of live racing at Fair Grounds is slated for Nov. 20, marking the commencement of the New Orleans racetrack’s 154th season. The 2025-26 meet is anticipated to span 70 racing days, concluding on March 22, and is set to provide both racing aficionados and handicappers with a selection of premier wagering opportunities throughout the winter season. For individuals considering a visit, the racetrack is scheduled to unveil a refurbished paddock for the 2025-26 meet, along with a newly established lounge offering views of the paddock, in addition to several other enhanced amenities, notably within the winner’s circle.
Fair Grounds’ 70-day race program will showcase 56 stakes races, with total purses amounting to $8.65 million. The highlight of these races includes some of the most significant events leading up to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. The track’s stakes schedule for the upcoming year’s 3-year-old contenders is predicted to generate considerable enthusiasm for the meet. It is programmed to commence with the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes on Dec. 20, followed by the Grade 3, $250,000 Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 17, the Grade 2, $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 14, and the Grade 2, $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby over a distance of 1 3/16 miles on March 21.
In addition to the stakes races, the Fair Grounds season is committed to delivering top-tier racing on a daily basis. The event will feature a highly competitive jockey roster, drawing riders from various regions across the country, alongside a diverse array of talented horses representing prominent trainers.
Fair Grounds Trainer Insights
The leading trainer during the 2024-25 Fair Grounds meet was Joe Sharp, who secured the training title with an impressive record of 40 wins from 151 starts, achieving a strong 26% success rate for the season, following his prior performance of 18 wins at Fair Grounds. Another trainer recognized for an exceptional season at Fair Grounds is Brad Cox, who recorded 31 wins from 102 starts, achieving a 30% success rate. Both Sharp and Cox are expected to participate once again this season, with projections placing them at the forefront of the standings.
Fair Grounds’ 2023-24 leading trainer was Shane Wilson, who achieved this with volume two years prior, securing 50 wins from 350 starts, representing a 15% success rate. While Wilson secured the third-leading trainer position in 2024-25, his performance was notably less impressive, with only 27 wins from 266 starts, resulting in a win percentage of just 10% – the lowest among trainers who finished within the top 30 at the meet. Wilson’s name is expected to appear frequently in the daily entries. Completing the top five trainers from the previous season were Bret Calhoun in fourth place (25 wins with a 16% success rate last year, after achieving 24 wins with a 16% success rate two years prior), and Steve Asmussen (22 wins, 19% success rate last season), and Cherie DeVaux (22 wins, 28%), who tied for fifth.
Based on the outcomes of the previous season, some of the trainers worth considering at Fair Grounds include New Orleans native Tom Amoss (19 wins, 16% success rate last season), Mike Maker (15 wins, 23%), Larry Rivelli (9 wins, 26%), Joseph Felks (7 wins, 44%), and Norm Casse (5 wins, 24%).
Top Fair Grounds Jockeys
Jockey Jose Ortiz, who relocated his winter base to Fair Grounds for the first time last season, dominated the New Orleans jockey standings, amassing 97 wins from 340 mounts, resulting in a 29% win percentage. Ortiz outpaced the second-place rider, Jareth Loveberry, by a significant margin of 42 victories, with Loveberry securing 55 wins (14%). Another outstanding meet is anticipated for both Jose Ortiz and Loveberry.
Two years prior, the 2023-24 Fair Grounds jockey title was narrowly claimed by Jose Guerrero with 52 wins (16%), closely followed by Loveberry with 51 wins (14%). Guerrero’s win total decreased to 21 wins in the last season, with a win percentage of only 10%. Filling the gap in the last year’s meet were third-leading rider Ben Curtis (49 wins, 18%), and fourth-leading rider Mitchell Murrill (41 wins, 12%). Curtis was temporarily sidelined after a fall at Aqueduct on Nov. 8, but his representative informed Fair Grounds’ press office that the Irish jockey is scheduled to return on opening day.
Speaking of recoveries, Brian Hernandez Jr. is set to return to racing after healing from injuries sustained in an incident at Churchill Downs on Sept. 21. He has been participating at Churchill throughout November and anticipates a return to Fair Grounds following his performance of 38 wins from 184 mounts (21%) at the previous year’s meet. Hernandez additionally recorded 41 wins and a 17% win percentage at Fair Grounds two seasons prior, establishing him as a reliable winner at the meet.
Additional jockeys competing for positions within the top 10 on the Fair Grounds leaderboard include Marcelino Pedroza Jr. (38 wins, 12% last season), Edgar Morales (38 wins, 16%), Axel Concepcion (32 wins, 12%), Florent Geroux (30 wins, 20%), and Jaime Torres (30 wins, 11%). A potentially disruptive factor in the standings is Paco Lopez, who currently leads North American jockeys in wins for 2025 but faces suspension in multiple jurisdictions due to violations regarding the use of riding crops. Lopez is scheduled to ride six horses on the opening day card at Fair Grounds.
Fair Grounds Main Track Characteristics
The Fair Grounds main track typically provides a level playing field for various types of horses, although those starting from the three innermost post positions demonstrated a slight advantage in both sprint and route races during the previous season. Sprint races tended to favor horses with early speed, whereas route races offered balanced opportunities for horses of all running styles. The trends and statistics offer indicators as to which running styles and post positions maximize your chances of success at Fair Grounds.
The majority of dirt sprint races at Fair Grounds occur over a distance of six furlongs. At the most recent 2024-25 Fair Grounds meet, the most advantageous running style in races run at six furlongs and in all dirt sprint races was front running. Horses that ran on the front end, close to the pace by a length or less, won 148 of the 299 dirt sprint races at the meet (49%). Front running speed, specifically from the three innermost post positions, proved to be particularly effective, as speed horses from these positions won 80 of 299 races, translating to a 27% win rate. Stalkers that were racing one to four lengths behind the leader won 109 times (37%), and closers from four or more lengths behind the leader won 41 times, making up 14% of the dirt sprint wins. These races had an average of 7.72 runners per race, and more than half of the winners (159) broke from the three innermost gates. Last year’s statistics were consistent with the figures from the prior meet in 2023-24.
In dirt route races at the 2024-25 Fair Grounds meet, there was a minor track bias for speed horses, which won 38% of the 213 dirt route races, however, this was not a major advantage over stalkers, who won 34% of the dirt route races. Closers performed adequately, winning 28% of the dirt route races. These percentages aligned with how the track ran two years prior at the 2023-24 meet.
During the Fair Grounds route races that run from one mile to 1 1/16 miles in distance, the post positions become very important factors, given the short distance to the first turn. Horses starting from the wide posts in these races are more susceptible to running wide, losing ground, therefore, front running and stalking horses starting from the inside have a tactical edge. Post positions were key handicapping factors in the Fair Grounds dirt route races in the previous season. Horses starting from the innermost posts, positions 1 through 3, won 54% of the dirt route races, while horses from the middle posts, positions 4 through 6, won 35% of the races. There were an average of 7.56 horses per dirt route race, and although the outer posts did not contribute many starters, horses from the outer posts won 24 races, which is a respectable 11% of the total.
Fair Grounds Turf Course Analysis
Fair Grounds schedules quite a few turf races, but many of those races end up being moved to the dirt track, due to weather or track conditions. “Off-the-turf” is a normal concern for handicappers at Fair Grounds. Considering this, the Fair Grounds turf course was in much better condition during the 2024-25 meet than it was two years ago, when there were only 47 turf route races run at Fair Grounds during the entire meet.
In Fair Grounds turf route races, horses that make late runs are usually the most successful. Last season, closers won 42 of the 105 races, making up 40% of the wins. Stalkers also performed well, winning 40 of the 105 turf route races (38%). Horses running on or near the front of the race have had a tough time continuing the run down the Fair Grounds stretch, and that group of horses won just 23 of the 105 turf route races (22%).
During the 64 turf sprint races that were run in the previous season, speed horses had a slight advantage, while horses starting from the three innermost post positions were at a slight disadvantage. Taking a look at a larger sample size, we can look at the entirety of the 2020s so far. 264 turf sprint races have been run at Fair Grounds during that time, and the races were mostly fair, in terms of the post positions. Speed horses did well last year, but stalkers have performed the best in the 2020s, with 107 wins in the 264 races (40.5 percent). Closers have performed the worst in the turf sprint races with only 59 wins in the 264 turf sprint races (22%) in the last five years.
Now is the time to prepare for the 2025-26 Fair Grounds race meet. Enjoy the season, and good luck!
