Fair Grounds races hours after deadly attack in French Quarter

New Year’s Day races at Fair Grounds went ahead as scheduled only hours after a terror attack left at least 15 people dead and 35 others injured on Bourbon Street, about two miles south of the track in New Orleans.

“Admittedly shaken by the overnight events in the city that has my heart,” Fair Grounds TV host Joe Kristufek wrote on X. “Hopefully today’s racing card at Fair Grounds can provide a distraction.”

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There was no formal comment or reaction yet Wednesday afternoon from Churchill Downs Inc., the owner of the track.

Nine races were carded for a special holiday card that began at 12:47 p.m. CST on Wednesday, when the weather was sunny and the forecast high was 59 degrees. Fair Grounds also has programs scheduled as usual for Thursday-Sunday.

The FBI said Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove his pickup into a crowd of people celebrating the new year around 3:15 a.m. CST in one of the world’s most famous party districts. Jabbar was killed in a subsequent shootout with police officers.

CNN reported Jabbar, 42, was a U.S. Army veteran from Texas who had an ISIS flag on him during the attack. Jabbar was not believed to be “solely responsible,” the FBI said. Explosives were found in his rented pickup and other locations around the French Quarter.

The attack led to the postponement until Thursday afternoon of the Sugar Bowl college football playoff between Georgia and Notre Dame.