Report: Louisiana commission OKs 2025-26 Fair Grounds dates

The Louisiana Racing Commission approved a winter-spring meet at Fair Grounds at a meeting Tuesday.

Daily Racing Form reported that the meet will run from Thanksgiving week to the third week of March and that specific dates will be set after reviewing subsidies available from other forms of gambling.

The commission approved the meet after Churchill Downs Inc. dropped its plans to give up its racing and gaming licenses for its New Orleans track. The Louisville-based company had said it was "left with no choice" after state legislators did not agree to a subsidy to replace lost revenue from slots.

Churchill Downs officials and Louisiana horsement are expected to negotiate the number of dates for the meet and a racing schedule in August, DRF reported.

Ed Fenasci, executive director of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, told DRF that he and other horsement expect to have a meet similar to last year's.

Churchill Downs confirmed the plan, saying the dates would be finalized "once there is a better understanding of the purses available for the season."