EXOTIC RACING RETURNS TO THE FAIR GROUNDS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamie Garrett, Sr. Director of Marketing
504.948.1203
[email protected]
NEW ORLEANS, LA (January 4th, 2024) – Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots is welcoming back a fan favorite event with the return of Exotic Animal Racing. This season will bring two exotic animal race days with one being a Family focused day and one being a College day. Family day will be held on Saturday January 13th and College day will take place two weeks later on the 27th. The popular event features one heat each of camels, ostriches and zebras ran between 9 thoroughbred races and has been a staple at The Fair Grounds since 2012 with sellout crowds each year.
“This year we really wanted to cultivate different experiences for our guests by hosting a Family and separate College day. The crowds have grown each year that we have hosted this event and we anticipate it being the same this year as it truly is a fan favorite for the season.
The Fair Grounds is a staple in New Orleans history and we strive to keep tradition alive for the community. We provide the best thoroughbred racing in the state and have had a great start to the season. Our Exotic Animal racing adds to that excitement by providing families and fans with an alternative entertainment experience by cheering Camel, Ostriches and Zebras across the finish line.” said Doug Shipley, President and General Manager of Fair Grounds
Three total Exotic Animal races will take place on both the 13th and 27th. One heat each for Camels, Ostriches and Zebra’s. Doors open at 11:30 with post time of 12:45 on the 13th. Doors open at 2pm with a post time of 3:00 on the 27th.
Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets on TicketMaster prior to the race and arrive early. Exact times of the exotic animal races will be released once available.
General Admission (GA) is $10 with Club House (CH) Admission at $25 CH for everyone 13 and older. Children 12 and under receive free admission.
All ticket sales will be ran through TicketMaster including GA, Club House GA, Club House Dining, and Grandstand and Club House box. All general admission tickets are open seating and on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fair Grounds concessions and several local cuisine food truck and pop-up options will also be available for purchase.
Valet options are available at the event at $20 for regular parking and $30 for VIP parking.
If there is media interest –The ostriches, zebras and camels can be made available for public appearances and other media activities one day prior to the day of racing. Please reach out to Jamie Garrett if interested.
Additional information is available by calling the property reservations line at (504) 948-1171.
About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots (“Fair Grounds”), the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, LA, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN). Fair Grounds also operates 16 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 152nd Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 111th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 17, 2023 through March 24, 2024. More information is available online at www.fairgroundsracecourse.com.
Information set forth in this press release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”) provides certain “safe harbor” provisions for forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are made pursuant to the Act.
The reader is cautioned that such forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time and/or management’s good faith belief with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statement was made. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking information to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include the following: the effect of economic conditions on our consumers’ confidence and discretionary spending or our access to credit; additional or increased taxes and fees; public perceptions or lack of confidence in the integrity of our business; loss of key or highly skilled personnel; restrictions in our debt facilities limiting our flexibility to operate our business; general risks related to real estate ownership, including fluctuations in market values and environmental regulations; catastrophic events and system failures disrupting our operations, including the impact of natural and other disasters on our operations and our ability to obtain insurance recoveries in respect of such losses; inability to identify and complete acquisition, expansion or divestiture projects, on time, on budget or as planned; difficulty in integrating recent or future acquisitions into our operations; legalization of online real money gaming and sports wagering in the United States, and our ability to capitalize on and predict such legalization; the number of people attending and wagering on live horse races; inability to respond to rapid technological changes in a
timely manner; inadvertent infringement of the intellectual property of others; inability to protect our own intellectual property rights; security breaches and other security risks related to our technology, personal information, source code and other proprietary information, including failure to comply with regulations and other legal obligations relating to receiving, processing, storing and using personal information; payment- related risks, such as chargebacks for fraudulent credit card use; compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or applicable money-laundering regulations; compliance with payment processing and payment transmission regulations; work stoppages and labor issues; difficulty in attracting a sufficient number of horses and trainers for full field horseraces; inability to negotiate agreements with industry constituents, including horsemen and other racetracks; personal injury litigation related to injuries occurring at our racetracks; the inability of our totalisator company, United Tote, to maintain its processes accurately, keep its technology current or maintain its significant customers; weather conditions affecting our ability to conduct live racing; increased competition in the horseracing business; changes in the regulatory
environment of our racing operations; declining popularity in horseracing; seasonal fluctuations in our horseracing business due to geographic concentration of our operations; increased competition in our casino business; changes in regulatory environment of our casino business; the cost and possibility for delay, cost overruns and other uncertainties associated with the development and expansion of casinos; concentration and evolution of slot machine manufacturing and other technology conditions that could impose additional costs; impact of further legislation prohibiting tobacco smoking; geographic concentration of our casino business; changes in regulatory environment for our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; increase in competition in the advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; inability to retain current customers or attract new customers to our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; uncertainty and changes in the legal landscape relating to our advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming businesses; and failure to comply with laws requiring us to block access to certain individuals could result in penalties or impairment in our ability to offer advanced deposit wagering, sports wagering, or online gaming.
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