Louisiana Derby

The Louisiana Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Usually run in early March, the race is open to horses, age three, willing to race 11/8 miles (9 furlongs) on the dirt. A Grade II event, it currently offers a purse of $1,000,000.

The race was named in honor of Fair Grounds' home state, Louisiana. The race was held at Crescent City Race Course from 1894 through 1908. It was also held at Jefferson Park from 1920 through 1931. The race was not held in 1895 through 1897, 1909 through 1919, 1921 through 1922, 1940 through 1942, 1945 and 2006. In 2006, the race was cancelled because the track was partially destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

The race was run at one mile in 1894; it was run at 1⅛ miles from 1898 until 1988. The race has been run at 1-1/16 miles from 1989 through 2009. On August 11, 2009 the owner of Fair Grounds, Churchill Downs Incorporated, announced that they were moving the Louisiana Derby from eight weeks prior to the Kentucky Derby to only five weeks prior. They also announced that the distance of the Louisiana Derby would be increased back to 1-1/8 miles and that the purse would be increased $150,000 to $750,000. In 2010, that figure was bumped up to $1,000,000.

Two winners of the Louisiana Derby have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby: Black Gold in 1924, and Grindstone in 1996. The 1988 winner, Risen Star, went on to become a "Dual Classic Winner" by winning the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.