Quarter Horse meet will feature record nine stakes, New LQHBA Sales Futurity Carries Estimated $290,000 Purse

NEW ORLEANS (Friday, June 24, 2011) –Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots will offer a record nine stakes races during September’s Summer Quarter Horse Meet, highlighted by the new $290,000 (estimated) Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Futurity. The 12-day season runs Wednesdays to Saturdays, Sept. 7-24, with a five-stakes extravaganza on Closing Day featuring the LQHBA Futurity.

First post during the Quarter Horse meet will be 12:40 p.m. CDT daily.

In all, the nine stakes will be worth an estimated $610,000. Last season’s schedule featured five stakes worth $290,000, although Fair Grounds also contributed significantly to the one-day Bank of America Challenge Championships – with 13 stakes worth more than $1.1 million – held here later in the year. In 2009, the Fair Grounds schedule consisted of eight stakes worth $260,000.

Stakes Schedule

About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the nation’s third-oldest racetrack, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, Fair Grounds is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN); it also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 10 off-track betting parlors throughout southeast Louisiana. The fourth Summer Quarter Horse Meet will be held Sept. 7-24, 2011, and the 140th Thoroughbred Racing Season will run Nov. 24, 2011 to April 1, 2012, highlighted by the $1 million Louisiana Derby. More information can be found online at www.FairGroundsRaceCourse.com.