FC–CPM-2026-3Q-merged - Flipbook - Page 21
For over a Century, The Thanksgiving Day Classic horse race packs
the Fair Grounds as families and
friends gather for a holiday tradition uniquely New Orleans.
T
hanksgiving day when the
gates open on at the Fair
Grounds Race Course &
Slots in New Orleans, the
sports venue will welcome a deluge
of patrons returning to be thankful
to celebrate the 102nd Thanksgiving
Classic. The apron, grandstands,
paddock, and suites will be
over昀氀owing with colorful suits, fallthemed dresses, and many, many
extravagant hats.
For the giddy spectators, this
tradition is a return to a more
elegant era, a time to be in the
moment again,—unplugged and in
person—a time to reconnect and in
the moment with friends, family, and
even meeting new ones.
ROBERT WITKOWSKI
WIN OR SHOW?
Although The Fair Grounds o昀케cially
opened in 1872 for its 昀椀rst race,
it operated as early as 1838,
previously named the Louisiana
Race Course, then later as the
Union Race Course in 1852, then
the Creole Race Course in 1859
before reopening as The Fair
Grounds 1872. While the date
of the name change is o昀케cially
recognized as it’s beginning making
it the third oldest race course
after Saratoga and Pimlico, those
accepting the 1838 date know it
stands in the winner’s circle.
Unlike many New Orleans
spectacles, this fun-昀椀lled, timeworn event is less about being
seen and more about who they can
see,10,000 giddy spectators and
returning snowbirds collectively
share this Thanksgiving race
day tradition with loved ones
annually with the expectation
of reconnecting with neighbors,
classmates, and friends.
And of course, the hats.
GLAD HATTERS
Excited bettors embrace the pomp
and circumstance—as well as the
fanciful—when New Orleans gathers
for this preeminent “Sport of Kings”
contest.
As New Orleanians have made
this racing event the social event
of the season, wild costumes and
humorously inventive hats—subtle
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