The Louisiana Derby during the 1918–1919 Spanish Flu pandemic: The 108th Louisiana Derby will be run on Saturday, March 20, 2021, at the Fair Grounds, which has been closed to general spectators during the 2020–2021 race meet; last year’s Louisiana Derby was also run without …
New Year, New Site
The Times is pleased to announce the launch of its upgraded website that offers an improved online and mobile experience for readers. We hope you enjoy it (and agree that it looks stunning) as much as we do! …
From the Archives: Happy Birthday ALB & the Red Fox of the South!
Dear Readers: Today, Saturday, February 11, marks the anniversary of the birth of two men who dominated the Louisiana race tracks prior to the Civil War: Col. Adam L. Bingaman of Natchez, Mississippi (1793–1869), and Duncan F. Kenner (1813–1887). You can read more about Col. …
[Read more...] about From the Archives: Happy Birthday ALB & the Red Fox of the South!
Captain Oliver’s Triumph: Opening Day at the Eclipse Course, March 17, 1837 [Part I. – 1837 Races]
“Many persons determined to see the race, were compelled to walk, as they did, under a burning sun, four miles and a half.” -- Spirit of the Times, 8 April 1837 At the same time that he was Postmaster of Big Lick in 1831, twenty-one-year-old Yelverton N. Oliver was …
A Toast to Bumper, the Best Winded, the Fleetest Horse of All [Part II. – 1837 Races]
“The public may probably never have it in their power again to witness such sport!” Captain Yelverton N. Oliver It was a landmark day for racing in the United States, for this was a Sunday–and the first occasion for a Jockey Club anywhere to hold a contest on the …