Fair Grounds Cancels Friday Card Due to Storm

Overnight rain in the New Orleans area Thursday, March 27, was followed Friday morning by continuous thunderstorms, prompting officials to cancel the nine-race card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

"The safety of our jockeys and horses will always be our first priority." said Howard Withers, general manager of racing at Fair Grounds. "We experienced severe weather throughout the morning and anticipate that it will continue through the afternoon. In the interests of safety for all of our participants, we have canceled the entire Friday racing program."

The storm is expected to pass. Racing is to resume as scheduled Saturday, March 29, with a 13-race card highlighted by the 101st running of the $1 million Louisiana Derby (gr. II). First post is 12:30 p.m. CDT.

The Weather Channel is predicting a temperature high of 72 degrees for Saturday with some cloudiness and a 20% chance of rain. Winds are expected to be out of the northwest at 17 miles per hour.