Churchill Downs Incorporated was honored as a special award recipient by the Nokia Sugar Bowl at its yearly awards ceremony Wednesday night in the Louisiana Superdome.CDI was saluted "for preserving the long history of Thoroughbred racing at New Orleans' Fair Grounds Race Course." CDI completed its purchase of Fair Grounds last October.The Nokia Sugar Bowl's 20-member sports awards selection committee chose CDI for the special award.
The event honored athletic achievements by high school, college, and professional athletes and coaches in Louisiana throughout the last year, including the presentation of the James J. Corbett Memorial Award to the top amateur athletes in the state. Also included in the program was the induction of five new members into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.Fair Grounds Race Course, the nation's third-oldest Thoroughbred racing facility, has been in operation since 1872.