Six Louisiana-Bred Stakes Set for Opening Week at Fair Grounds

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Six Louisiana-Bred Stakes Set for Opening Week at Fair Grounds

Secret Faith Gets Second Chance at Blue Fire in Saturday’s Caldwell

NEW ORLEANS (Nov. 18, 2025) – Opening week of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots’ 154th Thoroughbred racing season features six Louisiana-bred stakes, each offering a $100,000 purse. The first three race days set the stage for Louisiana Champions Day on Saturday, Dec. 14.

Scheduled as Race 4, the Delmar R. Caldwell Memorial kicks off Saturday’s trio of stakes. Seven older fillies and mares are set to go six furlongs, led by Norman Stables’ Secret Faith. Exiting a win over Free Like a Girl in October’s Magnolia at Delta Downs, the 9-time-winning 3-year-old trained by Jayde Gelner has beaten every statebred she has faced but one–Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel’s Blue Fire, who draws the rail for trainer Steve Asmussen in Saturday’s Caldwell.

Single Malt Stables’ Geaux Sugar headlines Saturday’s Andrew Ney Memorial, scheduled as Race 7. The 5-year-old, trained by Keith Bourgeois, looks to repeat against eight older males in the six-furlong sprint. The Jacob V. Morreale Memorial attracted 11, led by Delanie J Calais Jr.’s Cosmic Train, who went from last to first to take last year’s edition for trainer Jerry Delhomme. Written for older males at 1 mile 70 yards, the Morreale will close out Saturday’s nine-race card.

The meet begins on Thursday, Nov. 20 and the 9-race card features the John Valene Memorial and the Joseph R. Peluso Memorial, slated as Race 5 and 6 respectively.

With $407,886 in career earnings, Tom Galvin’s Norah G, trained by Patricia West, headlines a field of six older fillies and mares going 1 mile 70 yards in the Valene. Seasoned in Kentucky, Allied Racing Stables’ homebred Our Moneyman will face seven juvenile males in Thursday’s six-furlong Peluso. The Mr. Money colt trained by Bret Calhoun broke his maiden last out at Keeneland.

Coteau Grove Farms’ homebred Little Miss Curlin leads a field of nine juvenile fillies in Friday’s Donovan L. Ferguson Memorial. The Pat Devereux trainee dressed to impress on debut, beating nine foes by over 4 ¼ lengths. The lone stake on Friday’s card is slated as Race 7.

Complete fields for all six stakes can be found on Equibase here: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG-calendar.html.

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.