Fair Grounds sees slight bump in per-race handle

Average handle per race was up slightly during the recently completed meet at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, which had five fewer racing days than the previous meet, according to an analysis by Daily Racing Form.

The average handle per race rose 2.9 percent, according to the analysis, from $364,638 during the 2024-2025 meet to $375,136 for the most recent meet. Fair Grounds ran 645 races over 71 live racing days during the most recent meet, compared to 682 races over 76 race dates during the 2024-2025 meet.

Total handle declined slightly, by 2.7 percent, to $242.0 million, due entirely to the decline in races and racing dates.

Fair Grounds held far more turf races during the most recent meet than in previous years, with 200 turf races being run, compared to 169 last meet and 172 during the 2023-2024 meet. Still, field size declined to an average of 7.98 horses per race, compared to 8.09 in 2024-2025 and 8.46 in 2023-2024.

Over the past several years, purses at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, have risen substantially due to larger contributions from the track’s casino. Oaklawn has also begun adding racing dates to the beginning of its meet, creating further competition for horses with Fair Grounds.

Fair Grounds receives its own subsidies from casinos in Louisiana run by its parent company, Churchill Downs Inc., but those subsidies declined in 2025 after a court ruled last year that historical horse-racing machines at CDI’s parlors were illegal without local referenda, according to CDI’s financial statements.

Total purses distributed during the most recent meet was $28.8 million, down 7.1 percent from the 2024-2025 meet, according to the analysis. The average purse declined 1.7 percent, to $44,646. The average purse during the 2024-2025 meet was $45,432, down 4.4 percent from the average purse of $47,521 during the 2023-2024 meet.

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