The Louisiana Jockey Club, composed of prominent New Orleans citizens, opened the Fair Grounds Course on April 13, 1872, on a site that had previously been the scene of agricultural and industrial fairs. Over the years, five racing clubs preceded the Fair Grounds Corporation, founded in 1941, in operating the course, which is the third oldest track still in operation in America. Buried in the infield are the turf immortals Black Gold, winner of four derbies including the Louisiana and Kentucky derbies, and Pan Zareta, known as "The Queen of the Turf." The Fair Grounds gate houses, designed by the noted architect James Gallier, Jr., were built in 1859 for the Mechanics and Agricultural Fair.
