Hurricane Ida Damages Fair Grounds Barns, Tote Board

Hurricane Ida, which battered New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast Aug. 29, damaged portions of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, though no on-site injuries were reported.

Photographs forwarded by Fair Grounds president Doug Shipley show a mangled tote board, a downed lighting pole, and roof and wall damage to numerous barns.

"The team at Fair Grounds continues to assess the extensive damage to the property as a result of the impact of Hurricane Ida," he said in a statement. "While there will be much necessary repair in preparation for our Thoroughbred racing season in November, we are most grateful that our Quarter Horse meet had been relocated this year and therefore there were no horses were on property.

"In the interest of safety, we were able to close operations and send our team members home. As you can imagine, with the current conditions and in the absence of power in the area, it may take some time to get an accurate understanding of the damage and to estimate a timeline for repair. 

"Our focus at this time remains on the health and safety of our team members as our thoughts remain with all in our region affected by Ida and the ongoing challenges it now presents. I'm certain that the strength and resilience of the people of New Orleans will once again overcome this devastation."

The Thoroughbred meet at Fair Grounds is scheduled from Nov. 25-March 27. Horses and their caretakers begin arriving for that meet in the fall.

Benard Chatters, president of the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said he was relieved that the state's horsemen by and large escaped the brunt of the category 4 storm.

A $14.5 billion federally funded levee system built after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 helped the city to withstand the storm. 

New Orleans and other affected communities are now dealing with widespread loss of power. Heat and humidity are forecast this week, potentially creating dangerous conditions. Other areas were more fortunate.

"We had some members on the north shore of New Orleans that took some damages to the farm, but we're thankful because it could have taken out two racetracks in the state," Chatters said, also referring to Evangeline Downs in Opelousas. "That one storm danced between the two of them. The damages—I think with a little luck, we'll be able to get the next meets going on time."

The Thoroughbred meet at Evangeline Downs is ongoing, as is one at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City. Delta Downs in Vinton begins its Thoroughbred season Oct. 13, about four weeks after Evangeline concludes its Thoroughbred meet.

David Strow, vice president of corporate communications for Boyd Gaming, which owns Delta and Evangeline, wrote in an email that "our two Louisiana racetracks are up and running. Evangeline Downs closed as a precautionary measure early Sunday morning, but suffered no damage and was able to reopen on Monday afternoon. Delta Downs was well to the west of the storm and did not shut down.

"Thankfully, we are not aware of any injuries to anyone at these racetracks as a result of the storm."

The northwestern part of the state, where Louisiana Downs is located, experienced light rain Sunday.