Derby Gisclair, a specialist in sports history in the New Orleans area, will discuss the state’s horse racing past at 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 27, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

Racing in Louisiana goes back to the roots of racing in this country. The first races in Louisiana predate racing at Saratoga by 10 years. The first contest was a race for pacers in 1852, all gray geldings. It was held at the Union Course, which is the current site of The Fair Grounds. The next year thoroughbreds were run for the first time.

The Union Course was closed in 1857 when it couldn't compete with rival tracks in New Orleans. The track re-opened as Creole Downs in 1859, eventually changing its name to The Fair Grounds in 1863. The track was closed soon after because of the Civil War. The Fair Grounds returned in 1872, the official date of its existence.

The great racehorse Lexington competed at age three and four and although he only ran seven times. Many of his races were grueling four-mile events. Lexington won six of his seven races and finished second once. On April 2, 1855, at the Metairie racecourse in New Orleans, he set a record running four miles in 7 minutes, 19 3⁄4 seconds, running against time. Well-known for his rivalry with the horse Lecomte, Lexington was known as the best racehorse of his day. His second match with Lecomte on April 14, 1855, was considered one of the greatest matches of the century.

Lexington had to be retired at the end of 1855 because of poor eyesight. Conservation work in 2010 revealed that he suffered a massive facial infection that resulted in blindness.

For more information regarding this event, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at (504) 889-8143 or wcsmith@jplibrary.net.