Triumph and tragedy, themes too often intertwined in the lore of horse racing, animate the stories of two great horses buried in the infield of the New Orleans Fair Grounds. The first, Pan Zareta, won more races than any filly or mare in history. Panzy, as she was affectionately nicknamed, defeated 1914 Kentucky Derby winner Old Rosebud and 1915 Preakness winner Rhine Maiden, and was a beloved fixture at the Fair Grounds for years. She was retired to become a broodmare but failed to produce a foal, leading to a brief return to competition. Sometime during her transportation from races in the Midwest back to New Orleans in late 1917, Panzy contracted pneumonia, and she died in her stall at the Fair Grounds on January 19, 1918.

The Times-Picayune of January 27, 1918, noted that Pan Zareta, the “Queen of the Turf,” was buried “beneath the oak trees right inside the infield near the last sixteenth pole.” The Pan Zareta Stakes has been held at the Fair Grounds annually since 1966. The legendary horse was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1972.

Education Resources

Pan Zareta on the Move

Naming a Racehorse