Kentucky Derby Radar: Louisiana Derby overflows with interest
As with Fair Grounds’ prior 2020 Kentucky Derby preps this season, interest is high for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby that draws Saturday ahead of the March 21 race in New Orleans.
Via Fair Grounds’ publicity staff, racing secretary Scott Jones reports that at least 19 horses are under consideration to tackle the Louisiana Derby’s elongated 1 3/16-mile distance.
The field will be limited to 14 starters and two also-eligibles, with first preference given to graded stakes winners, then to horses with the highest lifetime earnings.
Probables include the Lecomte Stakes (G3) winner Enforceable and Modernist, who took the second division of the Risen Star (G2). Mr. Monomoy, who reigned in the first, has since been knocked off the trail with an ankle injury.
There are a host of others who finished on the board — or even further back — in the Risen Star flights coming back for another try. They include the second through sixth finishers behind Modernist and second through fourth behind Mr. Monomoy.
Intriguing among new Louisiana Derby names is Wells Bayou. He set the pace and stayed on for second in the Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park, then bypassed Saturday’s Rebel Stakes (G2) to run for more Derby points at Fair Grounds.
The Louisiana Derby is the season’s first prep scaling on a 100-40-20-10 basis to its top-four finishers. The Rebel is a 50-20-10-5 race.
The updated contenders list consists of this Top 14 in earnings: Mondernist, Enforceable, Wells Bayou, Ajaaweed, NY Traffic, Silver State, Major Fed, Lynn’s Map, Mailman Money, Portos, Social Afleet, Shake Some Action, Chestertown and Sharecropper.
Those next in line include some notables. Royal Act was a close second in Santa Anita’s Robert B. Lewis (G3); trainer Bret Calhoun has talked up Mr. Big News; Farmington Road hails from the Todd Pletcher barn; Winning Impression is trained by the guy to never count out, Dallas Stewart; and Keith Desormeaux’s looking for a way back into the Derby with Fort Knox.
The Louisiana Derby leads a card that also includes the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) for 3-year-old fillies, the New Orleans Classic (G2) for older horses and the Muniz Memorial (G2) on turf. Given a week between the entry deadline and race day, it’s likely connections will oversubscribe the Louisiana Derby and wait out scratches.