HorseCenter: Lecomte and Louisiana Stakes top picks

By Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman
Photo:

This week on HorseCenter, Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman handicap and offer top picks for a pair of graded stakes Saturday at Fair Grounds. The Grade 3 Lecomte on the 2024 Kentucky Derby trail offers the increased qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2. A field of seven horses in the older male handicap division will meet in the Louisiana Stakes (G2).

Eight 3-year-olds were entered in the Lecomte, where Track Phantom and Nash will meet again after they finished first and third in the Gun Runner at Fair Grounds last month for Steve Asmussen and Brad Cox, respectively.

The Louisiana Stakes drew an interesting field that features six graded-stakes winners. Saudi Crown won the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) in September for Cox and has been away from the races since a 10th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Smile Happy had a smashing victory in the Alysheba (G2) at Churchill Downs and has not raced since running fifth in the Stephen Foster (G1) in July.

Good luck with all of your wagers this weekend. As always, thanks for watching the show.

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