Louisiana Derby guide: Get odds, PPs, analysis and more
The road to Kentucky Derby 2024 heats up on Saturday with the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby at historic Fair Grounds racecourse in New Orleans.
The 111th running of the prestigious event drew a field of 12, including Lecomte Stakes winner and Risen Star Stakes runner-up Track Phantom, the 3-1 morning-line favorite.
Post time for the Louisiana Derby, the finale on a 12-race program, is estimated for 6:42 p.m. EDT. The race can be seen live on CNBC, FanDuel TV and Peacock.
We have Super Screener picks and analysis for the Louisiana Derby as well as recent top speed figures for each contender.
You may also check out Horse Racing Nation’s free past performances page, where there are downloadable PPs for the Louisiana Derby and more courtesy of our partners at Brisnet.
Louisiana Derby best speed figures
| Post | Horse | ML | Beyer | TimeformUS | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triple Espresso | 20-1 | 76 | 97 | 88 |
| 2 | Hall of Fame | 8-1 | 94 | 121 | 97 |
| 3 | Antiquarian | 12-1 | 83 | 106 | 92 |
| 4 | Agate Road | 8-1 | 81 | 105 | 102 |
| 5 | Catching Freedom | 4-1 | 87 | 112 | 91 |
| 6 | Awesome Ruta | 30-1 | 78 | 103 | 85 |
| 7 | Honor Marie | 8-1 | 92 | 107 | 96 |
| 8 | Next Level | 30-1 | 79 | 102 | 86 |
| 9 | Real Men Violin | 20-1 | 89 | 102 | 93 |
| 10 | Common Defense | 6-1 | 90 | 112 | 96 |
| 11 | Tuscan Gold | 8-1 | 84 | 103 | 86 |
| 12 | Track Phantom | 3-1 | 90 | 114 | 97 |
Looking at the pace
Track Phantom is expected to cross over from his far outside post and grab the early lead, but he'll have to expend some energy to do it. Hall of Fame, Antiquarian and Next Level are all expected to be in close attendance to an upbeat tempo.
Pace projector courtesy of TimeformUS.
HRN picks for the Louisiana Derby
This week's Super Screener is focusing on the graded-stakes action at Fair Grounds, including the New Orleans Classic, where Mike Shutty believes there's potential for a price to come through. He says of long shot Super Corinto:
"He is very balanced in the way he distributes his energy, which bodes well for a go at nine furlongs. He projects to sit an excellent trip just three lengths off the pace with a lot of speed coming back to him over that final furlong while getting first jump on all the deep closers. The presence of jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. makes this selection all the more intriguing."
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Ed DeRosa's fair odds for the Louisiana Derby have tabbed closers Agate Road and Catching Freedom as logical contenders and decent value plays.
DeRosa also looked at the Jeff Ruby Steaks fair odds and came up with Lucky Jeremy as the best value play to take a shot against logical favorite Endlessly with.
Ashley Tamulonis and Laurie Ross went head-to-head handicapping the Fair Grounds Oaks, and each settled on Our Pretty Woman as the runner most likely to break up the chalky exacta of Tarifa and Intricate, at a minimum.
Two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox joined the Ron Flatter Racing Pod to discuss the chances of some of his Kentucky Derby hopefuls, including Catching Freedom and Timberlake.
Here's the field for the Louisiana Derby (G2):