Stakes Saturday: Louisiana Derby leads nine can't-miss races

Horse Racing Nation looks ahead to nine stakes races, six of them graded, on Saturday at Fair Grounds, Oaklawn Park, Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita. Advanced probables are always available in HRN's Stakes Tracker, with a look at entries below for can't-miss events in chronological order (all times Eastern). Watch and wager on all of Saturday's stakes action on TVG.

Fair Grounds Race 8: Tom Benson Memorial Stakes (3:38 p.m.)

Eleven fillies and mares 4 years old and up are in for this 1 1/16-mile race on the turf. Dream Passage had her three-race winning streak snapped last out and looks to rebound for trainer Brad Cox. She seems to be the one who will take the early pace here. Note that Chad Brown's Altea has never won at this distance. Notapradaprince has won four times and finished second twice in 10 starts at Saturday's distance. Trainer Steve Margolis sends out She'sonthewarpath with jockey Chantal Sutherland aboard. They have excelled together on the Fair Grounds lawn.

By My Standards won last year's Louisiana Derby (G2), then had a long hiatus following an off-the-board Kentucky Derby effort. He won as an odds-on favorite at Fair Grounds in his allowance return in February and all signs are "go" for him here. He will be a formidable foe taking on Bret Calhoun stablemate Silver Dust, who has won three times in eight starts in New Orleans. He's a contender, although he's never won at Saturday's 1 1/8-mile distance. Shipping in for the Todd Pletcher barn is Fearless, a late bloomer who's 2-for-2 at Gulfstream Park and set for his stakes debut.

Fair Grounds Race 10: Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic (4:42 p.m.)

A field of 13 is schedule to face the gate in this nine-furlong turf stakes. Synchrony won this race in 2018 and looks to become the first two-time winner since Bobby Frankel's Proudinsky won in 2008 and 2009. His top foe exits a third in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), and two back Instilled Regard won a graded event at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Chad Brown won this race a season ago with the eventual Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar.

Fair Grounds Race 11: Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks (5:15 p.m.)

This one's all about Finite, the 3-5 morning line favorite who has already won twice this season on the Kentucky Oaks trail at Fair Grounds. She has won five straight stakes overall for trainer Steve Asmussen. Tempers Rising is a familiar foe, while Bonny South figures to take money. She won an Oaklawn Park allowance flight last out from which the second-place finisher, Shedaresthedevil, took the Honeybee (G3) next.

Santa Anita Race 5: Grade 3 San Simeon (5:30 p.m.)

With a field of seven going to the gate for the 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint, Cistron and Bound for Nowhere clash with both coming off extended layoffs. The former hasn't been seen since winning Del Mar's Bing Crosby (G1) last July, while the latter is a seasoned sprinter headed west for the Wesley Ward barn. Meanwhile, Sparky Ville and Voodo Song are both graded stakes winners in their own right but are trying a turf sprint for the first time.

Fair Grounds Race 12: Louisiana Derby (G2) (5:49 p.m.)

The first 2020 Kentucky Derby prep race that awards 100 points to the winner, the Louisiana Derby is normally held six weeks before the Churchill Downs feature. While the winner here will still get the points and the Derby nod, he will have to wait until Sept. 5 for the Run for the Roses. Calhoun and jockey Gabriel Saez teamed up to win this race last year with By My Standards and look to repeat this year with Mailman Money. But the one to beat this time is Lecomte (G3) winner Enforceable, whose connections expect to enjoy the 1 3/16-mile distance. 

Gulfstream Race 11: Texas Glitter Stakes (5:52 p.m.)

Debuting for a new barn, Another Miracle tops Gulfstream's Texas Glitter. Trainer Joe Orseno takes over for the retired Gary Contessa as the American Pharoah colt tries for the first time as a 3-year-old following a solid but not spectacular freshman campaign. While third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Another Miracle sandwiched that between a pair of off-the-board efforts.

Oaklawn Race 9: Gazebo Stakes (6:09 p.m.)

This six-furlong sprint stakes for 3-year-olds should be an all-out war with a blistering pace. It's wide-open, as a case for winning can be made for just about all eight starters. Tom Amoss sends out Long Weekend, who won impressively at this distance last out. Ingrid Mason saddles Lykan, who was a longshot winner at Oaklawn at this distance in February. Steve Asmussen's Little Menace may be troublesome here. The familiar name, upset Del Mar Futurity (G1) hero Nucky, hasn't won since.

Santa Anita Race 7: San Luis Rey (G3) (6:30 p.m.)

It's an all-gelding affair, and Oscar Dominguez seems to be a fit for the San Luis Rey distance. The ultra consistent member of the Richard Baltas barn won the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) two back at Del Mar and has missed the board just once in six starts. Another story line of note: the venerable Ashleyluvssugar is seeking his 11th career victory at the age of 9 and is poised to become the first horse in track history to run in four separate runnings of a stakes race at Santa Anita.