Louisiana Derby coverage from the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Alexander ... More
Saturday’s $1 million Louisiana Derby headlines a big 12-race card with eight stakes races at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. The Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series race drew 12 entries, including the second and third place finishers from last month’s Risen Star stakes at the Fair Grounds. The 1 3/16 mile Louisiana Derby is the first of eight major prep races awarding 100 qualifying points to the winner, and 50-25-15-10 points to 2nd through 5th place.
Another major prep race Saturday offering 100 Derby points to the winner is the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.
The 111th running of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby is Race 12 with post time at 6:42 p.m. ET. The Road to the Kentucky Derby prep is preceded in Race 11 by the $400,000 Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks - a Kentucky Oaks prep race for 3-year-old fillies.
Both races are part of an estimated $1 million guaranteed all-graded stakes Pick 5 starting with Race 8 at the Fair Grounds.
The Louisiana Derby is worth watching, as 39 starters in both the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby have run in the Kentucky Derby since 2013.
How To Watch And Wager On The Louisiana Derby
Along with wagering on the biggest races at FanDuel Racing, horse racing fans can tune into FanDuelTV to watch both Derby prep races Saturday. The channel will also broadcast racing from Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita and other tracks featured across FanDuelTV's broadcasts.
The Louisiana Derby and Jeff Ruby Steaks will both be televised on CNBC and streamed on Peacock during a one-hour show as part of NBC Sports’ Road to the Kentucky Derby series. The show will air from 6-7 p.m. ET on Sat., March 23.
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Louisiana Derby Field and Odds
The Louisiana Derby was lengthened a sixteenth of a mile in 2020, and is currently run at a distance of 1 3/16 miles - the closest prep race distance to the 1 1/4 mile Kentucky Derby. It’s the only North American race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby run at a longer distance, along with next Saturday’s UAE Derby in Dubai.
Louisiana Derby Picks
I turned to FanDuel Racing coverage of the Louisiana Derby contenders for added profiles and picks of the top win contenders in the field of 12 horses.
Agate Road (8/1): Is the best of the three Todd Pletcher-trained horses in the field. He was one of the better American turf juveniles of last year, winning the Pilgrim (G2) and finishing a quality fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. But, a close and late-gaining second in the Sam F. Davis shows that he can handle dirt, too. He will have to get closer to the pace, but the switch back to Irad Ortiz in the saddle suggests that he may do just that, based on their grass form together.
Catching Freedom (4/1): Still fairly lightly raced with just four starts, this Brad Cox trainee was gaining late in the Risen Star Stakes over a sloppy/sealed track and beaten less than two lengths in all. He has good dry-track form as well, though against good horses, he probably needs both a step up and some pace to chase. He could improve in his third start of the year, and he has stout stamina pedigree, though the pace flow is unlikely to suit his preference.
Honor Marie (8/1): Winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last year, he was only fifth in the Risen Star on his seasonal return, but was gaining ground. He has a beautiful stamina pedigree, and the return to fast footing is a plus. And, he has a better chance than many of the closers because instead of just plodding home late, he made an earlier move into a race with a modest-at-best pace when winning the Kentucky Jockey Club.
Common Defense (6/1): Another from the Kenny McPeek barn, he took a real step up on a fast track in the Rebel, compared to his flat fifth in the muddy Southwest Stakes. He tracked in close range of a modest pace that day, a kind of trip that can suit him well this time around, too. The wider gate is a concern, though he reunites with Brian Hernandez, who has found his form at Fair Grounds.
Track Phantom (3/1): He’s the favorite and won the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes here in January, and finished a close 2nd running on the lead in the Rise Star Stakes just ahead of Catching Freedom. The major problem is the post position, as far-outside posts do not tend to be excellent in routes at Fair Grounds. The one saving grace is, relatively speaking, the lack of speed: barring a change in tactics, there won’t be a lot of competition up front except for possibly Antiquarian. However, he also still has to answer the distance question. In short, he would not be a surprise, but he will be an underlay.
As recently as 2019, Country House finished fourth in the Louisiana Derby and then went on to a shocking controversial Kentucky Derby win at odds of 65/1. Last year, four Louisiana Derby runners made it to the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby, but none of them finished top-3. However, Risen Star winner Angel of Empire finished third in the Kentucky Derby, and Risen Star third place finisher Two Phil’s also won the Jeff Ruby Steaks and then finished runner-up in the Derby. Also, the 2012 Louisiana Derby produced a winner at odds of 109/1, so you know there is always hope for a big longshot score. Or a Pick 5 payoff.
Added horse racing coverage and profiles for the Jeff Ruby Steaks is provided by FanDuel Racing along with Louisiana Derby contenders and picks. The points leaderboard on the Road to the Kentucky Derby will have some significant changes following the major Derby preps as we start to see the Run for the Roses field come into focus over the next three weekends.
You can bet on it.