Sam F. Davis Stakes winner John Hancock , unbeaten in two starts, is the expected favorite over the seasoned Built and eight other 3-year-olds in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G1) March 22 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
The first of a cluster of designated preps in late March and early April offering 200 qualifying points toward the May 3 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, the Louisiana Derby is the longest domestic prep on the Derby Trail at the Preakness Stakes (G1) distance of 1 3/16 miles. Qualifying points toward the Derby are distributed on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale to its top five finishers, assuring that at least the first and second-place finishers are eligible to make the Derby based on historical trends. Horses with existing qualifying points could secure Derby entrance with a lesser finish.
Churchill Downs uses qualifying points as a preference system when the first leg of the Triple Crown draws more than its maximum field size of 20 runners.
CHC & WinStar Farm’s John Hancock makes his first start away from Tampa Bay Downs in the Louisiana Derby. He captured his debut against maidens there Jan. 8 when racing over six furlongs before stepping up into stakes company and edging Owen Almighty by a neck in the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis at Tampa.
Rather than return John Hancock in the March 8 Tampa Bay Derby (G3), a race Owen Almighty won comfortably, trainer Brad Cox opted to give John Hancock more time between starts and pursue a richer race. He entered the son of Constitution in the $500,000 Virginia Derby March 15 but ultimately decided to scratch him from that start to await the Louisiana Derby (G2).
Flavien Prat rides the rail-drawn 7-2 morning favorite, who is expected to show speed as should at least Louisiana Derby longshot Furio . Prat won the Louisiana Derby in 2024 aboard the Cox-trained Catching Freedom and in 2023 on Kingsbarns for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.
Cox also starts Gary and Mary West’s homebred Instant Replay , a former maiden claimer who rallied from last to first to win a Feb. 17 first-level allowance and optional claimer at Fair Grounds by five lengths over Furio. A son of Maximum Security , who was famously disqualified from victory in the 2019 Kentucky Derby for interference, Instant Replay sped 1 1/16 miles in a fast-paced race in 1:43.25.
Florent Geroux returns in the irons for Cox. They teamed up to take the 2020 Louisiana Derby with Wells Bayou .
Though the Louisiana Derby does not include either winner of the two earlier graded stakes races for 3-year-olds this year at Fair Grounds—Lecomte Stakes (G3) winner Disco Time or Risen Star Stakes (G2) winner Magnitude , both sidelined with physical setbacks—on-the-board finishers from those earlier stakes are in action.
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Built—who after capturing the Dec. 21 Gun Runner Stakes late last year was second in the Lecomte and third in the Risen Star Stakes—is the 9-2 second favorite in the Louisiana Derby, and at 8-1 is Terry Stephens’ Chunk of Gold , who rallied to edge Built by a head for the place in the Risen Star.
Built wins the 2024 Gun Runnre Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
The Wayne Catalano-trained Built, who picks up Fair Grounds leading rider Jose Ortiz, has the most existing Kentucky Derby qualifying points in the race with 35, followed by the Ethan Gold-trained Chunk of Gold with 25. John Hancock is next with 20.
Meanwhile, 89-year-old training legend D. Wayne Lukas aims for a third Louisiana Derby when he runs 10-point earner Caldera , the 5-1 morning-line third choice after running a wide second to Getaway Car in the Sunland Derby. Lukas’ earlier Louisiana Derby victories came decades ago with Balboa Native (1983) and Grindstone (1996). The latter would give Lukas a third win in the Run for the Roses, a tally that rose to four after Charismatic’s Derby success three years later.
Tyler Gaffalione gains the mount on MyRacehorse’s Caldera.
Morning-line odds for the Louisiana Derby
