By J. Keeler Johnson ("Keelerman") Twitter: @J_Keelerman
A 10-horse field has
assembled for Saturday's $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. The 1
3/16-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier has churned out a bevy of
top-three Kentucky Derby (G1) finishers over the past 15 years, including winners
Country House and Mandaloun.
There are plenty of viable
win contenders in this year's Louisiana Derby field. Ultimately, I favor the
chances of #6 Built (9-2), who has
competed with aplomb in the first three Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers
at Fair Grounds this meet.
Throughout his career, Built
has kept good company. In his debut at Ellis Park, he rallied to finish fourth
(upgraded to third via disqualification) against next-out Breeders' Futurity (G1)
winner East Avenue. Then in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland,
Built defeated future Virginia Derby runner-up Render Judgment by 1 1/2
lengths.
Built made his two-turn
debut in the Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds. After leading all the way through
slow fractions, he kicked away through fast closing splits to defeat future
Risen Star (G2) winner Magnitude by 6 3/4 lengths, with Render Judgment another
2 3/4 lengths back in third place.
In the Lecomte (G3) at Fair
Grounds, Built encountered a sloppy, sealed track. Jockey Jareth Loveberry felt
Built didn't relish the conditions, but nevertheless the bay colt gobbled up
ground late to finish second by a neck.
This led to a start in the
Risen Star. On a day when the Fair Grounds main track played in favor of inside
runners, Built raced outside. He advanced into the teeth of a hot pace set by
ground-saving winner Magnitude, then flattened out in the drive as Magnitude
kicked clear to win by 9 3/4 lengths with a massive 108 Beyer Speed Figure.
Built did stay on for third
place, beaten only a head by ground-saving runner-up #2 Chunk of Gold (8-1), who is back for the Louisiana Derby. Among
the horses Built defeated were American Promise and Render Judgment, who
returned to run 1-2 in the Virginia Derby.
Since the Risen Star was a
fast race, Built earned a respectable 92 Beyer even in defeat. He's adding
blinkers for the Louisiana Derby, which may sharpen his tactical speed and
yield an improved performance. The addition of jockey Jose Ortiz is also
encouraging, since Ortiz has been far and away the dominant jockey at Fair
Grounds this meet, winning at a 29% rate.
Assuming the Fair Grounds
main track comes up fair on Saturday, I believe we'll see Built rebound with a
victory in the Louisiana Derby.
For second place, I like #1 John Hancock (7-2), the undefeated
winner of the Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs last month. In the Sam F.
Davis, John Hancock tenaciously led from the start to defeat next-out Tampa Bay
Derby (G3) winner Owen Almighty by half a length, with last year's Remsen (G2) winner
Poster another 2 1/4 lengths back in third place.
John Hancock campaigns for
the hot jockey/trainer duo of Flavien Prat and Brad Cox, who teamed up to win
the 2024 Louisiana Derby with Catching Freedom. From the rail post, I expect to
see John Hancock come out running and take this field as far as he can on the
front end.
John Hancock's stablemate #9 Instant Replay (6-1) is another
logical contender after rallying to dominate a 1 1/16-mile $100,000 allowance
optional claimer at Fair Grounds by five lengths with a 92 Beyer.
Also, don't leave longshot #7 Vassimo (12-1) out of your trifecta
tickets. He may be one of the longest shots on the morning line, but this Todd
Pletcher trainee won his first two starts in fine fashion before finishing a
respectable fourth (ahead of American Promise and Render Judgment) in the Risen
Star.
In the Risen Star, Vassimo
found himself racing behind and in between horses, and I'm not sure he relished
his position. He dropped back sharply around the final turn, but once steered
to the far outside, he re-rallied with interest to finish fourth. Drawing post
seven in the Risen Star should allow five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey
Irad Ortiz Jr. to keep Vassimo out of traffic and guide the son of Nyquist to a
stronger finish.
Selections
1st: Built
2nd: John Hancock
3rd: Vassimo
4th: Instant Replay
Now it's your turn! Who do
you like in the Louisiana Derby?
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as "Keelerman") is a writer, videographer, voice actor, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite.
