Jeff Duncan: At the Louisiana Derby, this Brad Cox trio headlines a deep, talented field
All signs point to the 110th running of the Louisiana Derby going through the powerful Brad Cox barn. At the Louisiana Derby, Brad Cox, a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award as thoroughbred racing’s Most Outstanding Trainer, has seven of the top 20 horses in the latest Kentucky Derby points standings and three of them are among the favorites in the 12-horse field for the $1 million Louisiana Derby. Instant Coffee leads the field with 32 qualifying points, while Tapit's Conquest (10-1), who ran fourth in the Risen Star Stakes last month, will break from the No. 9 post if he runs. Trainers Steve Asmussen and Todd Pletcher have won the race four times apiece and will have viable contenders to the Cox trio.
نشرت : منذ عامين بواسطة JEFF DUNCAN | SPORTS COLUMNIST في Sports
All signs point to the 110th running of the Louisiana Derby going through the powerful Brad Cox barn.
Cox, a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award as thoroughbred racing’s Most Outstanding Trainer, has seven of the top 20 horses in the latest Kentucky Derby points standings. And three of them — Instant Coffee, Jace’s Road and Tapit’s Conquest — rank among the favorites in the 12-horse field for the $1 million Louisiana Derby, the feature contest in a 15-race card on Saturday at Fair Grounds Race Course.
The $400,000 Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks will run before the Louisiana Derby, which has a scheduled post time of 5:42 p.m. Both races for 3-year-olds are the first preps in the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, and they offer 100-40-30-20-10 qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.
Cox horses have won each of the 3-year-old prep races on the Fair Grounds’ Road to the Derby circuit. Jace’s Road (12-1) won the Gun Runner in December and will break from the No. 11 post in the Louisiana Derby.
Instant Coffee, who leads the field with 32 qualifying points, won the Grade III Lecomte Stakes in January and is in the No. 2 post position.
Tapit's Conquest (10-1), who ran fourth in the Risen Star Stakes last month, will break from the No. 9 post if he runs. He is reportedly a potential scratch for the Louisiana Derby.
Cox, who has dominated the Fair Grounds leading trainer competition in recent years, finishing first or second in the previous six meets, won the Louisiana Derby three years ago with Wells Bayou.
Trainers Steve Asmussen and Todd Pletcher have won the race four times apiece and will have viable contenders to the Cox trio. Asmussen sends out a pair of improving 3-year-olds — Shopper’s Revenge (12-1) and Disarm (10-1) — from the Nos. 1 and 5 post positions, respectively.
Disarm opened eyes when he broke his maiden with a six-length win at Saratoga in August. After a six-month layoff, he returned to the races last month and finished second in an allowance race at Oaklawn Park.
المواضيع: Louisiana