The Grade 2 Louisiana Derby is the featured attraction in four major graded stakes this Saturday at Fair Grounds Race Course. The event for three-year-old thoroughbreds has a $1 million purse prize and qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs the first Saturday in May.
Other graded stakes races include the New Orleans Classic, Muniz Memorial Classic and Fair Grounds Oaks. One of the non-graded stakes race on the card is the Crescent City Derby. Also for three year olds, this covers 1 1/16 miles on dirt and it is the first event of the program at 1 p.m. (ET).
2023 Louisiana Derby Predictions
When: Saturday, March 25th 2023
Where: Fair Grounds Race Course
The Grade 2 Louisiana Derby has 12 entries on the race card. My choices for running in the money are Instant Coffee, Kingsbarns and Tapit’s Conquest. However, there are another two or three legitimate contenders lurking in the field.
Win: Instant Coffee
Starting at the No. 2 gate at 2-1 odds in this race with jockey Luis Saez, this Kentucky-bred colt made his three-year-old debut at Fair Ground by winning the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 21. He covered 1 1/16 miles on dirt in 1:45.12 over Two Phil’s and Confidence Game. Trained by Brad Cox, Instant Coffee has raced for Gold Square LLC.
As the son of Bolt d’Ore, he has raced at Saratoga, Keeneland, Churchill Downs and Fair Grounds. He won three of four events at these horse tracks. Instant Coffee has gone 1 1/16 miles in his last three races.
Place: Kingsbarns
Coming in at 6-1 odds on the morning line, Kingsbarns is trained by Todd Pletcher. He is breaking from the No. 6 gate in the Louisiana Derby with Flavien Prat as his jockey. His previous races have all been at Florida horse tracks this year with first place finishes in a one-mile Maiden Special Weight race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 14 and a 1-mile 40-yard Allowance race on Feb. 12 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Sired by Uncle Mo, Kingsbarns did not compete as a two-year-old, but he made up for lost time early in his three year career. The Kentucky-bred colt has raced for Spendthrift Farm, LLC.
Show: Tapit’s Conquest
Brad Cox also trains this three-year-old colt as a son of Tapit. He finished second in 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 21 in an Allowance race at Fair Grounds before finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Risen Stars on Feb. 18 at this same horse track. Tapit’s Conquest is starting the Louisiana Derby at No. 9 with jockey Manuel Franco.
Tapit’s Conquest finished second and first in races as a two-year old. He is raising the bar in both distance and grade with his race in the Louisiana Derby. However, the pedigree of Tapit over back to AP Indy says he is a live longshot to finish in the money at 10-1 odds on the morning line.
