Saturday’s Race Card at Fair Grounds Features Key Kentucky Derby Prep

The prep race season for three-year old Thoroughbreds on the 2021 Kentucky Derby Trail is in full swing. One of the biggest prep races in January will be run this Saturday at Fair Grounds Race Course in Louisiana. The entire card is filled with exciting horse betting action from start to finish.

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Leading up to the main event of the day is the Louisiana Stakes for a few veteran Thoroughbreds. This is also one of the highly anticipated graded stakes races on Saturday’s card.

2021 Louisiana Stakes Predictions

When: Saturday, January 16th 2021 at 5:23 PM ET

The Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes is open to Thoroughbreds four years and older. The race will be contested on the dirt track at Fair Grounds over a total distance of 1 1/16 miles.

A full field of nine contenders are entered into this race led by Wells Bayou with a Horse Racing Nation rating of 7.05. Trained by Brad Cox, this four-year old Kentucky-bred colt will break from the No. 8 post with Florent Geroux as his jockey.

The son of Lookin at Lucky has not run competitively since last May after placing fifth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. He was hot on last year’s Kentucky Derby trail with a victory in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at this track on March 21.

His biggest competition this Saturday should come from Sonneman, breaking right next to him at No. 9. No. 3 Silver Prospector is another strong entry to work into the mix.

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2021 Lecomte Stakes Predictions

When: Saturday, January 16th 2021 at 6:49 PM ET

As an early Fair Grounds prep leading up to the 2021 Louisiana Derby in late March, this Grade 3 stakes race for three-year old Thoroughbreds covers 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

The field for this year’s Lecomte is 12 deep and solid from start to finish with each entry carrying a HRN rating. There are seven colts coming off a recent victory their previous time out. This includes a pair of winners at Fair Grounds in a December Maiden Special Weight race.

While the field is deep in talent, the first two entries have caught my eye with a strong performance in a Graded event to close out their juvenile campaign.

Trainer Steve Asmussen’s Midnight Bourbon will break from the No. 1 post with jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. on board. This three-year Kentucky-bred colt is on the Kentucky Derby Trail after placing third in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park in early October.

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Sired by Tiznow, he took second place at Churchill Downs in the Grade 2 Iroquois Stakes the month before. In four events as a two-year old, he placed in the money every time.

Starting from the No. 2 gate on Saturday is Arabian Prince. Trained by Dallas Stewart, he will have Brian Hernandez Jr. as his jockey. Also bred in Kentucky, this three-year old closed out last year with a third-place run in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill behind Keepmeinmind and Smiley Sabotka.

All three of his races as a two-year old were run at Churchill. The son of Mshawish’s lone victory was in a Maiden Special Weight race on last year’s delayed Derby Day (Sept. 2). Proxy (6.45) and Mandaloun (6.28) should also be a factor in this year’s Lecomte as the highest rated contenders by HRN.

Win big by betting on exactas and trifectas this weekend at Fair Grounds.