WinStar Farm's Revolutionary , game winner of the Withers Stakes (gr. III) in his previous start, has been installed as the 3-1 favorite for the $1 million Louisiana Derby (gr. II) to be run March 30 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Revolutionary (War Pass—Runup the Colors) will face 13 other sophomores including Gary and Mary West's 9-2 second choice Code West and Dogwood Stables' Palace Malice , 5-1 on the morning line.
The 100th anniversary edition of the 1 1/8-mile Louisiana Derby is slated as race nine of 13—seven of which are stakes—with an approximate post time of 5:44 p.m. CDT. First post is 1 p.m. CDT; the Louisiana Derby will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network as part of a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" broadcast that starts at 5 p.m. CDT.
LOUISIANA DERBY
100th RUNNING
MOST WINS BY A JOCKEY: Pat Day 5, Ray Broussard 4. Active – Shane Sellers 2.
MOST WINS BY A TRAINER: John B. Theall 3.
FACTOIDS: D. Wayne Lukas, Steve Asmussen and Todd Pletcher each have won the La. Derby twice. All three have runners in Saturday's race.
Hero of Order (Eddie Martin, Jr. & Gennadi Dorochenko) won the 2012 race at 109-1
Rushaway won the 1936 La. Derby, also won the Illinois & Latonia Derbys later in back-to-back days! Rushaway ran 25 times at age 3, winning nine.
Compiled by Gary Dougherty
The Louisiana Derby is worth 170 points—100 for first, 40 for second, 20 for third and 10 for fourth—in the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series that determines qualifying for the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Revolutionary, who will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 3, currently ranks 24th on the leaderboard with 10 points earned in the Feb. 2 Withers. For a full feature on the colt's pedigree with quotes from breeder W.S. Farish, click here.
Code West, a son of Lemon Drop Kid , is 17th with 20 points earned in a runner-up finish last out in the Feb. 23 Risen Star Stakes (gr. II). The Bob Baffert trainee was beaten a nose by Ive Struck a Nerve, who is no longer on the Triple Crown trail; he leaves post 8 under Martin Garcia. Palace Malice, a son of Curlin also trained by Pletcher, was third, a half-length back, in the Risen Star. He is tied for 26th with 10 points and will be ridden by Edgar Prado from post 2.
Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's undefeated Departing and Paul Hornung and partners' Titletown Five are the co-fourth choices in the early line at 8-1. Departing, conditioned by three-time Fair Grounds champion trainer Al Stall Jr., won Sam Houston's $50,000 Texas Heritage Stakes March 2 and remains unbeaten in three career starts. Regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. is named from post 7 aboard the son of War Front .
Titletown Five, a Tiznow colt owned by the NFL Hall of Famer Hornung and others, is conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and will have jockey Jon Court in the irons from post 10.
Completing the Louisiana Derby field are Mike McCarty's Proud Strike, GoldMark Farm's Mylute, Brittlyn Stable's Sunbean, Charles Fipke's Golden Soul, Marette Farrell and partners' Ground Transport, Cindy Wade's Hip Four Sixtynine, Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Brazilian Court, Erich Brehm and Gene Voss's Whiskey Bravo, and Nina Bai Yuhong and Dave Currie's Nina's Dragon.
PP, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds
1. Hip Four Sixtynine, Jamie Theriot, Bobby Barnett, 30-1
2. Palace Malice, Edgar Prado, Todd Pletcher, 5-1
3. Revolutionary, Javier Castellano, Todd Pletcher, 3-1
4. Golden Soul, Calvin Borel, Dallas Stewart, 20-1
5. Whisky Bravo, James Graham, Keith Desormeaux, 30-1
6. Sunbean, Colby Hernandez, Al Stall Jr., 12-1
7. Departing, Brian Hernandez Jr., Al Stall Jr., 8-1
8. Code West, Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert, 9-2
9. Proud Strike, Corey Nakatani, Steve Asmussen, 10-1
10. Titletown Five, Jon Court, D. Wayne Lukas, 8-1
11. Mylute, Shaun Bridgmohan, Tom Amoss, 12-1
12. Brazilian Court, Miguel Mena, Mike Maker, 30-1
13. Ground Transport, Mark Guidry, Michael Stidham, 20-1
14. Nina's Dragon, Julien Couton, Lloyd Mason, 30-1
All carry 122 pounds