Betting Guide
2024 Louisiana Derby
Saturday, March 23, 2024
By TVG Staff
Updated: March 20, 2024
The 2024 Louisiana Derby will be run on Saturday, March 23, at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Grade 2 horse race, which features a rich purse of $1 million, is perennially one of the most important Kentucky Derby preps, and it typically draws a large and competitive field. At a mile and three-sixteenths, it is also one of the longest Derby preps, giving horses a great chance to test their stamina before the first Saturday in May.
The Louisiana Derby is open to both male and female thoroughbreds, but drew only males for its 12-horse field in 2024. Two horses have won both the Louisiana Derby and the Kentucky Derby: Black Gold in 1924 and Grindstone in 1996. More recently, in 2019, the fourth-place finisher in the Louisiana Derby upset the Kentucky Derby at 65-1 odds: Country House.
Its sister race, the Fair Grounds Oaks, has been even more productive. It has produced nine Kentucky Oaks winners including Untapable, Rachel Alexandra, and Proud Spell.
2024 Louisiana Derby Odds
The field for the 2024 Louisiana Derby features a full 12 horses. The morning-line favorite is Track Phantom, who has shined through the entire series of Kentucky Derby prep races at Fair Grounds. However, with a far-outside draw, the Louisiana Derby could be the place for someone else to get the best of the favorite!
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | ML Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triple Espresso | Todd Pletcher | Luis Saez | 20-1 |
| 2 | Hall of Fame | Steve Asmussen | Ricardo Santana | 8-1 |
| 3 | Antiquarian | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 12-1 |
| 4 | Agate Road | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 8-1 |
| 5 | Catching Freedom | Brad Cox | Flavien Prat | 4-1 |
| 6 | Awesome Ruta | Joseph Foster | Mitchell Murrill | 30-1 |
| 7 | Honor Marie | Whit Bechman | Ben Curtis | 8-1 |
| 8 | Next Level | Keith Desormeaux | Jose Riquelme | 30-1 |
| 9 | Real Men Violin | Kenny McPeek | Corey Lanerie | 20-1 |
| 10 | Common Defense | Kenny McPeek | Brian Hernandez, Jr. | 6-1 |
| 11 | Tuscan Gold | Chad Brown | Tyler Gaffalione | 8-1 |
| 12 | Track Phantom | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 3-1 |
Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course is just a quick three-mile drive from the center of downtown New Orleans. It was opened in 1838, and is a popular winter destination for trainers that spend the rest of the year in Kentucky or New York.
The beautiful, quaint venue has a prestigious meet every winter, headlined by the Louisiana Derby. Famous Triple Crown contenders such as Risen Star and Gun Runner have called the track home at one point. With a rich $1 million purse at stake, the race draws excellent horses every year, and the top four finishers from the Louisiana Derby are often solid contenders on the First Saturday in May.
Louisiana Derby Prep Results
The Louisiana Derby tops off a series of local prep races that began with the latest addition to the Fair Grounds spur of the trail, the Gun Runner Stakes in December. That race went to Track Phantom, a Steve Asmussen trainee who is favored for the Louisiana Derby. Track Phantom posed for the track photographer again after the second Kentucky Derby prep race at Fair Grounds, the $200,000 Lecomte (G3), which Track Phantom won by daylight.
Stretching out to 1 ⅛ miles for the $400,000 Risen Star (G2), Track Phantom met his match, leading in the lane but surrendering late to Sierra Leone, settling for second by half a length. Sierra Leone does not return to New Orleans, but Track Phantom will try to get back into winning form against a full field of improving sophomores.
Louisiana Derby Contenders
The final field has been drawn, and these are the leading contenders for the 2024 Louisiana Derby:
Agate Road: He spent the first five races of his career looking like a really nice turf horse, but a try in the Sam F. Davis proved he can shine on the dirt, too. He is going to have to get closer to the pace than last out, but he has done so on the grass, and the switch back to Irad Ortiz suggests he may get that trip again.
Antiquarian: The only other real speed horse in this race other than Track Phantom, if Track Phantom gets hung out badly because of his gate, Antiquarian could get an extremely cozy trip. It won’t be an easy test, stepping up to a Kentucky Derby prep race in his first start against winners, but his distance breeding appeals and no trainer is better in this race than Todd Pletcher.
Catching Freedom: Winner of the Smarty Jones, a Kentucky Derby prep race at Oaklawn, he hasn’t run a bad race in four starts. He needs a step forward to match the top end of the field, but coming off a bit longer break between that and the Risen Star, and stretching out to a distance for which his pedigree has some appeal, this Brad Cox trainee does have upside to do even better.
Common Defense: He has yet to win a stakes race but his second-place finish in the Rebel after always being reasonably close to the pace was an excellent step forward. The biggest question is whether that was too much of a step forward, and he will regress. But, if he can replicate that effort, he has an appealing distance pedigree and the right running style to be a factor.
Hall of Fame: He disappointed in the slop, finishing only seventh in the Risen Star (G2), but should get better track conditions for the Louisiana Derby. And, with both good distance breeding and tactical speed that should keep him close to a pace that stands to be modest at best, the “B” stringer from the Steve Asmussen barn could look top-class in the end.
Honor Marie: He was only fifth in the Risen Star, his seasonal debut, but he had to handle a sloppy track, and he was making up some ground in the end. He should be sharper second off the layoff, and his excellent effort winning the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last fall suggests he is not a plodder, but rather a horse who can make an early move into a modest pace to grab the win. That may be the winning run.
Track Phantom: The morning-line favorite also gets a favorable pace flow, as a forward type in a race with very few runners who like to be on or near the lead. That certainly helps his case. However, he has to overcome a far-outside post draw, which could lead to him losing a lot of ground. And, the way that he flattened late in the Risen Star suggests this extra distance may not be what he wants.
Louisiana Derby Past Winners Past Performances
Even though only two horses have won both the Louisiana Derby and the Kentucky Derby, Black Gold and Grindstone, several other winners have gone on to importance in the Sport of Kings.
2022 winner Epicenter crossed the wire second in the Kentucky Derby and went on to win the Travers (G1), while 2021 winner Hot Rod Charlie was third in the Kentucky Derby and went on to win the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) as well. 2019 victor By My Standards has gone on to be one of the most important horses of 2020 and 2021, winning against top-class competition.
Gun Runner took the race in 2016 and went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup as an older horse. Going further back in time, Risen Star won the Louisiana Derby and then added the Preakness and Belmont Stakes after missing in the Kentucky Derby.
In 2019, Country House finished fourth in the Louisiana Derby. He was a huge longshot when he went to the post for the Kentucky Derby that year, but he was put up for the win after the disqualification of Maximum Security. He is the race’s most recent Kentucky Derby winner!
Post Time for the Louisiana Derby
The 2024 Louisiana Derby post time is scheduled for 5:42 pm CDT on Saturday, March 23.
The race offers points towards the 2023 Kentucky Derby, as the winner gets 100 points, second earns 50, third earns 25, fourth earns 25, and fifth earns 10. The winner is virtually guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, and even the 40 points for second is enough for a berth most years. Between these points and the $1 million purse, it is an attractive race for any owner with a Derby prospect!
Louisiana Derby Undercard
This Louisiana Derby card offers excellent betting opportunities, beyond just the day’s feature race. It is one of eight stakes races on the day’s 12-race card, the second-to-last day of the winter meet. Louisiana-bred three-year-olds get their chance to shine in three state-bred stakes: the $125,000 Crescent City Derby, $125,000 Crescent City Oaks, and $100,000 Costa Rising Stakes. Among open company, older turf route fillies and mares will contest the $150,000 Tom Benson Memorial. Older turf males have the Muniz Memorial Classic (G2), a $300,000 affair. On dirt, older males will contest the $500,000 New Orleans Classic (G2).
In addition to the Louisiana Derby, Classic-bound fillies will contest the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2). It is perennially one of the most important Kentucky Oaks preps, and its winner gets 100 points for the Kentucky Oaks, which have always been enough to get a spot on race day.
About Fair Grounds
Fair Grounds Race Course, known to some locally as New Orleans Fair Grounds, operates as a modern racino featuring not only the live horse racing but also the casino which helps massively boost revenue and therefore purse sizes.
This site, bearing in mind all its guises over the years, is the second oldest horse racing venue in America still in use (see this history of the track below).
Downtown New Orleans is only three miles away meaning this popular old site can bring in big crowds on its popular thoroughbred race days.
Six Grade 2 Horse races are held at Fair Grounds and they are the highlight of the meet. They are:
Fair Grounds Oaks
Louisiana Derby
Mervin H. Muninz Jr. Memorial Handicap
Rachel Alexander Stakes
Risen Star Stakes
Fair Grounds History
The first races at what was then the Louisiana Race Course were organized by Bernard de Marigny and others as far back as 1839 though as was the way with so many new entities back in the day, the course did have to close at one stage.
It was reopened as Union Race Course in 1852 but closed after five years having not coped with competition from the neighboring Metairie Course. Another renaming came in 1859 although not much was happening at the Creole Race Course until in 1863, when it became Fair Grounds, racing was scheduled during the Civil War.
Following a reopening of the aforementioned Metairie Course, Fair Grounds was once again closed in 1871 but quickly returned the following year under the guidance of the Louisiana Jockey Club.
Racing was banned in New Orleans in 1908, though the track survived hosting motor racing and in 1940 legislation was given to allow racing once again in the area. New investors saved the track from certain destruction in 1941 and ensured horse racing was to continue after World War II.
A stable period followed and in 1981 the turf course was laid and then the facility sold on in 1990. Following a devastating fire a new grandstand had to be built in 1994 at a cost of $27 million, a grand reopening taking place on Thanksgiving Day 1997.
Although further damaged by Hurricane Katrina, another Thanksgiving Day reopening occurred in 2006 and since then the track has run on an even keel and remains popular with traditional racegoers.
Louisiana Derby FAQ
Q: When is the Louisiana Derby?
A: The 2024 Louisiana Derby takes place on Saturday, March 23. It is the twelfth and final race on the card.
Q: Where is the Louisiana Derby?
A: It takes place at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Louisiana Derby?
A: Todd Pletcher won his fifth edition of this race in 2023, making him the lone leader in Louisiana Derby wins. He can extend his record to six if Agate Road, Antiquarian, or Triple Espresso wins the race. Steve Asmussen is just behind him with four, and can tie the record if Track Phantom or Hall of Fame wins.
Q: Who is the favorite for the 2024 Louisiana Derby?
A: Track Phantom is the 3-1 morning-line favorite despite a rough outside draw. Thanks to his strong performance in the rest of the Kentucky Derby prep races at Fair Grounds, combined with his trainer Steve Asmussen’s strong record in the race, he will likely go off the favorite come post time.
Q: Who is the best Louisiana Derby jockey?
A: The now-retired jockey Pat Day rode the winner five times. Among jockeys with a horse in the 2024 edition, Joel Rosario has two recent wins with Hot Rod Charlie (2021) and Epicenter (2022), and will try to win another with Track Phantom.
Q: Who won the 2023 Louisiana Derby?
A: Kingsbarns, for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Flavien Prat, ran to the money in the 2023 edition of the Louisiana Derby. Prat does not ride this year, but Pletcher entered Agate Road, Antquarian, and Triple Espresso.
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Get your first win wager on a single horse in any race at any track up to $200 back if you lose!By TVG Staff
Updated: March 20, 2024
The 2024 Louisiana Derby will be run on Saturday, March 23, at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Grade 2 horse race, which features a rich purse of $1 million, is perennially one of the most important Kentucky Derby preps, and it typically draws a large and competitive field. At a mile and three-sixteenths, it is also one of the longest Derby preps, giving horses a great chance to test their stamina before the first Saturday in May.
The Louisiana Derby is open to both male and female thoroughbreds, but drew only males for its 12-horse field in 2024. Two horses have won both the Louisiana Derby and the Kentucky Derby: Black Gold in 1924 and Grindstone in 1996. More recently, in 2019, the fourth-place finisher in the Louisiana Derby upset the Kentucky Derby at 65-1 odds: Country House.
Its sister race, the Fair Grounds Oaks, has been even more productive. It has produced nine Kentucky Oaks winners including Untapable, Rachel Alexandra, and Proud Spell.
2024 Louisiana Derby Odds
The field for the 2024 Louisiana Derby features a full 12 horses. The morning-line favorite is Track Phantom, who has shined through the entire series of Kentucky Derby prep races at Fair Grounds. However, with a far-outside draw, the Louisiana Derby could be the place for someone else to get the best of the favorite!
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | ML Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triple Espresso | Todd Pletcher | Luis Saez | 20-1 |
| 2 | Hall of Fame | Steve Asmussen | Ricardo Santana | 8-1 |
| 3 | Antiquarian | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 12-1 |
| 4 | Agate Road | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 8-1 |
| 5 | Catching Freedom | Brad Cox | Flavien Prat | 4-1 |
| 6 | Awesome Ruta | Joseph Foster | Mitchell Murrill | 30-1 |
| 7 | Honor Marie | Whit Bechman | Ben Curtis | 8-1 |
| 8 | Next Level | Keith Desormeaux | Jose Riquelme | 30-1 |
| 9 | Real Men Violin | Kenny McPeek | Corey Lanerie | 20-1 |
| 10 | Common Defense | Kenny McPeek | Brian Hernandez, Jr. | 6-1 |
| 11 | Tuscan Gold | Chad Brown | Tyler Gaffalione | 8-1 |
| 12 | Track Phantom | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 3-1 |
Fair Grounds Race Course
Fair Grounds Race Course is just a quick three-mile drive from the center of downtown New Orleans. It was opened in 1838, and is a popular winter destination for trainers that spend the rest of the year in Kentucky or New York.
The beautiful, quaint venue has a prestigious meet every winter, headlined by the Louisiana Derby. Famous Triple Crown contenders such as Risen Star and Gun Runner have called the track home at one point. With a rich $1 million purse at stake, the race draws excellent horses every year, and the top four finishers from the Louisiana Derby are often solid contenders on the First Saturday in May.
Louisiana Derby Prep Results
The Louisiana Derby tops off a series of local prep races that began with the latest addition to the Fair Grounds spur of the trail, the Gun Runner Stakes in December. That race went to Track Phantom, a Steve Asmussen trainee who is favored for the Louisiana Derby. Track Phantom posed for the track photographer again after the second Kentucky Derby prep race at Fair Grounds, the $200,000 Lecomte (G3), which Track Phantom won by daylight.
Stretching out to 1 ⅛ miles for the $400,000 Risen Star (G2), Track Phantom met his match, leading in the lane but surrendering late to Sierra Leone, settling for second by half a length. Sierra Leone does not return to New Orleans, but Track Phantom will try to get back into winning form against a full field of improving sophomores.
Louisiana Derby Contenders
The final field has been drawn, and these are the leading contenders for the 2024 Louisiana Derby:
Agate Road: He spent the first five races of his career looking like a really nice turf horse, but a try in the Sam F. Davis proved he can shine on the dirt, too. He is going to have to get closer to the pace than last out, but he has done so on the grass, and the switch back to Irad Ortiz suggests he may get that trip again.
Antiquarian: The only other real speed horse in this race other than Track Phantom, if Track Phantom gets hung out badly because of his gate, Antiquarian could get an extremely cozy trip. It won’t be an easy test, stepping up to a Kentucky Derby prep race in his first start against winners, but his distance breeding appeals and no trainer is better in this race than Todd Pletcher.
Catching Freedom: Winner of the Smarty Jones, a Kentucky Derby prep race at Oaklawn, he hasn’t run a bad race in four starts. He needs a step forward to match the top end of the field, but coming off a bit longer break between that and the Risen Star, and stretching out to a distance for which his pedigree has some appeal, this Brad Cox trainee does have upside to do even better.
Common Defense: He has yet to win a stakes race but his second-place finish in the Rebel after always being reasonably close to the pace was an excellent step forward. The biggest question is whether that was too much of a step forward, and he will regress. But, if he can replicate that effort, he has an appealing distance pedigree and the right running style to be a factor.
Hall of Fame: He disappointed in the slop, finishing only seventh in the Risen Star (G2), but should get better track conditions for the Louisiana Derby. And, with both good distance breeding and tactical speed that should keep him close to a pace that stands to be modest at best, the “B” stringer from the Steve Asmussen barn could look top-class in the end.
Honor Marie: He was only fifth in the Risen Star, his seasonal debut, but he had to handle a sloppy track, and he was making up some ground in the end. He should be sharper second off the layoff, and his excellent effort winning the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last fall suggests he is not a plodder, but rather a horse who can make an early move into a modest pace to grab the win. That may be the winning run.
Track Phantom: The morning-line favorite also gets a favorable pace flow, as a forward type in a race with very few runners who like to be on or near the lead. That certainly helps his case. However, he has to overcome a far-outside post draw, which could lead to him losing a lot of ground. And, the way that he flattened late in the Risen Star suggests this extra distance may not be what he wants.
Louisiana Derby Past Winners Past Performances
Even though only two horses have won both the Louisiana Derby and the Kentucky Derby, Black Gold and Grindstone, several other winners have gone on to importance in the Sport of Kings.
2022 winner Epicenter crossed the wire second in the Kentucky Derby and went on to win the Travers (G1), while 2021 winner Hot Rod Charlie was third in the Kentucky Derby and went on to win the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) as well. 2019 victor By My Standards has gone on to be one of the most important horses of 2020 and 2021, winning against top-class competition.
Gun Runner took the race in 2016 and went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup as an older horse. Going further back in time, Risen Star won the Louisiana Derby and then added the Preakness and Belmont Stakes after missing in the Kentucky Derby.
In 2019, Country House finished fourth in the Louisiana Derby. He was a huge longshot when he went to the post for the Kentucky Derby that year, but he was put up for the win after the disqualification of Maximum Security. He is the race’s most recent Kentucky Derby winner!
Post Time for the Louisiana Derby
The 2024 Louisiana Derby post time is scheduled for 5:42 pm CDT on Saturday, March 23.
The race offers points towards the 2023 Kentucky Derby, as the winner gets 100 points, second earns 50, third earns 25, fourth earns 25, and fifth earns 10. The winner is virtually guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, and even the 40 points for second is enough for a berth most years. Between these points and the $1 million purse, it is an attractive race for any owner with a Derby prospect!
Louisiana Derby Undercard
This Louisiana Derby card offers excellent betting opportunities, beyond just the day’s feature race. It is one of eight stakes races on the day’s 12-race card, the second-to-last day of the winter meet. Louisiana-bred three-year-olds get their chance to shine in three state-bred stakes: the $125,000 Crescent City Derby, $125,000 Crescent City Oaks, and $100,000 Costa Rising Stakes. Among open company, older turf route fillies and mares will contest the $150,000 Tom Benson Memorial. Older turf males have the Muniz Memorial Classic (G2), a $300,000 affair. On dirt, older males will contest the $500,000 New Orleans Classic (G2).
In addition to the Louisiana Derby, Classic-bound fillies will contest the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2). It is perennially one of the most important Kentucky Oaks preps, and its winner gets 100 points for the Kentucky Oaks, which have always been enough to get a spot on race day.
About Fair Grounds
Fair Grounds Race Course, known to some locally as New Orleans Fair Grounds, operates as a modern racino featuring not only the live horse racing but also the casino which helps massively boost revenue and therefore purse sizes.
This site, bearing in mind all its guises over the years, is the second oldest horse racing venue in America still in use (see this history of the track below).
Downtown New Orleans is only three miles away meaning this popular old site can bring in big crowds on its popular thoroughbred race days.
Six Grade 2 Horse races are held at Fair Grounds and they are the highlight of the meet. They are:
Fair Grounds Oaks
Louisiana Derby
Mervin H. Muninz Jr. Memorial Handicap
Rachel Alexander Stakes
Risen Star Stakes
Fair Grounds History
The first races at what was then the Louisiana Race Course were organized by Bernard de Marigny and others as far back as 1839 though as was the way with so many new entities back in the day, the course did have to close at one stage.
It was reopened as Union Race Course in 1852 but closed after five years having not coped with competition from the neighboring Metairie Course. Another renaming came in 1859 although not much was happening at the Creole Race Course until in 1863, when it became Fair Grounds, racing was scheduled during the Civil War.
Following a reopening of the aforementioned Metairie Course, Fair Grounds was once again closed in 1871 but quickly returned the following year under the guidance of the Louisiana Jockey Club.
Racing was banned in New Orleans in 1908, though the track survived hosting motor racing and in 1940 legislation was given to allow racing once again in the area. New investors saved the track from certain destruction in 1941 and ensured horse racing was to continue after World War II.
A stable period followed and in 1981 the turf course was laid and then the facility sold on in 1990. Following a devastating fire a new grandstand had to be built in 1994 at a cost of $27 million, a grand reopening taking place on Thanksgiving Day 1997.
Although further damaged by Hurricane Katrina, another Thanksgiving Day reopening occurred in 2006 and since then the track has run on an even keel and remains popular with traditional racegoers.
Louisiana Derby FAQ
Q: When is the Louisiana Derby?
A: The 2024 Louisiana Derby takes place on Saturday, March 23. It is the twelfth and final race on the card.
Q: Where is the Louisiana Derby?
A: It takes place at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Louisiana Derby?
A: Todd Pletcher won his fifth edition of this race in 2023, making him the lone leader in Louisiana Derby wins. He can extend his record to six if Agate Road, Antiquarian, or Triple Espresso wins the race. Steve Asmussen is just behind him with four, and can tie the record if Track Phantom or Hall of Fame wins.
Q: Who is the favorite for the 2024 Louisiana Derby?
A: Track Phantom is the 3-1 morning-line favorite despite a rough outside draw. Thanks to his strong performance in the rest of the Kentucky Derby prep races at Fair Grounds, combined with his trainer Steve Asmussen’s strong record in the race, he will likely go off the favorite come post time.
Q: Who is the best Louisiana Derby jockey?
A: The now-retired jockey Pat Day rode the winner five times. Among jockeys with a horse in the 2024 edition, Joel Rosario has two recent wins with Hot Rod Charlie (2021) and Epicenter (2022), and will try to win another with Track Phantom.
Q: Who won the 2023 Louisiana Derby?
A: Kingsbarns, for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Flavien Prat, ran to the money in the 2023 edition of the Louisiana Derby. Prat does not ride this year, but Pletcher entered Agate Road, Antquarian, and Triple Espresso.