Autumn Warrior beats crowd by neck in Prelude

It was a cavalry charge to the wire in the $60,000 Prelude Stakes on Saturday at Louisiana Downs and in the end even-money favorite Autumn Warrior came out on top in a four-way photo.

The race served as the local prep for next month’s Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby.

Autumn Warrior was a neck winner over G’s Turn, who finished a head in front of third-place finisher Zanesville. It was another nose back to McFeely in fourth.

The Prelude traditionally awards its winner a fees-paid berth into the Super Derby, but this year the first four finishers will all receive the $2,500 perk in a change that had been made ahead of this year’s race by Louisiana Downs director of racing David Heitzmann.

The Prelude, a 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds, was the lone open company race on a card of seven stakes. The other races made for the Louisiana Cup, a series of divisional stakes restricted to horses bred in Louisiana.

Autumn Warrior ($4) is now undefeated in three starts with his win in the Prelude, which marked the first start at two turns for the Louisiana-bred son of Orb. He did not break sharply in the 11-horse field, and raced midpack as In Charge Halo led through fractions of 24.66 seconds for the opening quarter, 49.33 for the half-mile and 1:14.79 for six furlongs. Autumn Warrior advanced on the second turn, came five wide into the stretch, and held off the late charge of G’s Turn while covering the distance on a fast track in 1:46.41.

“The horse had a troubled trip the whole way,” winning rider Colby Hernandez said.

Autumn Warrior was unable to get a clear run for much of the race, and around the second turn Hernandez said he decided to move him outside of his large group of rivals with the hope of getting to the wire first Saturday.

“He went on and finished up really strong,” said Hernandez, who was aboard for trainer Al Stall Jr.

Autumn Warrior launched his career May 5 at Louisiana Downs and romped by 14.50 lengths in a maiden special weight for Louisiana-breds. He then traveled to Evangeline Downs and won the $50,000 Lafayette by 6 3/4 lengths, a race in which he set quick fractions. The seven-furlong stakes for Louisiana-breds was run June 23.

Autumn Warrior is owned by his breeder, the Autumn Hills Farms Racing Stables of Robert Guidry.

“He’s a grand-looking horse,” Stall said.

Guidry told Louisiana Downs publicity plans are to advance to the Super Derby, which will be run Sept. 2.