Autumn Warrior will try to stretch speed in Prelude

The undefeated Autumn Warrior has a chance to steal away in the $60,000 Prelude Stakes, which will have a brand new look on Saturday at Louisiana Downs. A field of 11 is set to start, including Dream Baby Dream, the runner-up in the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby, and stakes winners Double Star and Analyze This Jet.

The Prelude, which is the local prep for the Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby, is back on dirt after a one-year experiment of running both of the stakes on turf. In another change, it will offer its first four finishers a fees-paid berth into the Super Derby, according to David Heitzmann, director of racing and racing secretary for Louisiana Downs. In the past, only the Prelude winner earned a berth into the Super Derby. It’s a perk that’s worth $2,500 a horse.

Autumn Warrior’s trainer, Al Stall Jr., pulled the Prelude-Super Derby double back in 2010 with Apart. Autumn Warrior enters this year’s Prelude, which will be run at 1 1/16 miles, off a 6 3/4-length victory in the $50,000 Lafayette on June 23 at Evangeline Downs. In his only other start, the horse was a 14 1/2-length debut winner in a May 5 maiden special weight at Louisiana Downs. Autumn Warrior will be making his two-turn debut and gets pedigree support as the son of Kentucky Derby winner Orb.

“Being by Orb, the race is a perfect fit for him,” Stall said. “It’s the right time, going from six furlongs to seven furlongs, and now two turns. We’ll see if it works.”

Autumn Warrior was part of a quick pace in the Lafayette, a seven-furlong race for Louisiana-breds in which he attended an opening quarter in 22.21 seconds, a half-mile in 44.73 and took over through six furlongs in 1:10.29.

“Those were pretty fast fractions,” Stall said. “Going two turns, I’d have to think he’d be pretty close, also. I imagine he’ll be very forwardly placed, if not on the lead.”

Colby Hernandez has the mount from post 7 for breeder and owner Autumn Hill Farms Racing Stables.

Dream Baby Dream is a closer and figures to be a real threat through the stretch. He rallied from next-to-last in the Sunland Derby on March 25 and earlier in his career won a maiden special weight from off the pace going seven-eighths at Churchill Downs. Diego Saenz has the mount for Dream Baby Dream Racing Stable and trainer Steve Asmussen.

Double Star is moving back to the main track for trainer Bob Schultz and when last seen on dirt he won back-to-back restricted stakes at Evangeline, taking the Equine Sales Derby at a mile on May 5 and the Louisiana Legends Cheval in an 8 1/4-length tour-de-force performance May 26.