Perennial leading sire Tapit led all North American stallions with 13 graded stakes winners in 2019. He is already off to a strong start toward defending his title in 2020, siring three stakes winners, two of those graded stakes winners at Fair Grounds, last Saturday. Headlining the day was Tapit's son Enforceable, who earned 10 points toward a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby as he won the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes, the first stop on the Fair Grounds road to the Triple Crown. The colt, who finished third in last fall's Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, has now won twice from seven career starts. “[Trainer Mark Casse] likes to put a good foundation into his 2-year-olds,” assistant trainer David Carroll said. “He trained beautifully down here and he is starting to mature. He’s a very kind horse to be around. … Hopefully as the distances get longer, he’ll continue to get better. It was a nice field today and we are just so proud of his race.” Tapit has not yet sired a Kentucky Derby winner, but is the sire of three winners of the Belmont Stakes, the only stallion to do so in the modern era of the last and longest leg of the Triple Crown. Earlier on the Fair Grounds card, the veteran Silver Dust, by Tapit, won the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes. This was the third career graded stakes victory for the 6-year-old gelding, who also won the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap last year at Fair Grounds and the Grade 3 West Virginia Governor's Stakes at Mountaineer. He placed in two other graded stakes last year. Tapit's third stakes winner on the day came as the well-bred Jehozacat won the Wayward Lass Stakes at Tampa Bay, her first stakes win. Tapit, by Pulpit, stands at Gainesway Farm and holds the single-season earnings record for a North American sire. Now the sire of 83 graded/group stakes winners on his career, he is only the third North American-based stallion to surpass $150 million in Northern Hemisphere progeny earnings, trailing only the late leading sires Giant's Causeway and Smart Strike for the career mark in that regard. Enforceable is the fourth graded stakes winner produced by Justwhistledixie, a multiple Grade 2 winner. The 14-year-old Dixie Union mare is the dam of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner New Year's Day, the sire of multiple Grade 1 winner Maximum Security; and of multiple Grade 2 winner Mohaymen and Grade 3 winner Kingly, both full brothers to Enforceable. The mare is the dam of a newly-turned 2-year-old colt by Pioneerof the Nile; has a yearling filly by Arrogate delivered last May; and was bred to Quality Road for the 2020 foaling season.