Epicenter to meet eight rivals in Louisiana Derby; Echo Zulu entered in Fair Grounds Oaks
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Nine horses, headed by Risen Star Stakes winner Epicenter, were entered Saturday for the $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 26 at Fair Grounds.
The Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, carrying 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, will be the last of 12 races next Saturday on an eight-stakes card that also features the 2022 debut of Echo Zulu. The champion 2-year-old filly of 2021 on the strength of a perfect season during which she won three Grade 1s, Echo Zulu will be heavily favored to beat five rivals in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks.
Steve Asmussen trains Echo Zulu for L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds and trains Epicenter for Winchell Thoroughbreds. Epicenter, too, figures to be solidly favored.
Epicenter was installed as the 7-5 morning-line choice on the strength of wins during the Fair Grounds meet in the Dec. 26 Gun Runner and in the Feb. 19 Risen Star, which he dominated on the front end. Epicenter finished second by a nose in the Jan. 22 Lecomte Stakes to Call Me Midnight, whose connections passed the Risen Star to target the Louisiana Derby.
Contested over 1 3/16 miles, making it the longest North American Kentucky Derby prep, the Louisiana Derby’s top four finishers will earn, respectively, 100, 40, 20, and 10 Derby qualifying points. Epicenter already has earned 64 points, enough to secure him a spot in the 20-horse Derby field.
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The entire Louisiana Derby field, from the rail out with jockeys, is Silent Power (Gerard Melancon), Zozos (Florent Geroux), Call Me Midnight (James Graham), Curly Tail (Colby Hernandez), Kupuna (Reylu Gutierrez), Epicenter (Joel Rosario), Pioneer of Medina (Tyler Gaffalione), Galt (Junior Alvarado), and Rattle N Roll (Brian Hernandez Jr.).
Pioneer of Medina, fourth in the Risen Star, was made the 5-1 second choice on the track’s morning line, which listed Zozos at 8-1, but Zozos should wind up a considerably shorter price than that. A debut sprint winner at Fair Grounds, Zozos ran his record to two wins from two starts with a 10 1/4-length first-level route allowance romp Feb. 11 at Oaklawn Park.
That performance yielded a 92 Beyer Speed Figure and with Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox helming the ship, Zozos should receive ample support. Zozos has speed and is drawn inside Epicenter, who has done his best work on the front end, too.
“I’m okay with the post,” Cox said Saturday. “We’re going to break running and see how things go. He breezed really well this morning and I think he’s set up for a big effort. It’s a big ask, third start of his career and going a mile and three-sixteenths, but this is the position he’s put himself in.”
Zozos worked a half-mile in 49.20 seconds Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Rattle N Roll and Galt both exit the Fountain of Youth on March 5 at Gulfstream Park. Rattle N Roll, winner of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity last fall at Keeneland, finished sixth, though trainer Kenny McPeek said before the Fountain of Youth that Rattle N Roll likely would need the start to shake off cobwebs. Galt’s jockey, Joel Rosario, was unseated at the top of the stretch in a chain reaction that caused High Oak to fall.
Echo Zulu drew post 1 in the 1 1/16-mile Fair Grounds Oaks, her first start since winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies by 5 1/4 lengths last Nov. 5.
“Honestly, the post is fine. I’m just extremely excited to see her name back on an overnight,” Asmussen said.
Rosario also rides Echo Zulu, who meets, in post order, Turnerloose, Favor, Bernabreezy, Sequist, and Hidden Connection.
The Fair Grounds Oaks wasn’t the only stakes that drew limited entries; The $500,000 New Orleans Classic went with just a six-horse field while the $300,000 Muniz Memorial has nine entrants.
Olympiad, so impressive winning the Mineshaft Stakes last month at Fair Grounds, will be favored in the 1 1/8-mile New Orleans Classic, which also lured Promise Keeper, Super Stock, Happy American, and Proxy. Proxy makes his second start at age 4 after a strong allowance race comeback score last month.
Chad Brown entered two horses, Sacred Life and Devamani, in the Muniz, a nine-furlong grass race. Cavalry Charge, upset winner of the Fair Grounds Stakes last month, and Santin, who was fourth in the same race and should improve in the Muniz, also run, as does Two Emmys, who was second to Colonel Liam in the 2021 Muniz.
Also carded are the $100,000 Tom Benson Memorial for older female turf-route horses and three Louisiana-bred stakes. First post is noon Central, with the Louisiana Derby scheduled for 5:44 p.m.