John Hancock draws the rail in 10-horse field for Louisiana Derby

Ten 3-year-olds, headed, nominally, by John Hancock were entered Saturday for the $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 22 at Fair Grounds.

The Brad Cox-trained John Hancock won his debut Jan. 8 at Tampa Bay Downs and returned Feb. 8 with a half-length Sam F. Davis Stakes victory over Owen Almighty, who came back with an easy win in the Tampa Bay Derby. Cox entered John Hancock in the March 15 Virginia Derby but scratched the colt in favor of the Louisiana Derby, where he also runs last-out first-level Fair Grounds allowance winner Instant Replay.

John Hancock, Flavien Prat named to ride, drew post 1 for the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby, while Instant Replay and jockey Florent Geroux break from post 9.

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The morning line pegs Built as the 4-1 second choice. Built finished third in the Risen Star last month, just behind runner-up Chunk of Gold but more than nine lengths back of victorious Magnitude, who subsequently was sidelined with an injury. Built ended his 2-year-old campaign with a victory in the Gun Runner Stakes in December, then finished second in the Lecomte about two months ago. Built got a jockey change to Luis Saez in the Risen Star but in the Louisiana Derby breaks from post 6 under new rider Jose Ortiz.

Chunk of Gold, based at Turfway Park with trainer Ethan West, returns for the Louisiana Derby and will be ridden, as he was in the Risen Star, by Jareth Loveberry. Chunk of Gold, who lacks speed, breaks from post 2, just inside the Steve Asmussen-trained pair of Tiztastic (Joel Rosario) and Yinzer (Ben Curtis). Caldera, narrowly beaten last out in the Sunland Derby, drew post 5 with Tyler Gaffalione named. Vassimo, fourth in the Risen Star, his stakes debut, returns from trainer Todd Pletcher’s Palm Beach Downs base in Florida and races for the first time in blinkers. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides him back and the pair will break from post 7. Furio, a likely pace factor under Saez, has post 8, with Hypnus, seventh in the Rebel at Oaklawn after a debut maiden route win at Fair Grounds, in post 10 with Brian Hernandez Jr. in the irons for trainer Kenny McPeek.

The Louisiana Derby is the first 200-point Kentucky Derby qualifying race on Churchill Downs’ Road to the Derby that determines the 20-horse Derby field. The first five finishers Saturday earn, respectively, 100, 50, 25, 15, 10, and 5 points.

Post time for the Louisiana Derby, the last contest on a 12-race card, is set for 5:42 p.m. Central.

Immediately preceding it is a major Kentucky Oaks qualifier, the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks, which will have undefeated Good Cheer as a strong favorite. Good Cheer, an easy winner in all of her first five starts, launched her 3-year-old campaign with a romping score last month in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes. Saez comes into ride, and Good Cheer could go off at odds as low as something like 1-2.

The local filly who might’ve challenged her, unbeaten Simply Joking, wasn’t entered, though her Whit Beckman-trained stablemate Her Laugh passed the entry box. The others in the 1 1/16-mile Fair Grounds Oaks, from the rail out, are Girl Math, Gowells Delight, Ahavah, Jenkin, Bless the Broken, Secret Faith, and Quickick.

Trainer Chad Brown has excellent chances in the two races for older males, the $400,000 New Orleans Classic and the $300,000 Muniz Memorial. In the Muniz, a 1 1/8-mile grass race, Brown has the two likely favorites in Redistricting and Spirit of St Louis, the latter an upset winner last out of the Pegasus World Cup Turf. Redistricting, a 5-year-old with only six starts, has yet to win a stakes race of any sort but will take plenty of action with Prat named to ride.

Champion 3-year-old Sierra Leone launches his 4-year-old campaign in the New Orleans Classic, a 1 1/8-mile dirt contest, and will be favored over Fair Grounds-based Hall of Fame. The two horses have overlapping ownership but different running styles, Sierra Leone a closer and the Steve Asmussen-trained Hall of Fame, winner of his last three, a forward type. The race also attracted Louisiana-bred standout Touchuponastar, who narrowly was beaten in the 2024 New Orleans Classic, and seven others.

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