Fair Grounds: Oxbow crushes competition in Lecomte
Oxbow delivered a breakout performance, winning the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds by 11 1/2 lengths while putting trainer Wayne Lukas on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Marcus HershJan 19, 2013
Oxbow delivered a breakout performance, winning the Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds by 11 1/2 lengths while putting trainer Wayne Lukas on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Both Balance the Books and Noble Tune proved themselves among the elite 2-year-olds of 2012, but only on turf. Several horses in recent years have won the Kentucky Derby after beginning their careers on grass, so Chad Brown, who trains both horses, said he will give both the opportunity to make the Derby.
Southern California shipper Avare will try to use Monday's Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park to emerge as Kentucky Derby candidates.
Trainer Eddie Kenneally and his owner Dr. Joseph Witek, said they’re ready to put Majestic Hussar on the Kentucky Derby trail following his impressive victory over odds-on favorite Palace Malice in Saturday’s opening race at Gulfstream Park.
Officer Alex, winner of the Pennsylvania Nursery in his last start, goes two turns for the first time in Monday's Smart Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Countdown to the Crown is Jeremy Plonk's weekly comprehensive handicapper’s scouting report of the 3-year-old scene. Find it every Friday on DRF.com.
There are, as usual, more questions than answers in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes, the first local step toward the $1 million Louisiana Derby.
Cash is no longer king. After more than 25 years of using graded stakes earnings as the criterion for entry to oversubscribed fields for the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs has switched to a points-based system that puts a premium on the final two rounds of Derby preps, beginning in late February. It’s a new world, with nuances that trainers with Derby prospects are seeking to comprehend.
Oxbow and Circle Unbroken are the likely favorites among nine 3-year-olds entered for Saturday’s Lecomte at Fair Grounds.
Prep races last weekend helped clear the air regarding the $50,000 California Oaks on Feb. 9 and Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby on Feb. 16.