Louies Flower headed to Louisiana Derby

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Louies Flower was to ship Saturday to Fair Grounds in New Orleans for a start in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby, trainer Bret Calhoun said. The 1 1/8-mile race is March 29.

Louies Flower has been wintering at Oaklawn Park, where he worked a bullet five furlongs in 59.40 seconds on Friday. He is coming off an uncharacteristic 12th-place finish in the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest on Feb. 17. Prior to the race, Louies Flower had won three consecutive starts, punctuated by the $250,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park.

“We had considered the Sunland Derby, but with the amount of travel involved we decided to point for the Louisiana Derby,” said Calhoun, who trains Louies Flower for Wes Melcher.

Louies Flower’s work on Friday was the fastest of 43 at the distance that morning at Oaklawn. The track’s head clocker, Jim Hamilton, carried the horse through fractions of 11.80 for his opening quarter and 35.80 for three furlongs; then galloping out six furlongs in 1:11.80, seven furlongs in 1:26.90, and a mile in 1:41.10.

Calhoun said in the days following the Southwest that in hindsight, Louies Flower was “too fresh” for the race. The Southwest came about two months after the horse won the Springboard Mile. Calhoun had elected to await the Southwest for Louies Flower’s first start at 3 because of the long season ahead and the fact that he had put up a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 91 in the Remington race run Dec. 15.

Louies Flower is a son of Flower Alley. He has won 3 of 6 starts and $190,940.

◗ Calhoun said multiple stakes winner Fiftyshadesofgold remains on course for the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks, which will be run on the same program as the Louisiana Derby.