Track Phantom is not hiding in the shadows. After acing his stakes debut Dec. 23 in the Gun Runner Stakes, Track Phantom wheels back Jan. 20 at Fair Grounds to make his first 3-year-old start in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes.  The 1 1/16-mile Lecomte is the first of six 42-point qualifying races on Churchill Downs’ Road to the Kentucky Derby and is the last of 13 races on Fair Grounds’ second major card of its season. The Lecomte winner gets 20 Derby points, which, historically, gives a horse a solid chance to get into the Derby in some years.   Track Phantom drew post 7 in an eight-horse field and has Joel Rosario named to replace Cristian Torres, who rode the Quality Road colt in the Gun Runner, in which he contested a fast pace, took the lead on the backstretch, and held stoutly to post a 1 1/4-length victory. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Track Phantom was coming off an eye-catching maiden win in November at Churchill Downs and is 2 for 2 racing around two turns.  Gun Runner runner-up Snead is passing the Lecomte and awaiting the Risen Star next month, but Gun Runner third-place finisher Nash is taking another shot at Track Phantom. Nash got a 97 Beyer stretching out from a sprint debut in October to a two-turn maiden Nov. 12 at Churchill Downs and consequently was the 1-2 Gun Runner favorite. He didn’t run poorly, but did lose ground from the stretch call to the finish and was beaten three lengths. Nash, Florent Geroux named to ride by trainer Brad Cox, regressed to an 84 Beyer in the Gun Runner and could well have a better race in him.  :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Cox entered two others. Ethan Energy was the rare horse to close ground in dirt races Dec. 23 at Fair Grounds, rallying to 5 1/2-length second-out maiden route win. Geroux rode Ethan Energy last month, but Luis Saez is named Saturday. Awesome Road, Cox’s third horse, also is entered in the Jan. 20 Leonatus Stakes at Turfway and has Turfway-based jockey Axel Concepcion named in both spots. Cox did not immediately return a text message regarding where Awesome Road would race.    Filling out the field are Next Level, Tizzy Indy, Can Group, and Lat Long. Can Group, switching from turf to dirt after a fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, is the most interesting horse among that quartet.  Cox entered West Omaha in the $150,000 Silverbulletday, part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. West Omaha finished second Dec. 23 in the Untapable Stakes, which was won by her stablemate, Alpine Princess. Alpine Princess’s connections are waiting until February to run her back, and West Omaha ought to have a strong chance in the Silverbulletday, her fourth start and second around two turns.   Also among the Silverbulletday entrants is the Oklahoma-bred filly Miss Code West, 4 for 4 to start her career, her most recent outing a 6 3/4-length victory in the Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park. Perfect Shot caught the eye Nov. 25 at Churchill, where she was a smart maiden winner in her third start and route debut. Sistina Chapel was a well-beaten third in the Untapable.  The Louisiana Stakes for older colts and geldings, contested at 1 1/16 miles on dirt, drew two very good horses in Saudi Crown and Smile Happy. Cox said a couple months ago that the Louisiana would serve as Saudi Crown’s prep for the Saudi Cup next month, the 4-year-old Grade 1 winner attempting to bounce back from a poor performance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Smile Happy is set to make his first start since July 1. Smile Happy has at times been unwilling to train, and he was extremely difficult to get to the gate before that July 1 start, the Stephen Foster at Ellis Park. In his previous race, Smile Happy had won the Alysheba at Churchill, his 110 Beyer there among the fastest figures of 2023. Smile Happy has been training for several months at McPeek’s farm in Florida, and McPeek in the fall said Smile Happy, now 5, had become more manageable and willing.  The card, which starts at noon Central, includes three turf stakes – the Colonel Bradley, the Marie Krantz, and the Duncan Kenner - as well as a first-level dirt-route allowance race for 3-year-old fillies and several straight maiden contests.  :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.