NEW ORLEANS – The gang’s not all here. The second-, third-, fifth-, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-place finishers from the Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 17 at Fair Grounds return Saturday in the track’s most important race, the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby. Absent is the horse clearly best, victorious Sierra Leone, whose path toward the Kentucky Derby runs through the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, not New Orleans. Perhaps things are as simple as Risen Star runner-up Track Phantom running to form and winning his third stakes race this meet. But maybe Sierra Leone’s trainer, Chad Brown, has sent a sufficiently talented understudy. Tuscan Gold has raced only twice and never outside the maiden ranks, but the powerhouse of a colt crackles with breakout potential. Tuscan Gold, a bruising son of Medaglia d’Oro, debuted last November in a one-turn Aqueduct mile won by Sierra Leone, who had a better trip than Tuscan Gold and seemed more attuned to the racing mindset in their common debut. Tuscan Gold, bumped from both sides at the start, was caught five to six paths wide while turning in the race’s fastest third quarter-mile. He greenly drifted in cornering for home and by the time his course was corrected, Sierra Leone had taken his path. Tuscan Gold finished with interest and galloped out strongly. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2024: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more The colt took a considerable second-start step forward Jan. 31 trying two turns and whipping a modest field of Gulfstream maidens. Tuscan Gold, powering through the final furlong, won by 6 1/2 lengths and did so more on raw talent than professional racing. A stretch-out to the Louisiana Derby’s 1 3/16 miles should work in Tuscan Gold’s favor – if he’s good enough. “He’s getting into stakes action a little late, but it certainly looks like he wants the distance,” Brown said. The stakes debut comes late at least in part because Tuscan Gold didn’t work during the month of December following posting two November drills after being shipped to Florida. Tyler Gaffalione rides for the second straight time and with a long run to the first turn ought to be save some ground despite breaking from post 10. Tuscan Gold drew post 11, but every runner moves in one spot with rail-drawn Triple Espresso scratched in favor of the Jeff Ruby Steaks. The other 11 are expected to start, and drawn widest is Track Phantom, the deserving favorite. Track Phantom had won three in a row, a maiden race followed by the Gun Runner and the Lecomte, before Sierra Leone tagged him in the Risen Star. Track Phantom has gotten knocked for failing to win the 1 1/8-mile Risen Star after setting a slow pace on a sloppy track, but trainer Steve Assmussen wonders if a faster pace doesn’t better suit a colt whose strength is his high cruising speed. A long-bodied son of Quality Road, Track Phantom will lead or press under Joel Rosario. “He’s been very consistent. We were obviously disappointed he lost the Risen Star, but it didn’t hurt his feelings,” Asmussen said. “He’s moving well, and his work was excellent.” Track Phantom worked five furlongs last weekend but did not breeze the previous week. Meanwhile, his stablemate Hall of Fame breezed March 11 but did not work the week before the Louisiana Derby, as was the case leading into the Risen Star, Hall of Fame’s first start after a smashing maiden route win here. Seventh, beaten more than eight lengths, Hall of Fame failed to run to his talent last month, but there are reasons to expect better. More comfortable as a free-running colt, Hall of Fame occupied a claustrophobic spot between and behind rivals much of the race. “He won’t be too far off it,” Asmussen said. “He deserves a clean trip.” Winner of the Smarty Jones on Jan. 1 at Oaklawn, Catching Freedom finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Track Phantom, in the Risen Star, where he lugged in during the stretch run and was caught in a tight spot between fourth-place Resilience and Sierra Leone. “We’ve made some little equipment changes trying to straighten him,” trainer Brad Cox said. “The longer distance helps if there’s enough pace.” The pace figures moderate, though deep longshot Next Level pushed Track Phantom into a fast half-mile in the Gun Runner. Antiquarian also ought to be close, though he might not have enough pace to make the lead from an inside draw and could wind up sitting in the pocket under John Velazquez. Antiquarian trains, looks, and has raced like a horse who could improve sharply in his third race. “He always kind of impressed us as a horse with tactical speed who could carry it over a route of ground. I think he’ll appreciate the added eighth of a mile,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. The extended route also motivated Agate Road’s trip to New Orleans, Pletcher said. The seasoned colt makes his second dirt start following a creditable second in the 1 1/16-mile Sam Davis Stakes and will settle early near the rear. Whit Beckman hopes his charge, Honor Marie, does not fall too far behind, as happened in the Risen Star, where he finished with interest for fifth. Honor Marie is far from a pace player but was left with too much to do in last month’s slow-tempo contest, a race he needed while starting for the first time since a smart win Nov. 25 in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. “He’s been consistently ticking forward all his works since the Risen Star. I want him to break and get away from there cleanly without being over-urged or over-restrained,” Beckman said. Ben Curtis, who came to America from England late last year, picks up the mount. Real Men Violin established decent early position in the Risen Star, his first start since a second-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club, but got shuffled back and finished the race a tired horse, according to trainer Kenny McPeek. While Real Men Violin should run better, McPeek’s better chance comes with Common Defense, well beaten by leading Kentucky Derby hope Timberlake in the Rebel Stakes while second at odds of 27-1 with a very favorable trip. “He’s a big, long-striding colt. I think he can improve again,” McPeek said. Awesome Ruta, sixth at 223-1 in the Risen Star, completes the field in a major Kentucky Derby prep race awarding 100, 50, 25, 15, and 10 Derby qualifying points to the first five finishers. The race is the last of 12 on a card with a noon Central first post and it caps a graded stakes pick four and a stakes pick five. Unlike the Risen Star, this race should come on a fast track, and unlike the first three Fair Grounds races in this division, the Louisiana Derby will be run in daylight, post time set for 5:42 p.m. That’s golden hour in New Orleans – perhaps a Tuscan hue of gold. – additional reporting by David Grening :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.