Shigeki Kikkawa
Rousing Sermon will try to earn a trip to the Kentucky Derby with a strong run in the Louisiana Derby.
Rousing Sermon, the champion 2-year-old California-bred male of 2011, needs a strong result in Sunday’s $1 million Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds to justify a start in the Kentucky Derby on May 5.
That’s the approach owners Larry and Marianne Williams are taking, according to their racing manager, Dan Kiser.
Going into the weekend, Rousing Sermon has $170,000 in graded stakes earnings, a sum that ranked him among the top 20 3-year-olds in the nation. The top 20 3-year-olds, ranked by graded stakes earnings, gain berths for the Kentucky Derby.