Vicar’s in Trouble came out of his romping victory Saturday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes in good condition, and if all continues to go well, he will make his next start Feb. 22 in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, trainer Mike Maker said Sunday.

ALBANY, Calif. -- Exit Stage Left remained undefeated as he won his third straight Golden Gate Fields stakes race, winning the $100,315 California Derby by one-half length over favored Enterprising on Saturday.

Exit Stage Left, a Noonmark colt owned by Mark DeDomenico and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, won the six-furlong Golden Nugget in his debut and the one-mile Gold Rush in his second start.

NEW ORLEANS – Score one for the home state.

Getting a smooth, stalking trip under Rosie Napravnik, Louisiana-bred Vicar's in Trouble ran away with the $200,000, Grade 3 Lecomte on Saturday at the Fair Grounds.

Trained by Mike Maker for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Vicar's in Trouble became the first Louisiana-bred to win the Lecomte since One Tough Cat in 1987.

Napravnik won three of the five stakes run Saturday at Fair Grounds. Robby Albarado won the other two.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn leading trainer Cody Autrey has been a force in the overnight ranks for years. But this season he has more promising young horses than ever before, and on Monday will start Tanzanite Cat in the $150,000 Smarty Jones. The horse is one of two prospects Autrey currently has for the 3-year-old series at Oaklawn. The other is Paganol, an impressive debut winner now targeting the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest on Feb. 17.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Noble Moon, the leading 3-year-old contender based in New York, has been taken out of training due to an issue with his right front foot and will not make the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 1, trainer Leah Gyarmati said Saturday.

Gyarmati said that depending on how much time Noble Moon misses, he could perhaps make the Grade 3, $500,000 Gotham Stakes here March 1.

Noble Moon won the Grade 2 Jerome by two lengths here Jan. 4, his second win from three career starts. Gyarmati said the horse came out of the race with an injured foot.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – It’s time to start sorting out the 3-year-olds at Oaklawn Park.

The $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Monday – won a year ago by Will Take Charge – is the first of three preps for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby. Coastline should go favored in the field of 10 by virtue of his win in last fall’s Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Wildcat Red earned a spot in next Saturday’s Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes with his game second-place finish in the Gulfstream Park Derby. On Friday, trainer Jose Garafolo confirmed Wildcat Red would indeed be entered in the first major Kentucky Derby prep of Gulfstream Park’s meet after watching his star work an easy five furlongs in 1:01.81 shortly after the first renovation break.

[bc_video_id:314276:]NEW ORLEANS – In 2008, trainer Steve Asmussen and Winchell Thoroughbreds swept the Risen Star Stakes and the Louisiana Derby with the excellent colt Pyro. Gold Hawk wears the same maroon and white racing silks. He resides in the same barn.

One hesitates to mention him alongside Pyro, however, since Pyro came to New Orleans after a good second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, while Gold Hawk makes his stakes debut Saturday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte at Fair Grounds.

With the unbeaten Exit Stage Left and Eddie Logan Stakes winner Enterprising among a field of eight, Saturday’s $100,000 California Derby at Golden Gate Fields is a legitimate stepping-stone to bigger stakes races for 3-year-olds. The race is at 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta main track.

In his only two starts, Exit Stage Left has won the Golden Nugget and the Gold Rush, both at Golden Gate. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer admits expectations have grown for Exit Stage Left.

“We hope he’ll develop into a really good horse,” Hollendorfer said.

NEW ORLEANS – If 3-year-old Fair Grounds stakes races have taught us anything the last two years, it is this: Don’t forget the longshots.

In the 2013 Risen Star Stakes, Ive Stuck a Nerve beat what turned out to be a strong group at odds of 135-1. In the 2012 Louisiana Derby, it was Hero of Order who pulled a shocker, nipping Mark Valeski at 109-1.

There probably are no 100-1 shots in the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday, but with attention focused on likely favorites Albano and Gold Hawk, there will definitely be overlooked entrants.