Sam F. Davis Stakes winner John Hancock, unbeaten in two starts, is the morning-line favorite over the seasoned Built and eight other 3-year-olds in the $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) March 22 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
The first of a cluster of designated preps in late March and early April offering 200 qualifying points toward the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs, the Louisiana Derby is the longest domestic prep on the Derby trail at the Preakness Stakes (G1) distance of 1 3/16 miles. Qualifying points toward the Derby are distributed on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale to its top five finishers, assuring that at least the first- and second-place finishers are eligible to make the Derby based on historical trends. Horses with existing qualifying points could secure Derby entrance with a lesser finish.
Churchill Downs uses qualifying points as a preference system when the first leg of the Triple Crown draws more than its maximum field size of 20 runners.
CHC and WinStar Farm's John Hancock makes his first start away from Tampa Bay Downs in the Louisiana Derby. He captured his debut against maidens there Jan. 8 when racing over six furlongs before stepping up into stakes company and edging Owen Almighty by a half-length in the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis at Tampa.
Video: Sam F. Davis S. (BT)
Rather than return John Hancock in the March 8 Tampa Bay Derby (G3), a race Owen Almighty won comfortably, trainer Brad Cox opted to give John Hancock more time between starts and pursue a richer race. He entered the son of Constitution in the $500,000 Virginia Derby March 15 but ultimately decided to scratch him from that start to await the Louisiana Derby (G2).
Flavien Prat rides the rail-drawn 7-2 morning-line favorite, who is expected to show speed with others such as Louisiana Derby longshots Furio and Yinzer. Prat won the Louisiana Derby in 2024 aboard the Cox-trained Catching Freedom and in 2023 on Kingsbarns for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.
“(John Hancock) is a nice horse,” Cox said. “Lightly raced but he handled a mile and a sixteenth the first time he tried it and we’re hoping he can carry his speed further. I think he can get the distance. There's other speed in the race. We’re drawn to the inside. We hope he gets in a good position and clears off from the field late.”
Cox also starts Gary and Mary West's homebred Instant Replay, a former maiden claimer who rallied from last to first to win a Feb. 17 first-level allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds by five lengths over Furio. A son of Maximum Security , who was famously disqualified from victory in the 2019 Kentucky Derby for interference, Instant Replay sped 1 1/16 miles in a fast-paced race in 1:43.25.
Florent Geroux returns in the irons for Cox. They teamed up to take the 2020 Louisiana Derby with Wells Bayou.
"We feel they both deserve a shot at getting to the Kentucky Derby," Cox said. "We've been fortunate to win this race twice and in two different ways. Wells Bayou on the front end and coming from well off the pace with Catching Freedom. The track tends to play fair, and our colts each have a different running style. We feel we're set up with two big opportunities.
"(Instant Replay) had a big run here last month and he came out of the race in great shape. It made sense to point at the Louisiana Derby with the performance that he put over this racetrack. I've really liked how he's looked physically since the race. He sets up off the pace, so if there's a pace meltdown, hopefully he's the one that picks it up."
Though the Louisiana Derby does not include either winner of the two earlier graded stakes races for 3-year-olds this year at Fair Grounds—Lecomte Stakes (G3) winner Disco Time or Risen Star Stakes (G2) winner Magnitude, both sidelined with physical setbacks—on-the-board finishers from those earlier stakes are in action.
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Built—who after capturing the Dec. 21 Gun Runner Stakes late last year was second in the Lecomte and third in the Risen Star—is the 4-1 second favorite in the Louisiana Derby, and at 8-1 is Terry Stephens' Chunk of Gold, who rallied to edge Built by a head for the place in the Risen Star.
The Wayne Catalano-trained Built, who picks up Fair Grounds leading rider Jose Ortiz and adds blinkers, has the most existing Kentucky Derby qualifying points in the race with 35, followed by the Ethan West-trained Chunk of Gold with 25. John Hancock is next with 20.
Meanwhile, 89-year-old training legend D. Wayne Lukas aims for a third Louisiana Derby when he runs 10-point earner Caldera, the 5-1 morning-line third choice after running a wide second to Getaway Car in the Sunland Park Derby. Lukas' earlier Louisiana Derby victories came decades ago with Balboa Native (1983) and Grindstone (1996). The latter would give Lukas a third win in the Run for the Roses, a tally that rose to four after Charismatic's Derby success three years later.
Lukas said timing of the Louisiana Derby was a factor in his decision to run at Fair Grounds six weeks before the Kentucky Derby. He told Oaklawn Park publicity that "if I could run one or two there, I'd get that (Kentucky Derby qualifying) out of the way and I could train him to the Derby, which is what I would like to do. I'd really like to just train him straight into the Derby after the Louisiana Derby."
Tyler Gaffalione gains the mount on MyRacehorse's Caldera.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, March 22, 2025, Race 12Entries: Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1John Hancock (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Brad H. Cox 7/2 2 2Chunk of Gold (KY) Jareth Loveberry 122 Ethan W. West 8/1 3 3Tiztastic (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Steven M. Asmussen 8/1 4 4Yinzer (KY) Ben Curtis 122 Steven M. Asmussen 12/1 5 5Caldera (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 D. Wayne Lukas 5/1 6 6Built (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Wayne M. Catalano 4/1 7 7Vassimo (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 Todd A. Pletcher 12/1 8 8Furio (KY) Luis Saez 122 Joe Sharp 12/1 9 9Instant Replay (KY) Florent Geroux 122 Brad H. Cox 6/1 10 10Hypnus (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 122 Kenneth G. McPeek 10/1
