Louisiana Derby 2013: Strong Card Shaping Up At The Fair Grounds

Brad Fortus at the Daily Racing Form previewed the probable fields for next weekend's Louisiana Derby Day card at the Fair Grounds and, as it stands right now, it looks like a great day of racing is on tap in New Orleans.

The 100th Louisiana Derby is expected to draw a full field of 14 three-year-old colts, all of which will be seeking the winner's share of the $1 million purse and the 100 points point towards a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. From the DRF article:

Entry day for the Louisiana Derby Day card is Wednesday. Three-year-olds expected by the racing office to be entered for the 1 1/8-mile Louisiana Derby, as of Friday, are Revolutionary, Code West (trainer Bob Baffert), Palace Malice, Golden Soul (Dallas Stewart), Mylute (Tom Amoss), Proud Strike (Steve Asmussen), Departing (Al Stall Jr.), Sunbean (Stall), Ground Transport (Mike Stidham), Nina's Dragon (Lloyd Mason), Titletown Five (D. Wayne Lukas), Hip Four Sixtynine (Bobby Barnett), Whiskey Bravo (Keith Desormeaux), and Brazilian Court (Mike Maker).

That's a nice group of probable starters and should make for a fantastic betting race. Revolutionary gets to run over a track with a nice, long homestretch, which should give him ample time to close ground late in the race, while Code West tries to build off of his good effort in the Risen Star. The rest of the field is trying to take that next big step towards a possible start in Kentucky.

The under-card will include the New Orleans Handicap, Fair Grounds Oaks, and the Mervin Muniz Memorial Handicap.

The Fair Grounds isn't the only track with a big day of racing on tap next Saturday; Gulfstream Park will run the Florida Derby, while Meydan will host the Dubai World Cup.

On a personal note: I'm heading down to New Orleans early next week and will be on-site at the Fair Grounds covering the post position draw on Wednesday and all of the Louisiana Derby Day action. Hopefully the rain will stay away (seriously, I get enough here in Seattle) and the great NOLA food and drinks will be flowing.