Distances Extended For Derby Preps at Fair Grounds

The stakes races for 3-year-olds at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots that lead up to the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) will have a distance overhaul in 2020, topped by the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), now run at 1 3/16 miles, the track announced Sept. 25. 

Other preps extended in distance include the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes (G3) Jan. 18, extended from a mile and 70 yards to 1 1/16 miles, and the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) Feb. 15, upped in trip from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles.

"The Lecomte has always been a popular early season prep for the horsemen, and we wanted to provide the horses a longer run into the first turn," said Fair Grounds racing secretary Scott Jones. "The elongated distances of the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby will help differentiate our races from the other Kentucky Derby preps. We consulted with key participants from recent years, and they were in favor of the slight alterations."

The third and final local prep on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the Louisiana Derby is worth 100-40-20-10 points to the top four finishers. The signature race of the Fair Grounds meet, it is among 56 stakes worth a combined $7.13 million that will be offered during the upcoming 2019-20 racing season, which is set to begin Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, before concluding March 29.

The stakes schedule also includes the 52nd running of the $400,000 TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) for 3-year-old fillies, a key steppingstone to the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

The March 21 Louisiana Derby Day card will feature eight stakes worth more than $2.42 million. Noteworthy among them is the $400,000 New Orleans Classic (G2) and the $300,000 Muniz Memorial Stakes (G2T), both at 1 1/8 miles.

Sharing the Feb. 15 card with the Risen Star is the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2), increased by $100,000 for this year's renewal, for fillies over 1 1/16 miles. The top four finishers of the Risen Star and Rachel Alexandra receive 50-20-10-5 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, respectively.

The Rachel Alexandra has produced the past two Kentucky Oaks winners in Monomoy Girl (2018) and Serengeti Empress (2019). Untapable, the 2014 Rachel Alexandra winner, also won the Oaks.

Fair Grounds has also named two stakes in memory of two men who died this year: Hall of Fame jockey Randy Romero and longtime New Orleans-based turf writer Bob Fortus. The Randy P. Romero Memorial Overnight Stakes will be run Feb. 1, and the Bob Fortus Memorial Stakes goes Dec. 26 of this year.