Golden Tempo Heads Louisiana Derby Contenders as March 21 Approaches

Golden Tempo has done everything asked of him in two starts, and Cherie DeVaux's unbeaten colt now sits atop the active Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 20 points as Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots looks ahead to Louisiana Derby Day on March 21.

The centerpiece of that card is the TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby, a Grade 2 worth $1,000,000 at 1 3/16 miles, and the nominees coalescing around it represent some of the most compelling Derby-prep form assembled in New Orleans this winter. Golden Tempo earned his leaderboard position the hard way, rallying from last to first to win the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes before being pointed toward the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes, the $500,000 prep at 1 1/8 miles that served as the headline race on Louisiana Derby Preview Day, February 14.

The Risen Star drew a formidable cast. Paladin, the unbeaten Chad Brown trainee, arrived off a Grade 2 Remsen Stakes victory at Aqueduct in December that netted him 10 Derby points. Todd Pletcher aimed Courting, a Curlin colt who ran a troubled fourth in the Remsen, at the Risen Star as well, with Pletcher pleased with how the colt trained in the weeks following that disappointing effort. Gun Runner winner Chip Honcho, who finished fourth in the Lecomte for Steve Asmussen, and Carson Street, a game third in that same race for trainer Brendan Walsh, added local Lecomte form to the mix. Possible entrants Brad Cox's Quality Mischief and Kenny McPeek's Liberty National and Universe further deepened the potential field.

The Risen Star, like the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes run on the same February 14 card, awards 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points to the top five finishers, making both races critical waypoints on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. The Rachel Alexandra, contested at 1 1/16 miles for a $300,000 purse, was led by Godolphin's Bella Ballerina, trained by Walsh. The filly won November's Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs and carries the distinction of being one of only 11 fillies nominated to the Triple Crown. Her bloodline adds another layer of intrigue: she is a half sister to Pretty Mischievous, the 2023 Rachel Alexandra winner who also captured Kentucky Oaks 149.

Probable challengers for Bella Ballerina in the Rachel Alexandra included Luv Your Neighbor for trainer Mike Stidham, Pashmina for Rob Atras, Dancin in Old Town for Keith Desormeaux, and Majestical for Peter Eurton.

The February 14 Preview Day card, which featured six stakes races totaling $1.425 million, functioned as a proving ground for horses now being considered for the March 21 Louisiana Derby. Entry lists from Fair Grounds throughout the prep period carried the standard caveat that probable and possible entrants remain subject to change, and with Louisiana Derby Day still a week away, the final field has yet to be set. What is clear is that Golden Tempo's last-to-first Lecomte victory has made him the horse everyone else at Fair Grounds will be measured against when the gate opens on March 21.