The Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana hosts the annual Louisiana Derby, a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race. The race takes place in late March and is open to three-year-old horses willing to run 1 3⁄16 miles on dirt. It offers a purse of $1,000,000.
The Louisiana Derby is one of the important prep races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The race's history dates back to 1838 when the first race was held at the "Louisiana Race Course" offering "The Louisiana Plate" as a prize. In 1894, the race was renamed the Crescent City Derby and later in honor of Louisiana, where the Fair Grounds Race Course is located.
Black Gold in 1924 and Grindstone in 1996, both winners of the Louisiana Derby, went on to win the Kentucky Derby. Risen Star, the winner in 1988, also became a "Dual Classic Winner" by winning the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Mandaloun, sixth in the 2021 Louisiana Derby, was promoted to the official winner of that year's Kentucky Derby after the disqualification of Medina Spirit. The race's distance has varied over the years and since 2020 The Louisiana Derby has been run at 1 3⁄16 miles.
Saturday, March 25, 2023 // Fair Grounds
| RACE // PURSE | TYPE // SURFACE | DISTANCE // TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Race 1 // $100K | Crescent City Derby // Dirt | 1 1/16 Miles // 1:00PM ET |
| Race 2 // 75K | Maiden // Dirt | 6 Furlongs // 1:30PM ET |
| Race 3 // $100K | Crescent City Oaks // Dirt | 1 Mile 70 Yards // 2:00PM ET |
| Race 4 // $100K | Costa Rising S. // Turf | 5 1/2 Furlongs // 2:30PM ET |
| Race 5 // $75K | Allowance // Dirt | 1 Mile // 3:00PM ET |
| Race 6 // $75K | Maiden // Dirt | 6 Furlongs // 3:30PM ET |
| Race 7 // $75K | Maiden // Dirt | 1 1/16 Miles // 4:00PM ET |
| Race 8 // $100K | Tom Benson Memorial S. // Turf | 1 1/16 Miles // 4:32PM ET |
| Race 9 // $500K | New Orleans Classic Stakes // Dirt | 1 1/8 Miles // 5:04PM ET |
| Race 10 // $300K | Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes // Turf | 1 1/8 Miles // 5:36PM ET |
| Race 11 // $400K | Fair Grounds Oaks // Dirt | 1 1/16 Miles // 6:08PM ET |
| Race 12 // $1M | Louisiana Derby // Dirt | 1 3/16 Miles // 6:42PM ET |
| Race 13 // $75K | Maiden // Dirt | 6 Furlongs // 7:15PM ET |
| Race 14 // $75K | Allowance // Dirt | 6 Furlongs // 7:40PM ET |
| Race 15 // $75K | Maiden // Dirt | 6 Furlongs // 8:05PM ET |
| POST | RUNNER | JOCKEY | TRAINER |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shopper's Revenge | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 2 | Instant Coffee | Louis Saez | Brad Cox |
| 3 | Curly Jack | Edgar Morales | Thomas M. Amoss |
| 4 | Sun Thunder | Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. | Kenneth G. McPeek |
| 5 | Disarm | Joel Rosario | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 6 | Kingsbarns | Flavien Prat | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 7 | Cagliostro | Cristian A. Torres | Cherie DeVaux |
| 8 | Single Ruler | David Cohen | Keith Desormeaux |
| 9 | Tapit's Conquest | Manuel Franco | Brad Cox |
| 10 | Denington | Junior Alvarado | Kenneth G. McPeek |
| 11 | Jace's Road | Florent Geroux | Brad Cox |
| 12 | Baseline Beater | Corey J. Lanerie | Neil L. Pessin |
Recent Winners
| YEAR | WINNER | JOCKEY | TRAINER |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Kingsbarns | Flavien Prat | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 2022 | Epicenter | Joel Rosario | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 2021 | Hot Rod Charlie | Joel Rosario | Leandro Mora |
| 2020 | Wells Bayou | Florent Geroux | Brad H. Cox |
| 2019 | By My Standards | Gabriel Saez | W. Bret Calhoun |
| 2018 | Noble Indy | John R. Velazquez | Todd Pletcher |
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