With about six weeks left until they break from the gate for the Kentucky Derby, it is time for the final round of Triple Crown preps. The first of three huge weeks for 3YOs gets started with a pair of 100-points to the winner races. The Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds and the Jeff Ruby (G3) at Turfway Park may not offer us a glimpse at the 2026 Derby winner, but they will go a long way and shaking out the field for the first Saturday in May.

As you have come to expect, 1/ST Bet and Xpressbet have yet another fun promotion to celebrate the big days in New Orleans and Florence. This time it is a $3000 two-track Exacta-Thon with the goal of connecting on 3 different $2 exactas over the course of the day at both venues. Those able to successfully do so will split the $3k. Here are a couple of exactas at each track I will be using as part of my Exacta-Thon approach.


Fair Grounds, Race 3

My first play on the 14-race Louisiana Derby card comes in this two-turn MSW event for 3YOs over the main track where I will key #8 Tiernanogue. The son of Quality Road has failed to hit the board through three starts for trainer Brendan Walsh, but ran a bit better than looks on Risen Star Day. In that mid-February start over this same surface and distance, Tiernanogue was caught wide into the first turn and raced against the flow chasing gate-to-wire winner Awesome Gem. He has to get a little better out of the gate, but I am hopeful the move back to Brendan Walsh’s main man Tyler Gaffalione will lead to improved speed and a career best run from this Mulberry Racing colt. I will key him with a #4 Direct Strike and #6 Double Entendre. Both colts make equipment changes in hopes of leading to their first lifetime score.

Play: Exacta Key Box 8 with 4+6


Fair Grounds. Race 12, Louisiana Derby (G2)

As I discussed in my Triple Crown Money Back Offer blog from Thursday, this is not the strongest edition of the Louisiana Derby. That said, I am hopeful it allows me to knock down one of the needed exactas for the promotion. #3 Chip Honcho failed to seal the deal last out in the Risen Star (G2) despite having things all his way. That said, he lost little in defeat when nailed at the wire by one of the Derby favorites at this point Paladin. The Steve Asmussen trainee showed improvement and still the same speed without blinkers last out and should control the tempo again under Luis Saez. I like his chances of getting to the wire first for the third time in his career. #9 Emerging Market is likely to go off as one of the favorites and understandably so. The Candy Ride colt ran huge at two-turns on debut at Tampa Bay Downs. He has to prove himself at this level, especially with the way Powershift ran in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2), but it appears the talent is there to be a factor in the Triple Crown this spring. He may have to overcome a soft early pace though from his far outside draw giving Chip Honcho the edge in this year’s
Louisiana Derby.

Play: Exacta 3-9


Turfway Park, Race 10, Kentucky Cup Classic (G3)

The pace should be honest in this 9-furlong affair over the all-weather given the presence of #4 Tickled Quist and #5 Willy D’s. This should set things up for #1 Honor Marie. The son of Honor Code competed in the 2024 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, but struggled through his 4YO season winning just 1 of 6 races. Trainer Whit Beckman opted to keep Honor Marie in Kentucky this winter and the plan proved to be a good one when he romped home to an off-the-pace victory in the Dust Commander. The inside draw and his turn of foot over this surface should bode well for the $40k Keeneland September ’22 purchase. I will play the late runner over #2 Utah Beach and then box him with #8 Wadsworth.

Play: Exacta 1-2 and Exacta Box 1+8


Turfway Park, Race 12, Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3)

Some may not agree with this 1 1/8-mile event rewarding as many points as it does on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, but I am more bullish. While most of these are not dirt horses at the early point of their careers, history tells us that runners exiting these preps recently at Turfway Park are capable of running well on the surface switch. I am not sure if that is the case this year, but I am looking forward to gambling on #4 Two Out Hero. The War Front colt raced for the first time off a 5-month layoff in the Battaglia Memorial and unsurprisingly did not fire his best shot. The Kevin Attard trainee stumbled at the start from his far outside draw basically costing him all chance. He got something out of the race though making a middle move before understandably tiring badly in the lane, which I think sets him up for a career best run on Saturday. I will play Two Out Hero on top of a pair of logicals for the sake of the promotion and then of course bet him to Win as well.

Play: Exacta 4 with 2+11