
Saturday’s $250,000 Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds marks a new stage on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, with the points increasing in value to a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to the top five finishers.
That’s twice as much as the points available in the prior domestic preps (with the lone exception of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile [G1]), including the Dec. 21 Gun Runner S. over this track and 1 1/16-mile trip. Built disposed of just four rivals in his pace-controlling romp that day, but he’ll face a greater degree of difficulty as he bids to follow up in the Lecomte.
The stiffer challenge is both numerical – a full field of 14 – and tactical, considering that there’s more quality speed signed on this time. The draw only heightens the contrast; unlike the Gun Runner, where Built leveraged his speed on the rail, the Wayne Catalano pupil finds himself outside the other pace factors in post 13. Built has won from a pace-pressing position before, in his Keeneland maiden, and chances are he’ll revert to that game plan here.
Yet the Lecomte competition appears to be deeper. Juddmonte homebred Disco Time is 2-for-2 for Brad Cox, and the son of hot sire Not This Time has shown good speed in both starts going one turn at Churchill Downs. Stablemate Admiral Dennis ran in the Gun Runner, although he hardly did any running as the odds-on favorite. After a bad stumble out of the gate, he wound up a distant fourth. The Constitution colt is entitled to be more competitive in the Lecomte with a sensible break and new rider Joel Rosario.
D. Wayne Lukas’s battle-hardened Innovator, who nearly toppled Barnes at Churchill last fall, finally broke his maiden at Oaklawn Park last out. From the first crop of 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1) champion Authentic, Innovator promises to be quick from post 1 in his two-turn debut.
The Dallas Stewart duo of Tough Catch and Dapper Moon exit six-furlong wins over the track. Tough Catch, who has competed exclusively in sprints so far, just scored his stakes breakthrough in the Dec. 21 Sugar Bowl S. By emerging freshman sire Complexity, Tough Catch hopes to pass his route test. Impressive Saratoga maiden winner Dapper Moon has been stuck on finishing fourth in his Derby qualifiers – the Breeders’ Futurity (G1), Street Sense (G3), and Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). The Malibu Moon colt got a confidence booster last out by dropping to a Louisiana-bred sprint allowance.
Calling Card, another by Complexity, annihilated a New York-bred maiden at Aqueduct before finishing third in an Oaklawn allowance to well-regarded Sandman. The Mike Maker trainee gets an eye-catching rider switch to Frankie Dettori.
Steve Asmussen and Tom Amoss have each won the Lecomte four times, and they’ll need their respective entrants to step up to make it five. Asmussen’s Magnitude, no match for Built when second in the Gun Runner, relies on a different race flow to turn the tables. Note that his name is vaguely reminiscent of champion Epicenter, another son of Not This Time for the same connections. The Amoss-trained Seattle Road got up in a messy conclusion to a slow course-and-distance maiden on the Gun Runner undercard.
Ken McPeek has two promising comebackers with contrasting running styles. Maximum Promise, the mount of Brian Hernandez Jr., was last seen trouncing an Ellis Park maiden on the front end. Mobetterthangood rallied from off the pace in a New York-bred maiden at Saratoga in his lone start.
Golden Afternoon tries dirt as the first starter for rookie trainer Nicholas Vaccarezza, who takes over from father Carlo. The Goldencents gelding has shown talent on turf, with his lone loss being a second in the Bourbon (G2), and his pedigree suggests that he can make the surface switch.
Optical adds blinkers following a starter allowance score at Churchill for Keith Desormeaux. Jolly Samurai, a multiple stakes winner at Remington Park, lost his perfect record when fifth in the Springboard Mile.
The nightcap on a banner 12-race Road to the Derby Day at Fair Grounds, the Lecomte is supported by five stakes including the companion Silverbulletday S. for Kentucky Oaks (G1) aspirants.