The long Fair Grounds stretch ultimately worked in favor of Chip Honcho in the $100,000 Gun Runner S., run under the lights early Saturday night at the New Orleans track.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks gets underway at Fair Grounds Saturday with the Gun Runner S. and Untapable S.

Saturday’s “Road to the Derby Kickoff Day” at Fair Grounds features eight stakes races, led by the Gun Runner S. for Kentucky Derby (G1) hopefuls and the Untapable S. for Kentucky Oaks (G1) aspirants.

Alpine Princess didn’t break cleanly but quickly recovered to show the way into the first turn of Saturday’s $97,000 Untapable S. at Fair Grounds, and the two-year-old filly dominated the rest of the way on the front end, scoring easily by two lengths.

Monday’s fantastic 13-race card at Fair Grounds encompasses nine stakes, including the first two scoring races on the New Orleans Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.

The Fair Grounds Road to the Kentucky Derby gets off to its earliest-ever start in the Dec. 26 Gun Runner S., a new stepping stone to the traditional New Orleans series of the Lecomte (G3), Risen Star (G2), and Louisiana Derby (G2).