Louisiana Derby Day Showcases Best of State with Trio of Stakes

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Louisiana Derby Day Showcases Best of State with Trio of Stakes

12/14/2024 – Geaux Sugar with jockey Mitchell Murrill aboard wins the 34th running of the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint at Fair Grounds. Hodges Photography / Lou Hodges, Jr.

New Orleans, La (March 17, 2025) – A trio of added money events restricted to Louisiana-breds are slated to kick off the Louisiana Derby Day stakes-laden program, led by the $100,000 Crescent City Derby which attracted the cream of the 3-year-old crop. Having flirted with the Kentucky Derby trail this year, Valene Farms’ Dapper Moon was tabbed as the 7-2 morning line favorite as a full field of 14 males are set to go 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Saturday’s 12-race program concludes with the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), which will award 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points to the 151st Kentucky Derby. Four of the eight stakes carded on Louisiana Derby Day are grade two affairs, including the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), the first prep on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks to offer 200 qualifying points; the centennial running of the $500,000 New Orleans Classic presented by Relyne GI By Hagyard (G2); and the $300,000 Muniz Memorial presented by Horse Racing Nation (G2).

Sent off as the odds-on favorite last out in the Louisiana Stallion Of The Year Star Guitar Stakes, Dapper Moon could only manage third. Trained by Dallas Stewart, the son of Malibu Moon who has not won past 7 furlongs will add blinkers as he tries to turn the tables on Sippin On Gin, who proved much the best in their last outing.

Dapper Moon is one of two Triple Crown nominees in the Crescent City Derby field, along with Greg Norman’s Majority Opinion.

In a wide open edition of the Crescent City Derby, logical contenders include Allied Racing Stables’ Sippin On Gin, Mike Repole’s Acknowledge, Maggi Moss’ Hay Jude, and Gary Barber’s Classic Time.

The finale of the statebred stakes trio, the Crescent City Derby is slated as race 7.

The $100,000 Crescent City Oaks is the first stake on Louisiana Derby Day. Slated as race 5, a field of eight signed on to go 1 mile 70 yards across the main track. Two fillies deserve top billing as Norman Stables’ Secret Faith and Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel’s Blue Fire will knock heads for the second time in their short careers.

In eight starts, Secret Faith is a head shy of perfection for trainer Jayde Gelner. With six stakes titles on her resume, her lone defeat came to Blue Fire in the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Blue Fire exits a score in the Louisiana Broodmare Of The Year Flashy Prize Stakes.

Written for 3-year-olds and up to go 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf, the $100,000 Costa Rising attracted an oversubscribed field of 16, headlined by Single Malt Stables’ Geaux Sugar.

Though both of his stakes wins this meet came on the main track, Geaux Sugar has proven form across the sod. In three tries the Keith Bourgeois trained 5-year-old has won twice.

The Costa Rising is scheduled as race 6.

The fields for the Crescent City Derby, Crescent City Oaks, and Costa Rising can be found on Equibase here: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/FG032225USA-EQB.html.

After cancelling on Saturday, March 15, the card will be run in its entirety on Tuesday, March 18. First post is 12:45 pm CT. Closing day at Fair Grounds is Sunday, March 23 The last day of the 153rd Thoroughbred meet will showcase top statebred talent with three stakes on the card.

Cover Photo: Blue Fire; Hodges Photography

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 15 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 153rd Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 112th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 22, 2024 through March 23, 2025. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.