Just a Touch Eyes Elusive Stakes Title in Grade 3 Louisiana; Kenner, Krantz, Bradley Provide Turf Backbone of Lecomte Undercard

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Just a Touch Eyes Elusive Stakes Title in Grade 3 Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS (Jan. 12, 2025) — Tabbed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite, Just a Touch leads a field of eight older males entered in the Grade 3 $175,000 Louisiana Stakes presented by Hagyard on Road to the Derby Day at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

One of six stakes races on the 13-race program, the Louisiana is slated as Race 12 and serves as the fourth leg of the Estimated $750,000 All-Stakes Pick 5 which concludes with the Grade 3 $250,000 Lecomte Stakes. First post is noon CT.

Owned by Qatar Racing and Marc Detampel, Just a Touch has placed in four graded stakes but remains in search of his first stakes victory. The lightly raced 4-year-old, trained by Brad Cox, returns to Fair Grounds, where two of his three career wins have come. Irad Ortiz Jr. takes the mount and will guide Just a Touch from post 8.

Rattling off four wins from his last six starts, including last out in November’s Cherokee Mile at Churchill Downs, Town and Country Racing’s Moonlight returns to Fair Grounds for trainer Chris Block. Coming from the back of the 11-horse pack in the Cherokee, Moonlight ran down the race leader and 6-5 favorite Dragoon Guard. Aboard for three of his 4-year-old wins, Jose Ortiz returns to pilot Moonlight from the rail.

Finishing powerfully when winning two of his lifetime three starts, Repole Stable and Spendthrift Farm’s upstart 4-year-old Accelerize will get his first class test in the Louisiana. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Accelerize ships in from Palm Beach Downs alongside stablemate Jackson Hole, a $1.3 million purchase who won his debut in December and is entered in an undercard allowance with potential Kentucky Derby implications.

Here is the complete field for the Grade 3 $175,000 Louisiana Stakes presented by Hagyard from the rail out with jockey, trainer, and morning line odds:

Moonlight (Jose Ortiz, Chris Block, 9-2)
Henro (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Chris Hartman, 20-1
Cadet Corps (Paco Lopez, Kelly Breen, 8-1)
Accelerize (Flavien Prat, Todd Pletcher, 8-1)
Sir Greylind (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek, 5-1)
Tarantino (Ben Curtis, Peter Eurton, 12-1)
Willy D’s (Ricardo Santana Jr., Mike Maker, 4-1)
Just a Touch (Irad Ortiz Jr., Brad Cox, 8-5)

Kenner, Krantz, Bradley Provide Turf Backbone of Lecomte Undercard

NEW ORLEANS (Jan. 12, 2025) — While the 3-year-olds command the spotlight on Saturday’s Road to the Derby Day at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the undercard is bolstered by a strong trio of older turf stakes, each drawing deep, competitive fields that underscore the quality and wagering appeal of the program.

Road to the Derby Day serves as an early-season crossroads on the 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, as both the Grade 3 $250,000 Lecomte Stakes and the $150,000 Fasig-Tipton Silverbulletday will award 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points, respectively.

The stakes action is tied together by an Estimated $750,000 All-Stakes Pick 5, which begins with the $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial and culminates in the Lecomte.

First post is noon CT for Saturday’s 13-race card.

Medoro Looks to Spoil Nanda Dea’s Return in Marie G. Krantz Memorial

Written for older fillies and mares, the oversubscribed 1 1/16 miles $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial is led by 2-1 morning-line favorite Medoro, who looks to spoil Nanda Dea’s return to Fair Grounds.

C R K Stable’s Grade 3 winner Medoro has finished in the money in 11 of 12 starts, including five wins and six graded stakes placings, for trainer Peter Eurton. Her lone misstep came in the Matriarch (G1) on Nov. 20 at Del Mar, where she was checked early before finishing sixth, less than a length behind AG Bullet. Jose Ortiz rides.

A Group 1 winner in her native Argentina, Happy Friday’s Nanda Dea won her first two North American starts for Ignacio Correas, including the local Albert M. Stall Memorial, but failed to factor in the First Lady (G1) this fall at Keeneland. With Correas’ retirement, the 7-year-old mare will make her first start for trainer Horacio De Paz. Tabbed at 9-2 and drawing post 8, Nanda Dea will be piloted by Flavien Prat.

Here is the complete field for the $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial, listed from the rail out, with jockey, trainer and morning-line odds:

Cupid’s Crush (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Hugh Robertson, 20-1)
Epic Style (Axel Concepcion, Mike Stidham, 12-1)
Wild Bout Hilary (Florent Geroux, Rob Atras, 20-1)
Lucky Speech (James Graham, Steve Asmussen, 15-1)
Medoro (Jose Ortiz, Peter Eurton, 2-1)
Sweet Treasure (Irad Ortiz Jr., Brad Cox, 3-1)
Strikingly Spun (Paco Lopez, Joe Sharp, 12-1)
Nanda Dea (Flavien Prat, Horacio De Paz, 9-2)
Stylish Sue (Luis Saez, Joe Sharp, 8-1)
Lakota Spirit (Isaac Castillo, Shane Wilson, 20-1)
Triumphant Spirit (Declan Cannon, Brendan Walsh, 12-1)

Lagynos Tops 11-Horse Field in Colonel E.R. Bradley

The $100,000 Colonel E.R. Bradley, contested at 1 1/16 miles over the turf, attracted 11 older males, led by HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud’s grade three winner Lagynos.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Lagynos boasts over $1.7 million in lifetime earnings. Set to make his 5-year-old bow, he was last seen finishing third to Wolfie’s Dynaghost in November’s River City (G3) at Churchill Downs. While Lagynos recorded only one victory during his 4-year-old campaign — the Tapit Stakes at Kentucky Downs — the Kantharos horse delivered strong efforts throughout the season, including close third-place finishes in the Wise Dan (G2) and the Arlington (G3). Listed as the 7-2 second choice on the morning line, the 2024 Woodchopper winner reunites with Jose Ortiz.

Kupuna is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for Flying P Stable. Trained by Norm Casse, the 7-year-old finished second in December’s Diliberto Stakes behind wire-to-wire winner Idratherbeblessed, who returns here. Luis Saez has the call aboard Kupuna, who has made just three turf starts from 28 career outings.

JD Thoroughbreds and Wayne Scherr’s Idratherbeblessed will seek a third victory in Fair Grounds’ older turf route stakes series for trainer Chris Hartman, having scored in both the Diliberto and the 2025 Muniz Memorial (G2).

Here is the complete field for the $100,000 Col E.R. Bradley from the rail out with jockey, trainer, and morning line odds:

1 Kupuna (Luis Saez, Norm Casse, 3-1)

11 Otago (Axel Concepcion, Kelsey Danner, 20-1)

Usually Wrong Receives Top Billing in Competitive, Oversubscribed Duncan F. Kenner Memorial

BG Stables and Selman Shaby’s Usually Wrong receives top billing for Saturday’s $100,000 Duncan F. Kenner Memorial, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint that attracted a full field of older males.

One of two oversubscribed turf stakes included in the Road to the Derby Day middle Pick 5, the Kenner is set as Race 7.

Tabbed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite, the three-time stakes winner was 2 3/4 lengths best last out in a local allowance before being disqualified by the stewards and placed second for interference with Heart Headed, whom he will face again. Usually Wrong, who has seven wins from 10 starts for trainer Robertino Diodoro, will be reunited with Isaac Castillo.

Slightly dismissed at 8-1 on the morning line, Charles Marquis’ Bear River is the class of the field. With more than $1.7 million in career earnings, the Keith Desormeaux trainee owns four stakes victories, including the Turf Sprint (G2) at Kentucky Downs, which earned him a berth in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup.

Chief among the challengers is Ruis Racing’s dominant Thanksgiving Classic winner Wendelssohn. The 5-year-old, trained by Chris Hartman, is winless in four turf starts, but finished third to Dhabab in a tough allowance at Keeneland last fall, earning a competitive 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

Other contenders include Patricia’s Hope, Craftyhorse Racing and Frank Mustari’s Can’t Deny It, who is perfect in three turf starts for trainer Larry Rivelli, and Town and Country Racing’s homebred Mondogetsbuckets, who attracts Irad Ortiz Jr. for his second career turf start.

Here is the complete field for the $100,000 Kenner Memorial, listed from the rail out, with jockey, trainer and morning-line odds:

Wendelssohn (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Chris Hartman, 6-1)
Heart Headed (Jose Ortiz, Joe Sharp, 7-2)
Bear River (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux, 8-1)
Usually Wrong (Isaac Castillo, Robertino Diodoro, 3-1)
Petcoff (Ben Curtis, Brittany Russell, 8-1)
Schwarzmeier (Flavien Prat, Peter Eurton, 20-1)
Step Forward (Ricardo Santana Jr., Mike Maker, 12-1)
Mondogetsbuckets (Irad Ortiz Jr., Chris Block, 12-1)
Can’t Deny It (Jareth Loveberry, Larry Rivelli, 8-1)
Monsieur Candy (Corey Lanerie, Alice Cohn, 20-1)
Frost Free (Tyler Bacon, Brett Creighton, 20-1)
High Front (Florent Geroux, Steve Asmussen, 10-1)
Tough Catch (Luis Saez, Dallas Stewart, 12-1)

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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 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.