Chip Honcho Seeks Second Prep Win in Grade 2 Louisiana Derby

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Hodges
Chip Honcho Seeks Second Prep Win in Grade 2 Louisiana Derby

NEW ORLEANS (March 15, 2026) – Off a game second in the Risen Star, Chip Honcho looks to add a second Kentucky Derby prep title to his resume in the 113th running of the Grade 2 $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. The 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby has drawn a field of nine 3-year-olds and serves as a Championship Series event on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, awarding 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points to the top five finishers.

With stakes purses totaling $2.55 million, Louisiana Derby Day will showcase seven stakes races, four of which are Grade 2 events, including the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks presented by Fasig-Tipton, offering 200 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks; the $500,000 New Orleans Classic presented by Hagyard; and the $300,000 Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes presented by Horse Racing Nation.

Set for Saturday, March 21, the Louisiana Derby is slated as Race 12 on a 14-race card. First post is noon.

Having competed in all three local Derby preps, Chip Honcho won the Gun Runner Stakes as a 2-year-old. Together with his runner-up finish to Paladin in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes and a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes, the Connect colt, trained by Steve Asmussen and owned by Leland Ackerley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe and John Cilia, has earned 39 Derby qualifying points and sits ninth on the leaderboard. Luis Saez, who rode the colt in the Risen Star, will return aboard the 3-1 morning-line favorite from post 3.

Asmussen has won the Louisiana Derby five times, including last year with longshot winner Tiztastic.

Looking to secure his spot in the “Run for the Roses,” Lecomte Stakes winner Golden Tempo enters for trainer Cherie DeVaux. In the Risen Star Stakes, the Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable homebred settled near the back early before closing late to finish third. He will add blinkers for the first time in the Louisiana Derby. Meet-leading jockey Jose Ortiz returns to ride.

Another prep winner adding intrigue to the Louisiana Derby is Pavlovian, trained by Doug O’Neill. The most seasoned colt in the field with nine lifetime starts, he edged Express Kid by a nose going 1 1/8 miles in the Sunland Derby. Edwin Maldonado has the call.

Chad Brown, trainer of Paladin, will look for the Risen Star Stakes–Louisiana Derby double by entering impressive debut winner Emerging Market. Owned by Klaravich Stables, the colt rallied from off the pace to win a 1-mile 40-yard maiden special weight at Tampa Bay Downs, earning a 97 Beyer Speed Figure. Flavien Prat, winner of back-to-back Eclipse Awards as outstanding jockey, will be in town to ride the colt, who drew the outside post in the field of nine.

Brad Cox, who has scored at least one local Derby prep each year since 2020, enters two last-out maiden winners as he looks to capture his first title of the 2025-26 meet. Easterly earned his first victory Feb. 7 at Gulfstream Park, drawing clear late to win a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight by 2 3/4 lengths. Edgard Zayas has the call. Autobahn broke his maiden Feb. 21 at Gulfstream Park, sweeping five wide on the far turn before drawing off by 4 3/4 lengths while going 1 1/8 miles. Marcelino Pedroza Jr. will ride.

With six Kentucky Derby victories, Bob Baffert enters graded stakes-placed Blacksmith. The Liam’s Map colt exits a dominant maiden victory at Santa Anita Park on Feb. 20.

Also among the starters are Universe, runner-up in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last fall, and Spirit of Royal, who exits a ninth-place finish in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes.

Louisiana Derby Day highlights the final weekend of the Fair Grounds meet, which concludes Sunday.

Here is the complete field for the Louisiana Derby (G2), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer and morning-line odds:

Pavlovian (Maldanado, O’Neil, 6-1)
Autobahn (Pedroza, Cox, 8-1)
Chip Honcho (Saez, Asmussen, 3-1)
Universe (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek, 12-1)
Golden Tempo (Ortiz, DeVaux, 7-2)
Spirit of Royal (Francisco Arrieta, Dallas Stewart, 20-1)
Blacksmith (Florent Geroux, Baffert, 6-1)
Easterly (Zayas, Cox, 6-1)
Emerging Market (Prat, Brown, 6-1)

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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.