The Super Derby will be run on Saturday, September 25.
The favorite in the Super Derby Prelude is a flashy gelding named Coyote Legend, who is now 7-for-12 with just over $300,000 in earnings. He’s won multiple stakes races in Texas and will try to take-down his first open company event in the Prelude. The race is always a lot of fun for the local fans because it signals that the meet’s premiere event – The Super Derby – is rapidly approaching.
As for this year’s race, it’s a competitive field of nine, with four or five legitimate contenders. It also anchors an interesting late pick four, which includes two turf stakes. Who will win? Click here to find out…
When calling races, I tend to notice jockeys who put really good or really bad rides their horses. Over the past few seasons at Louisiana Downs, people like Joe Talamo, Francisco Torres and Patrick Valenzuela stood-out as riders who always seemed to have their mounts in a winning position, while also avoiding serious trouble and mistakes.
I was curious about the jockey colony this year and how they stacked-up against each other, but with a twist. Rather than just look at overall wins or earnings, I wanted to judge them based on their ability to out-perform the public’s opinion of their mounts. To do so, I queued-up my database for all of the longshot winners at Louisiana Downs so far this meet. Click Here To See The Top Longshot Jockeys At LAD
Blame wins the Whitney Handicap - Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
I wasn’t sure Blame would be up to the task in the Whitney, but he was, and in a big way. Despite heavily-favored Quality Road sneaking away with a moderate pace, he was unable to hold off the late kick of Blame, who has quickly ascended to the top of the division both for older male and Horse of the Year.
The first two furlongs of the race were interesting. At first, it looked as though Quality Road would have plenty of company. Haynesfield and Musket Man were right alongside heading into the first turn. Within a few more strides, however, Quality Road was loose-and-clear, and he stayed that way until deep stretch when Blame collared and edged-out the narrow win.
When you break the race down, the victory becomes more impressive. Click Here To Dig Deeper Into Blame’s Win
