$1 Million Louisiana Derby Big Step Towards Kentucky Derby 152
The Louisiana Derby has become a very important step towards the Kentucky Derby and offers a $1 million purse. The 2026 edition has nine runners competing.
Chip Honcho gives trainer Steve Asmussen a shot at a record-setting sixth win in the Louisiana Derby Lou Hodges The Louisiana Derby will be run at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans on Saturday, March 21 with major implications at stake. First of all, there is a hefty $1 million in prize money up for grabs and of course the honor of winning a race that was inaugurated back in 1894. More importantly may be the Kentucky Derby qualifying points awarded.
A win here garners 100 points and most assuredly a spot in the starting gates for the world’s most famous race. Finishing second (50 points) or third (25) will add to any already accrued points and perhaps a post position on the first Saturday in May. As the longest of any of the Kentucky Derby prep races, this mile and three sixteenths distance race offers the closest challenge to the mile and a quarter distance run at Churchill Downs for these blossoming three-year olds.
The long Fair Grounds stretch is also somewhat similar to that existing beneath the Twin Spires in Louisville. Black Gold in 1924 and Grindstone in 1996 are the only two Louisiana Derby winners to also earn top honors in the Kentucky Derby. Recent winners Epicenter (2022) and Hot Rod Charlie (2021) were near misses in their runs at Kentucky Derby glory.
Without further ado, let’s examine the nine runners and provide a thought on each. The horses will be listed by post position, with trainer, jockey, and morning line. 1 Pavlovian (Doug O’Neill, Edwin Maldonado 6-1)- California-bred ships in from the West coast fresh off a gutty win in the Sunland Park Derby.