Louisiana Derby Features the Red Hot Pyro

Posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2008

By GREG MELIKOV

Fair Grounds is a most historic track. It’s the oldest site of horse racing in the United States still in operation. But back in 1852 when it began, the facility was ironically known as Union Race Course deep in the heart of Dixie.

Sometimes it was referred to as the New Orleans Fair Grounds. In 1863, it was called Fair Grounds and racing was conducted during the Civil War.

In 1893, the first 100-day meeting was conducted and racing charts began appearing in local newspapers. That same year, Pat Garrett, who killed Billy the Kid a dozen years earlier, brought in a stable of runners. The onetime sheriff did fairly well breeding and racing horses for five years while living in Uvalde, Texas.

In 1894, Buckwa defeated five other thoroughbreds in the forerunner of the Louisiana Derby when it was called the Crescent City Handicap.

The Louisiana Derby has been staged continuously since 1901 except for ‘40-42 during World War II and in ‘06 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area.

Winners have only scored twice in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs: Black Gold in ‘24 when the Fair Grounds headliner was run at 1 1/8 miles and Grindstone in ‘96 eight years after the race was reduced to 1 1/16 miles.

Saturday’s 95th running of the Louisiana Derby will feature many devotees’ No. 1 of the young 3-year-old season and the likely favorite â€“ Pyro.

The son of Pulpit is coming off an amazing performance in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on Feb. 9. From behind a wall of horses at the top of the stretch, he was steered outside and roared from 11th and last to win by two increasing lengths.

Luckily, Pyro avoided disaster on Feb. 18 while breezing at the same track when another horse got loose going the wrong way. His rider safely manuevered the colt wide and all it cost was several seconds going five furlongs at 1:05 3/5. On Feb. 25, the Steve Asmussen trainee went six furlongs in a bullet 1:14.

J Be K., newest member of the conditioner’s stable that also will run in the $600,000 Louisiana Derby stakes, went five furlongs in 1:01 on Sunday. The undefeated son of Silver Deputy scored an impressive five-length victory at six furlongs on a wet fast surface in a snappy 1:10 on Feb. 15.

Two also-rans in the Risen Star will try Pyro again in the Louisiana Derby: Unbridled Vicar and Blackberry Road.

Unbridled Vicar, fourth 3 1/4 lengths back, breezed five furlongs in 1:02 2/5 on Sunday. Another neck behind was Blackberry Road, but the son of Gone West unlike Pyro lacked room late. He worked five furlongs in 1:02 1/5 on Sunday.

Another contender is unbeaten Yankee Bravo, winner of his third straight in the California Derby on the Golden Gate Fields synthetic surface Jan. 27, worked six furlongs in 1:13 handily at Hollywood Park on March 1.

Two other runners will be making their sophomore debut:

Tale of Ekati, fourth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile behind the winning War Pass and runner-up Pyro, posted a bullet work for five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 on Feb. 26 at Gulfstream Park’s Palm Meadows Training Center.

Majestic Warrior, sidelined by an injury while finishing sixth last fall in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park following his triumph in Saratoga’s Hopeful Stakes last summer, worked six furlongs in 1:15 3/5 on Feb. 23 at Payson Park in South Florida.

The 56th Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday attracted a less-stellar field headed by undefeated Giant Moon.

The son of Giant’s Causeway, who captured his fourth straight by a neck in the Count Fleet on Jan. 5, worked quite well last month on the training track at Belmont Park.

On Feb. 28, he breezed six furlongs in a snappy 1:13 4/5 on a good surface.

Other contenders in the $250,000 race at 1 1/16 miles are: Visionaire, third in the Risen Star; Eaton’s Gift, winner of Gulfstream’s Swale Stakes on Feb. 2; Roman Emperor, runner-up in the Whirlaway Stakes the same afternoon at Aqueduct; Texas Wildcatter, third in the Whirlaway; and Saratoga Russell, victorious by 10 3/4 lengths in a six-furlong allowance contest on Feb. 9 at Gulfstream Park.

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"Louisiana Derby Features the Red Hot Pyro" was posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 9:52 pm and is filed under Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Horse Racing Industry, Horses, Race Tracks News, Stakes Races, USA Horse Racing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.