Sierra Leone, Spirit of St Louis star on Louisiana Derby card

While the Louisiana Derby (G2) is the marquee race on Saturday's program at Fair Grounds, the marquee horse competing on the card is reigning three-year-old colt champion Sierra Leone. The Chad Brown trainee will be making his first start since his title clinching Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) win in November in the $500,000 New Orleans Classic (G2) over 1 1/8 miles.

Sierra Leone is familiar with the track and distance, having kicked off his championship campaign with a victory in the Risen Star (G2) last February. He later won the Blue Grass (G1) and then placed in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont (G1), Jim Dandy (G2), and Travers (G1) before landing the Classic at Del Mar.

Sidelined briefly while preparing for last month's $20 million Saudi Cup (G1), Sierra Leone next targeted the April 19 Oaklawn H. (G2), but has come to hand sooner.

"We chose this spot for a couple reasons," Brown said. "The horse is ready to run now, so I didn't want to wait another month and keep training him. Number two, he already has a win over the track. It all just made sense, so he's ready to go."

Nine others were entered in the New Orleans Classic, including the top three from the Feb. 15 Mineshaft (G3). Hall of Fame continued his ascent by winning the Mineshaft, but only by a head over Komorebino Omoide. Pacesetter Maycocks Bay weakened to third, 2 1/4 lengths back.

Brad Cox has entered two, stakes winner Kinetic and the multiple graded-placed Bishops Bay. The latter returns to stakes company for the first time since June 2023 after winning two of three allowance preps. Both Kinetic and the aforementioned Maycocks Bay are cross-entered to Saturday's Essex H. (G3) at Oaklawn Park. 

Also in the mix is Touchuponastar, a standout in the Louisiana-bred ranks who finished second in last year's New Orleans Classic.

Brown also has the horse to beat, actually two, in the $300,000 Muniz Memorial Classic (G2) for older horses at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. The most prominent of the pair is the New York-bred six-year-old Spirit of St Louis, a neck winner of the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) in late January.

"I think that since he's gotten older he has a little bit more range than I initially thought," Brown said. "I always felt that shorter was better for him because of the stronger pace. I always thought he was more effective doing that as I was developing him. But he really got out to one mile and an eighth last time (in the Pegasus) and did it well to win.

"I love where the Muniz is on the schedule," added Brown, who won it in 2019 with eventual Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar and in 2024 with I'm Very Busy. "It's a nice race to participate in every year with going up to Churchill after this (for the Turf Classic [G1]). So we're going to continue on with this distance for the next couple races."

Brown's other entry is the lightly raced Redistricting, a narrowly-beaten second in the Knickerbocker (G3) and Seabiscuit H. (G2) last fall.

Gigante ran below par in the Fair Grounds (G3) last month, but is a seven-time stakes winner who finished second in last year's Muniz. The field of 12 also features the return to action of Brilliant Berti, a three-time stakes winner last term for Cherie DeVaux.

The $150,000 Tom Benson Memorial, a 1 1/16-mile grass test for fillies and mares, lacks a standout, though the Brown-trained Fun With Flags will be expected to improve off her lone U.S. run last summer, when she trailed home a field of nine in the Belmont Oaks (G1).

Other logical contenders include Stir Crazy and Way to Be Marie.