from the Fair Grounds website:


Louisana Derby (G2)

Winner: Freisan Fire ($6.40, running time 1:43.46)

Trainer Larry Jones (by phone from Oaklawn Park): (laughing) “I thought he could have run much better if I was there.

“We’re very happy with his performance. The time was good. It at least gets us in the ballpark All is well. We’re improving every race.”

“He’s getting good at the right time. The work the other day kind of touted us.

(on next race) “He’s definitely going to Keeneland. He’s headed there next week. We’ll analyze his numbers to think if he can run a Derby winning number off this race or if we need to get another race into him.

He probably has more races under his belt than anyone who’s in contention for the Derby. He already has seven races.”

Jockey Gabriel Saez: “I got him right behind the leaders. He was very relaxed. When I made my move, he just exploded. I think he keeps getting better.”

Jockey Rafael Bejarano (Papa Clem, 2nd): “He tried really hard. I thought he was really comfortable through the race. I am very pleased with his progression and I think he liked the surface (his first race on dirt).”

Trainer Al Stall Jr. (Terrain, 3rd): “It was a great comeback race. We’re the only horse who closed into a slow pace. We were really happy with the comeback.”

Jockey Julien Leparoux (Terrain, 3rd): “Very pleased. He gave me a good effort for his first race back since December. I liked that he finished the race well.”

Notes: Jones and Saez won the Louisiana Derby for the first time; they teamed to win the Fair Grounds Oaks a year ago with Proud Spell … It was Jones’ sixth graded stakes win at Fair Grounds, all in the last three years; Friesan Fire has accounted for half that total … Friesan Fire became the first horse to win three graded stakes in a single Fair Grounds meet and the first horse to sweep the Lecomte, Risen Star and Louisiana Derby since Dixieland Heat in 1993 … Coincidentally, Dixieland Heat’s 1993 Louisiana Derby win was the last one over a sloppy track.

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