Study Guide: 2025 Lecomte Stakes

Jan 13, 2025 J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

The stakes are doubling in Saturday’s $250,000 Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds. The 1 1/16-mile race will award 20-10-6-4-2 Road to the Kentucky Derby qualification points to its top five finishers, twice the 10-5-3-2-1 points available in other recent qualifiers.

Partly as a result, an impressive 14-horse field has entered the Lecomte. Let’s take a tour through the entries:

Innovator

Start(s): 7
Wins: 1
Place: 4
Show: 0

Owner: BC Stables
Breeder: Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Jaime Torres

Top Speed Rating: (89) when finishing second in a Saratoga maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $172,555

Sire: Authentic
Dam: Inspired
Color: Dark bay/brown

Stakes-placed sprinter Innovator recently won a quick maiden special weight at Oaklawn and is eligible to improve while tackling a two-turn race for the first time.

Maximum Promise

Start(s): 2
Wins: 1
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Back Racing and Run for LaRoses
Breeder: Don Alberto Corporation
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Top Speed Rating: (87) when winning an Ellis Park maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $45,141

Sire: Maximum Security
Dam: Paixao
Color: Bay

Maximum Promise smashed a one-mile maiden special weight at Ellis Park last summer by 14 1/2 lengths, but he hasn’t run since, and the long layoff is a question mark.

Admiral Dennis

Start(s): 3
Wins: 1
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: Albaugh Family Stables
Breeder: WinStar Farm
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Joel Rosario

Top Speed Rating: (91) when winning a Churchill Downs maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $85,000

Sire: Constitution
Dam: Gulf Coast
Color: Chestnut

Admiral Dennis never fired after stumbling at the start of last month’s Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds, finishing fourth. But he’d previously won a one-mile maiden special weight with a strong 91 Brisnet Speed rating, so Admiral Dennis has rebound potential in the Lecomte.

Magnitude

Start(s): 5
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds
Breeder: Ron Stolich
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Top Speed Rating: (86) when finishing second in the Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds.
Total Earnings: $143,665

Sire: Not This Time
Dam: Rockadelic
Color: Bay

Magnitude finished a pace-pressing second in the Gun Runner, beaten 6 3/4 lengths by gate-to-wire winner Built. He’ll need a step forward to turn the tables.

Optical

Start(s): 7
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: Don’t Tell My Wife Stables 2023
Breeder: Stoneriggs Farm
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Jockey: James Graham

Top Speed Rating: (84) when winning a Churchill Downs $50,000 starter allowance.
Total Earnings: $119,562

Sire: City of Light
Dam: Espressoandacheck
Color: Bay

Optical has shown flashes of talent and exits a victory in a $50,000 starter allowance, but he needs to improve upon his career-best 84 Brisnet Speed rating.

Golden Afternoon

Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Eddie Greco, Pat Greco, Scott Jaffe, Michael P. Cloonan, and Vaccarezza Racing
Breeder: Alexander-Groves Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Nicholas Vaccarezza
Jockey: Axel Concepcion

Top Speed Rating: (85) when finishing second in the Bourbon (G2) at Keeneland.
Total Earnings: $201,275

Sire: Goldencents
Dam: Afternoon
Color: Bay

Runner-up in the Bourbon (G2) on turf, Golden Afternoon has shown ability at the graded stakes level, but has yet to race on dirt. Switching surfaces for the Lecomte is a question mark.

Calling Card

Start(s): 4
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 1

Owner: Three Diamonds Farm
Breeder: Spruce Lane Farm, Manlius Stable, Built Wright Stables, et al.
Trainer: Mike Maker
Jockey: Frankie Dettori

Top Speed Rating: (93) when winning an Aqueduct maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $72,850

Sire: Complexity
Dam: Graceful Rage
Color: Dark bay/brown

Calling Card posted a strong 93 Brisnet Speed rating when dominating a maiden special weight for New York-breds by 17 1/4 lengths, but he regressed to an 82 when third in a $125,000 allowance optional claimer last time out. He needs a rebound.

Tough Catch

Start(s): 5
Wins: 2
Place: 2
Show: 0

Owner: S.O.K. Racing, Gervais Racing, On Our Own Stable, Zak Stables, and Dallas Stewart
Breeder: Martin J. Keogh, Justin Wojczynski, and Gemma Wojczynski
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Jockey: Luis Saez

Top Speed Rating: (92) when finishing second in the Bowman Mill S. at Keeneland.
Total Earnings: $201,200

Sire: Complexity
Dam: Try to Catch Her
Color: Gray/roan

Tough Catch has posted a trio of 90+ Brisnet Speed ratings in sprints, including when winning the six-furlong Sugar Bowl S. at Fair Grounds. But his pedigree arguably slants toward speed more than stamina, so stretching out over 1 1/16 miles is an obstacle to overcome.

Dapper Moon

Start(s): 6
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Valene Farms
Breeder: Coteau Grove Farms
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Jockey: Edgar Morales

Top Speed Rating: (93) when winning a Saratoga maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $156,638

Sire: Malibu Moon
Dam: Fashioned Gem
Color: Gray/roan

Dapper Moon exits a victory in a six-furlong allowance for Louisiana-breds at Fair Grounds, but a trio of previous forays on the Road to the Kentucky Derby yielded fourths in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1), Street Sense (G3), and Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). Stepping back up in class could be a challenge.

Mobetterthangood

Start(s): 1
Wins: 1
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Harold Lerner, AWC Stables, and Nehoc Stables
Breeder: Allen C. Hallett
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Colby Hernandez

Top Speed Rating: (82) when winning a Saratoga maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $49,500

Sire: Mo Town
Dam: Sakura Ballerina
Color: Bay

Mobetterthangood rallied to win his debut sprinting seven furlongs against New York-breds last summer, but he hasn’t started since. He’s talented, but stepping up in class and distance off a long break may prove difficult.

Disco Time

Start(s): 2
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Juddmonte
Breeder: Juddmonte
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Florent Geroux

Top Speed Rating: (92) when winning a Churchill Downs $100,000 allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $141,960

Sire: Not This Time
Dam: Disco Chick
Color: Dark bay/brown

Disco Time has won both of his starts in convincing fashion, including a one-mile $100,000 allowance optional claimer. He looms as a serious Lecomte win contender for hot trainer Brad Cox, who won this race in 2023 with Instant Coffee.

Jolly Samurai

Start(s): 4
Wins: 3
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Jake Brown
Breeder: David Cobb
Trainer: Danny Pish
Jockey: Rene Diaz

Top Speed Rating: (83) when winning the Kip Deville S. at Remington Park.
Total Earnings: $119,196

Sire: First Samurai
Dam: Jolly Good
Color: Chestnut

Fifth in the Remington Springboard Mile S. on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, Jolly Samurai needs to improve upon his career-best 83 Brisnet Speed rating to challenge against tougher competition in the Lecomte.

Built

Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners
Breeder: Robert Low and Lawana Low
Trainer: Wayne Catalano
Jockey: Jareth Loveberry

Top Speed Rating: (94) when winning the Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds.
Total Earnings: $124,204

Sire: Hard Spun
Dam: Sea Garden
Color: Bay

Built impressed in last month’s Gun Runner S. over the Lecomte track and distance, leading all the way to dominate by 6 3/4 lengths. But he benefited from setting a slow pace in a small field, and he may have to run much faster early while breaking from post 13 in the Lecomte.

Built dominates in the Gun Runner Stakes and earns 10 points on the Road to the #KyDerby! 🌹🏇🏽 pic.twitter.com/Dn8rgXnWvo

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) December 21, 2024

Seattle Road

Start(s): 4
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Greenwell Thoroughbreds
Breeder: Phoenix Thoroughbreds (III)
Trainer: Tom Amoss
Jockey: Marcelino Pedroza Jr.

Top Speed Rating: (83) when finishing second in a Fair Grounds maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $48,278

Sire: Quality Road
Dam: Seattle Slang
Color: Bay

Seattle Road closed a lot of ground to win a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Fair Grounds last month, but his career-best 83 Brisnet Speed rating looks a little light against the Lecomte field.