Lecomte Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2024 Lecomte Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2024 Lecomte is set for January 20 at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, LA. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Lecomte Stakes Preview
- Race: Lecomte Stakes
- Purse: $200,000
- Track: Fair Grounds
- Date: January 20
- Post Time: 7:00 PM (ET)
- Live: Lecomte Stakes Odds: Click Here
Before we can give you our expert 2024 Lecomte Stakes free pick, we have to break down the entries! In fact, we’d love to hear from you after you’ve given this post a read to see if you see an angle that we don’t!
2024 Lecomte Stakes Handicapping
Things are starting to get real.
Although a handful of 2024 Kentucky Derby qualifying races have already been run, in a way Saturday’s (G3) Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds really kicks off the Derby points chase. Outside of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, it’s the first of the North American qualifiers to award 20 points to the winner. It’s also the local prep for the (G2) Risen Star Stakes, which will be the first prep to award 50 points – and likely a spot in the Derby gate – to the winner.
Open to horses age three, the Lecomte is run at 1 1/16 miles on the Fair Grounds dirt track.
Odds listed here are provided by the Fair Grounds track oddsmaker.
2024 Lecomte Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Track Phantom Race Odds: 9-5
A last out winner of the Gun Runner Stakes at Fairgrounds, Track Phantom has now won two in a row after breaking his maiden with a 4 3/4 length victory going this same 1 1/16 miles distance. Overall he now sports a record of two wins, one second and one third from four starts, while consistently increasing his speed figures each time out.
In the Gun Runner he was able to track right off the early speed through fairly quick fractions and still have enough in the tank to get to the front and maintain the advantage through the stretch. Expect him to be forwardly placed here again.
2024 Lecomte Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Nash Race Odds: 5-2
A colt that generated a lot of hype early in the season, Nash went into the Gun Runner as the heavy favourite off a 10-length maiden score in his previous race, a result that looked even more impressive when the third-place finisher came back to win next out.
However, he never really threatened in the Gun Runner, and was unable to reel in Track Phantom when the serious running started in the stretch drive, eventually tiring a bit late to finish third.
Can Group Race Odds: 6-1
Already a graded-stakes winner on the turf, the connections of Can Group appear to see enough dirt-racing talent to give him shot at getting some Derby points with his first start on dirt after three straight on the grass.
Two back he rallied from out of the clouds to win the (G2) Bourbon at Keeneland, and followed that up with a very respectable fourth in the (G1) BC Juvenile Turf, just two lengths off the winner while scoring a 105 Equibase speed figure, tops in this field.
Lat Long Race Odds: 8-1
Never out of the money in five lifetime races, Lat Long needed all five of those to get his maiden score last out at Oaklawn Park.
He has been running in some very good company, as each of his last four races have produced a top three finisher that came back to win next out. He was no match for Track Phantom when they met two back, finishing in second but more than four lengths behind that one in a maiden event at Churchill Downs.
Here’s My 2024 Lecomte Stakes Free Pick.
Outside of the favourite Track Phantom and long shot Next Level there doesn’t seem to be a lot of early speed in this race. Those two hooked up out of the gate in the Gun Runner and put up some fairly fast fractional times, with the latter proving no match in the end, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see something of a replay here.
Although Track Phantom did get the win, I didn’t think it was a dominating performance, and at low odds I’m willing to try and beat him.
The pace set up could be a problem, but I think Can Group is an interesting option at a price. I’m not normally a big fan of horses switching surfaces, but he did manage a couple third-place finishes in his first two races in dirt, the second of those behind two solid Kentucky Derby contenders. I’ll play him for the upset win and keep Track Phantom in the exacta.
Full Field: 2024 Lecomte Stakes Odds
By post position
- #1 – Next Level 30-1
- #2 – Nash 5-2
- #3 – Tizzy Indy 30-1
- #4 – Can Group 6-1
- #5 – Ethan Energy 4-1
- #6 – Lat Long 8-1
- #7 – Track Phantom 9-5
- #8 – Awesome Road 8-1
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