Louisiana Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2024 Louisiana Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2024 Louisiana is set for January 20 at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, LA. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Louisiana Stakes Preview
- Race: Louisiana Stakes
- Purse: $175,000
- Track: Fair Grounds
- Date: January 20
- Post Time: 6:30 PM (ET)
- Live: Louisiana Stakes Odds: Click Here
Before we can give you our expert 2024 Louisiana 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 Louisiana Stakes Handicapping
A big 13-race card on Saturday afternoon at Fair Grounds Race Course includes five stakes races on both dirt and turf for males and females, including the (G3) Louisiana Stakes.
The Louisiana is open to horses age four and older racing 1 1/16 miles on the Fair Grounds dirt.
For 2024, the race has drawn a field of seven high-quality runners, many of which have previous graded-stakes victories under their saddle.
Odds listed here are provided by the Fair Grounds track oddsmaker.
2024 Louisiana Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Saudi Crown Race Odds: 8-5
When last seen, Saudi Crown was running a distant 10th in the BC Classic in early November, but his body of work previous to that is what makes him the morning line favourite here, in what is a significant class drop.
Prior to the Classic he was the wire-to-wire winner of the (G1) Pennsylvania Derby, after two consecutive runner-up finishes in the (G2) Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga and the (G3) Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park. He’s the confirmed speed of the race, and will get a distance cut back from his last two efforts.
2024 Louisiana Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Smile Happy Race Odds: 5-2
A duel graded-stakes winner already, Smile Happy has been on an extended layoff since running fifth in the (G1) Stephen Foster Stakes back in July.
Prior to that he was the winner of the (G2) Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs in May. He was also a contender in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, but had a lot of traffic trouble and wound up 8th. It’s notable that he is a perfect 3-for-3 at the 1 1/16 miles distance.
Red Route One Race Odds: 5-1
Outside of a try on turf three starts back, Red Route One has been very competitive in his last three on dirt, with a win, a runner-up finish and a third place. And with several horses in this race showing early speed, it could well set up for his off-the-pace running style.
The problem is those recent efforts came at Mountaineer Park, Remington Park and Zia Park, against fields a former Grade 1 contender should have been able to handle, and he only got the one win. Now he has to face tougher competition, and it’s not insignificant that he has no wins at this distance in seven lifetime tries.
Five Star General Race Odds: 6-1
A well-traveled eight-year-old – he won the (G3) British Columbia Derby, of all things, at Vancouver’s Hastings Park way back in 2019 – Five Star General is the only horse in the race coming in off a win, after taking the Tenacious Stakes at the track and distance in late December.
That bodes well for a horse that can be expected to be involved in the early pace matchup. The question is simply whether he’s good enough to hang around until the end against the top contenders here.
Here’s My 2024 Louisiana Stakes Free Pick.
I’ve always been a bit of a fan of Saudi Crown, and think on paper he’s the class of the field here. If you toss the Breeders’ Cup Classic at a distance that’s probably a bit too far for him, he’s been first or second in every one of his five other lifetime starts, and only missed beating 2022 Juvenile champ Forte by a nose in the (G2) Jim Dandy.
My one concern is that he may get hooked into a speed duel with Five Star General and/or long shot Kupuna early on and that may open the door for one coming late. He also doesn’t offer any betting value, but he is my pick to win.
Full Field: 2024 Louisiana Stakes Odds
By post position
- #1 – Red Route One 5-1
- #2 – Smile Happy 9-5
- #3 – Saudi Crown 8-5
- #4 – Happy American 8-1
- #5 – Five Star General 6-1
- #6 – Confidence Game 15-1
- #7 – Kupuna 15-1
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