Fair Grounds 🏇🏾// Sat., Jan. 17, 2026
- Fink
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Happy Saturday & Bootlegger's Day! 🍻🍺🍸🍾🍹🍾
The road to the Kentucky Derby is back, and we’re here with our top-rated Lundin Line picks for the entire card at Fair Grounds Race Course. That’s right—the points are bigger starting this week, and we’ll start to learn who the true contenders are for the rose blanket and who’s just here to be part of the festivities.
Today’s card features 13 races in total, including six stakes, a Kentucky Derby prep race, and plenty of opportunities to cash some tickets. The featured race comes in the finale: the Lecomte Stakes. This Grade 3 event is a 1 1/16-mile route on the dirt for three-year-olds only. The purse is $250k, but more importantly, the top five finishers will earn 20-10-6-4-2 points toward the Kentucky Derby standings.
This is the first prep race where we’ll see multiple runners who have already earned points. The 1 horse, Quality Mischief, has 2 points; the 3 horse, Crown the Buckeye, has 3 points; and the 11 horse, Chip Honcho, has 10 points after his victory here at Fair Grounds in December in the Gun Runner Stakes. While all three have experience in two-year-old prep races, the winner of today’s race—even one with no prior points—will vault into second place in the standings and potentially lay out a path to the starting gate in May.
While not the featured race, the ladies are also taking to the track as we start to figure out who will emerge as one of the top three-year-old fillies. Race 10 is a Kentucky Oaks prep, with 20-10-6-4-2 points awarded to the top finishers toward the leaderboard. This is the Fasig-Tipton Silverbulletday Stakes, run at 1 mile and 70 yards on the dirt with a purse of $150k. Two of the six starters have not yet earned points, so we’ll see plenty of experience in this field, and the winner will jump up to third on the leaderboard.
Because the Kentucky Oaks does not have a full field of 20 like the Derby, it’s even more important for these fillies to break into the top 10 and stay there. Winning today won’t fully secure a spot, but it will make it much easier to remain in contention for the starting gate on the first Friday in May.
Today’s weather looks decent, with highs in the mid-50s and cloudy skies. The good news: the rain is expected to stay away, giving us a fast track and firm turf.
We took last week off as there were no prep races, but we’re always happy to spend a few hours looking at the ponies and are excited for the Derby and Oaks leaderboards to heat up as more points are handed out. There’s still a long way to go—lots of points to award, multiple “win and you’re in” races down the calendar, and plenty of opportunities to cash some tickets.
We’ll also be playing the Doubling Down contest with Colin Sheehan each week, so jump in and play along with us. We really enjoy it because it’s free—just like our picks every week!!!
🏇Road to the KY Derby and KY Oaks 🏇
"Each year 20 horses have the once in a lifetime chance to run in the Kentucky Derby. To earn a spot in the starting gate, they must travel along the Road to the Kentucky Derby, a series of designated races at tracks across the country and around the world. Points are awarded to the top five finishers in each race. The 20 horses with the most points will earn a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May."
-From our friends @ kentuckyderby.com
Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late -
It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰
Fair Grounds 🏇🏾 // Sat., Jan. 17th, 2026
First Post @ 12:00CT / 10:00 PT
R1: 4-8-3-9
R2: 5-3-4-8
R3: 3-5-4
R4: 5⭑-9-7-2
R5: 7-3-2-11
R6: 13-6-1-5
R7Ⓢ: 2-1-4-6
R8: 10-12-6-11
R9Ⓢ: 5-9-6-8
🏇R10Ⓢ: 1-4-3
R11Ⓢ: 4-1-7-3
R12: 8-1-7-5
🏇R13Ⓢ: 11⭑-3-10-8
🏇 = Featured Race(s)
⭑Best Bet(s)
R4: Clear as a Bele (#5)
R13: Chip Honcho (#11)
Ⓢtakes Races
R7: 100K Duncan F. Kenner S.
5 1/2 Furlongs for 4 Yr. Olds & Up
R9: 100K Marie G. Krantz Mem. S.
1 1/16 Miles for Fillies & Mares, 4 Yrs. Old & Up
🏇R10: 150K Silverbulletday S. / OP
1 Mi. 70 yds. For Filies, 3 Yr. Old
KY Oaks Prep: Pts = 20-10-6-4-2
R11: 100K Col. E.R. Bradley S.
1 1/16 Mi. For 4 Yr. Olds & Up
R12: 175K Louisiana S.
1 1/16 Miles for 4 Yr. Olds & Up
🏇R13 250K Lecomte S. (G3)/DP
1 1/16 Miles for 3 Yr. Olds
KY Prep: Pts = 20-10-6-4-2
The Lecomte Stakes is a longstanding Kentucky Derby prep race held annually at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, with roots dating back to the late 19th century. Named for Lecomte, the first American racehorse to defeat the famed Lexington in 1854, the race was first run in 1897 and has evolved into an important early-season test for 3-year-olds. Traditionally contested at about a mile and a sixteenth in January, the Lecomte helps launch Fair Grounds’ “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, offering valuable qualifying points. Over the years, it has produced several notable Derby contenders and winners, including Risen Star, who captured the Lecomte in 1988 before going on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, cementing the race’s reputation as a key stepping stone toward Triple Crown success.
Photo from our friends at National Day Calendar
"During the 1800s, the term bootlegger came into use in the Midwest. The word described the act of concealing flasks of liquor in a boot top when going to trade with Native Americans. The term found its permanent place in the American vocabulary when Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol in 1920."
Hit us up @_TurtleSports and let us know what you think!
Oh, and don't forget to follow us @_TurtleSports and subscribe to our site so you don't miss any of the action. You'll be glad you did!
/ As always, please forgive any typos and grammatical errors
Comments