Fair Grounds 🏇🏾// Sat., Mar. 21, 2026

Happy Saturday & National Corn Dog Day! 🌭

We’ve reached that time of year when the top three-year-old horses start to separate themselves from the pack and show who really has a chance to take home the Run for the Roses—and we’ll be here to help you every step of the way.

Today we head to New Orleans, LA, and Fair Grounds Race Course for a “win and you’re in” day for both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. If you’ve followed us for any amount of time, you know we love these days, because the winners of today’s prep races know they’re headed to Churchill Downs the first weekend in May, and the jockeys, trainers, and other connections can shift their focus and start preparing.

The weather is changing now that we’re in spring, so not only is the temperature heating up, but so are the tracks, and we should see some great speed going forward. Today’s card has 14 total races, half of which are stakes, and we have a great double opportunity with our two featured prep races going back-to-back starting in Race 11.

The ladies are up first in the $400k Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks, where seven fillies will compete at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. With so many points on the line today, we’re likely to see a big shake-up at the top. The real question for me is whether Bella Ballerina—who finished as the second choice in the Oaks future pool—goes all out for the win today, or uses this as a chance to try a different type of race to get ready for the Oaks. She already has 60 points, meaning she’s nearly locked in, and her trainer may want to see what she can do in different situations. Two horses in this field have no Oaks points, so a win would vault them directly toward the top of the standings.

Next up is the $1,000,000 TwinSpires Louisiana Derby. Nine runners will compete at 1 3/16 miles on the dirt, and the winner also takes over the top spot in the standings. A few can even reach the top with a runner-up finish today. This is the first 100-point prep day, and we’re excited to see what these top horses have in store for us.

The weather will be ideal today, with highs in the lower 80s and mostly sunny skies. That should produce a fast main track and firm turf as we begin the final run-up to the first weekend in May.

Don't forget to join us in playing Doubling Down with Colin and Vinny. This is a free contest with real prizes, that you should not miss!!!

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🏇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

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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! 💰💰💰

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Fair Grounds 🏇🏾 // Sat., Mar. 21st, 2026

First Post @ 12:00 CDT/ 10:00 PDT

R1: 6-5-1-2

R2Ⓢ: 2-1-4

R3: 4⭑-6-8-3

R4: 10-3-7-6

R5: 4-5-2-10

R6Ⓢ: 1⭑-3-4-7

12:43 PDT : Start of our 20-cent All Stakes Single 6 Jackpot (R7-R12) @ Turfway Park which includes the the Bourbonette Oaks (KY Oaks Prep) & the Jeff Ruby Steaks (KY Derby Prep).

Check your X Feed for our picks! 🏇

R7: 8-7-3-11

R8Ⓢ: 2-1-5-3

R9Ⓢ: 4-3-2

R10Ⓢ: 7-1-4

🏇R11Ⓢ/OP

Fink: 6-5-4

Mr W: 5-4-2-6

🏇R12Ⓢ/DP

Fink: 3-5-4-1

Mr. W: 5-3-7-1

R13: 6-5-3-11

R14: 1-8-12-3

🏇 = Featured Race(s)

⭑Best Bet(s)

R3: Direct Strike (#4)

R6: Ready for Shirl (#1)

Ⓢtakes Races

R2: 100K Crescent City Oaks

1Mi 70 yds in Dirt for Fillies, 3 Yrs. Old

R6: 150K Tom Benson Mem. S.

1 1/16 Mi. on Turf for Fillies/Mares 4 Yrs. Old & Up

R8: 100K Costa Rising S.

5 1/2 Furlongs on Turf for 3 Yr. Olds & Up

R9: 500K New Orleans Classic S. (G2)

1 1/8 Mi. on Dirt for 4 Yr. Olds & Up

R10: 300K Muniz Mem. Classic S. (G2T)

1 1/8 Mi on Turf for 4 Yr. Olds & Up

🏇R11: 400K Fair Grounds Oaks (G2)/OP

1 1/16 Mi. On Dirt for Fillies, 3 Yrs. Old

KY Oaks Pts = 100-50-25-15-10

🏇R12: 1Mil. Louisiana Derby (G2)/DP

1 3/16 Mi. On Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds

KY Derby Pts. = 100-50-25-15-10

The Louisiana Derby is one of the oldest and most storied Thoroughbred prep races in the United States. Inaugurated in 1894, it is one of the oldest races in the country, restricted to three-year-olds, though it did not celebrate its centennial edition until 2013. The race was previously held at Crescent City and Jefferson Park, two now-defunct tracks in New Orleans, before finding a permanent home at Fair Grounds Race Course in 1932. TwinSpires The race has not been held consecutively throughout its history — it was canceled during the early 1940s and again in 1945 when the U.S. government suspended racing due to World War II, and once more in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina partially destroyed the Fair Grounds. It has been run over four different distances, most recently shifting to 1 3/16 miles in 2020, and its purse has grown from a few thousand dollars to $1 million beginning in 2011. As a key prep on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, the race has produced many notable champions: two Louisiana Derby winners have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby — Black Gold in 1924 and Grindstone in 1996 - while Risen Star (1988) parlayed a win here into victories in both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, and Gun Runner (2016) used the race as a launchpad to an exceptional four-year-old campaign that culminated in a Breeders' Cup Classic title.

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Photo from our friends at National Day Calendar

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/ As always, please forgive any typos and grammatical errors