Track Phantom wins Lecomte, adds 20 Kentucky Derby points

The gloves came off early in the 80th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds as the two top contenders Track Phantom and Nash broke running for the lead.

Quickening past Nash in the opening turn and holding the foe at bay thereafter through the 1 1/16 miles, Track Phantom backed up his Gun Runner victory with a dominant, 2 3/4-length win over Nash.

Utilizing his outside draw to his advantage, Track Phantom broke sharply and out-quickened his inner rival Nash, proving more eager for the lead and establishing command in the first turn to roll off an honest 24.01-second opening call and a more moderate 48.36-second half-mile clocking.

Owned by L and N Racing, Clark Brewster, Jerry Caroom and Breeze Easy, Nash repositioned off the rail to press Track Phantom as his keen stablemate Ethan Energy and the long shot Lat Long followed. Nash made his move for the lead in the far turn, but Track Phantom fended off any hint of a menace at will.

At the top of the stretch when asked, the Gun Runner winner pulled away, setting Nash to an all-out effort to keep up for second as Lat Long’s bid for that placing fell just short. 

Trained by Steve Asmussen and with Joel Rosario back in the irons, Track Phantom's final time in the Lecomte was 1:44.73 on the fast dirt course.

“(Track Phantom) has a lot of speed, and going into the first turn, I wanted to get my position and see what he (Florent Géroux) was going to do (aboard Nash),” Rosario said. “I just kept going forward, and we were able to get into a nice rhythm.”

Adding 20 to his total with the Lecomte win, Track Phantom has accrued 30 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby. Along with the three he earned for finishing third in the Gun Runner, Nash has 13 points. Lat Long finished third, earning his first six points. Ethan Energy got four points and Tizzy Indy two for finishing fourth and fifth.

It was the fourth Lecomte win for Asmussen, who last tasted victory in the race in 2021 with Midnight Bourbon. The following year his Gun Runner winner Epicenter was upset by the long shot Midnight Bourbon, but he would later rebound to win both the Risen Star (G2) and the Louisiana Derby (G2) en route to a runner-up performance in the Kentucky Derby. 

“(Track Phantom) is a very nice horse, and we’re fortunate to have him for such a great ownership group,” Asmussen said. “I love how he’s running here. I love the 3-year-old series at Fair Grounds, and we plan on continuing in it. We couldn’t be any more proud of the horse. He’s won all three of his two-turn races. He’s got a beautiful way of going, and I think he’s just going to get better. He’s getting stronger all the time, and we’re just excited to be in this position.”

Undefeated going two turns in three tries, Track Phantom’s career 5: 3-1-1 record has resulted in $285,000 in earnings for his connections.

Sent off as the 7-5 second favorite, Track Phantom paid $4.80, $2.40 and $2.10. In defeat at the market’s top choice for two races straight, Nash returned $2.40, $2.10. Outrunning his 27-1 odds, Lat Long offered $3.40 to show.