Pyro muscled his way to the lead in the stretch and ran off with a three-length victory in the $600,000 Louisiana Derby on Saturday, reaffirming his status as a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby.
In the toughest Derby prep yet, Pyro made easy work of eight rivals for his second impressive win of the year, both at the Fair Grounds.
Under Shaun Bridgmohan, Pyro simply moved through an opening between several horses and cruised to his third win in six career starts.
Pyro, the 4-5 favorite, returned $3.60, $2.80 and $2.20.
*Visionaire edged Texas Wildcatter by a nose in the $250,000 Gotham Stakes for 3-year-olds at foggy and sloppy Aqueduct.
The fog obliterated the view from the grandstand until the horses hit the stretch, where Visionaire got up in the final strides for his third win in five starts.
Visionaire ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.60 and paid $11, $5.60 and $3.80.
The Gotham is the prep leading to Aqueduct’s major race, the $750,000 Wood Memorial on April 5.
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Edited by Bob Foltman from Tribune news services.
