April 1 (Reuters) – Hero Of Order, a 99-1 rank outsider, won
Sunday’s $1 million Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in New
Orleans in a major boilover.
The three-year-old colt upset his more fancied rivals to win
the 99th edition of the one-and-an-eighth mile (1800 metres)
classic, one of the key lead-up races to the May 5 Kentucky
Derby.
Ridden by Eddie Martin, who had the horse well placed in
second position for most of the trip before taking the lead
rounding the final turn, Hero Of Order had won just one of his
previous 13 starts.
By winning the Grade II race, Hero Of Order earned $600,000,
more than 10 times his previous life earnings and easily enough
to secure a place in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, but
he is ineligible because he wasn’t nominated for the Triple
Crown series.
Mark Valeski, which started the Louisiana Derby as the 3-2
favourite, battled on well for second. He looked certain to win
after catching Hero Of Order at the start of the stretch but
could not get past him in the sprint to the line.
Rousing Sermon came third while Cigar Streer was fourth.
The shock result came just 24 hours after Union Rags, the
early favourite for the Run for the Roses, was beaten into third
place behind Take Charge Indy in the Florida Derby.
The build-up to the Kentucky Derby continues next week with
the Wood Memorial Stakes in New York and the Santa Anita Derby
in California.
(Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Patrick Johnston;
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