No sharing expected in Lecomte Stakes

By: SPORTS NETWORK

New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - The annual drive to the Kentucky Derby is well underway and Saturday at Fair Grounds Race Course the Louisiana section of the highway commences with the $175,000 Lecomte Stakes.

The mile and 70 yard event is the first of three stakes in the Big Easy for Kentucky Derby probables. The $300,000 Risen Star Stakes follows on Saturday, February 25 and the $1 million Louisiana Derby concludes this section of the trail on Sunday, April 1.

Leading the 13-horse field is Shared Property, winner of the Arlington- Washington Futurity last September 10 at Arlington Park. The 4-1 favorite will again be ridden by Leandro Goncalves for trainer Tom Amoss from the far outside post.

"He showed me he's the kind of horse who will do whatever you want to (in order to) win and that's the kind of horse you need to win races like this," noted Goncalves after winning the Arlington-Washington Futurity.

Owned by Jerry Namy, Shared Property followed his Arlington Park win with a disappointing sixth-place result in the Breeders' Futurity on October 8 as the 5-2 favorite at Keeneland.

With two wins in three career starts the gelding has banked $71,800.

Co-owner and trainer Al Stall Jr. sends out Seven Lively Sins who has been slotted as the 9-2 second choice. Getting the ride on the colt for the first time is local sensation Rosie Napravnik who guided Pants On Fire to victory in last year's Louisiana Derby. Colt and rider will break from post seven.

With Julien Leparoux in the saddle, Seven Lively Sins was second at Churchill Downs in the Iroquois Stakes on October 30 with a fourth on November 19 in the Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs. The colt has earned $96,697 with all four finishes hitting the board.

Listed as the 5-1 third pick in the Lecomte is Exfactor trained by longtime Midwest conditioner Bernie Flint. Owned by Stoneway Farm, the gray colt will start from post four with Shaun Bridgmohan again in the saddle.

Exfactor is coming off a win in last month's Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds as the 3-2 favorite. Last July the colt captured the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs by nearly three-lengths. He has three wins in four starts for $145,348.

"The man that owns this horse (Jim Stone) has his own farm," Flint said the day after winning the Sugar Bowl. "This colt had showed me some promise since I got him, but he was a little on the small side, so after the Bashford Manor I decided to turn him out for five and a half months and let him grow up and be a horse.

"It used to be, you could give a horse all the time he needed to grow up, but with the money they're giving away these days, with the Breeders' Cup and these other rich races, sometimes owners can't afford to let you do that. Fortunately, Mr. Stone let me take my time with this horse, so hopefully now I have a nice horse for a winter campaign here at Fair Grounds and I've given him the proper time to get him ready for the classic distances that will be coming along later."

Here is the field for the Lecomte from the rail out: Adena's Chance, Marlon St. Julien, 20-1; Ted's Folly, Jose Medina, 10-1; Mr. Bowling, Robby Albarado, 8-1; Exfactor, Shaun Bridgmohan, 5-1; Dan and Sheila, John Velazquez, 6-1; Z Dager, Shane Sellers, 6-1; Seven Lively Sins, Rosie Napravnik, 9-2; Alexander Thegreat, John Jacinto, 30-1; Hammers Terror, James Graham, 6-1; Hero of Order, Iram Diego, 20-1; Chalybeate Springs, Brian Hernandez Jr., 20-1; Capetown Devil, Corey Lanerie, 6-1 and Shared Property, Leandro Goncalves, 4-1.

Adena's Chance and Hero of Order will race as an entry as will Dan and Sheila and Z Dager.

Post-time for the Lecomte is slated for 5:55 p.m. (et).