Saturday is the Grade 3, $250,000 dollar Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds.

The race is the second of four stops at the New Orleans venue on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

For a race that carried a mere $40,000 purse as recently as 1996, it’s impressive how quickly this contest has developed into an important stop on the Derby Trail.

The race is named in honor of LECOMTE– a New Orleans sensation who received widespread acclaim in 1854 when he ran four miles in the record-shattering time of 7:26.

First run in 1943, the Lecomte Stakes was open to older horses until 1962, when it became an age-restricted test for three-year-olds.

Early Winners tended to be local stars more than national standouts, and the Lecomte didn’t receive Graded Stakes status until 2003.

That said, the Lecomte did occasionally produce nationally prominent horses; Future Preakness (G1) runner-up LINKAGE claimed the Lecomte in 1982. RISEN STAR used a 2nd-place finish in the 1988 Lecomte as a springboard to Wins in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

In 2002 WAR EMBLEM became the first Lecomte starter to claim Victory in the Kentucky Derby.

Since achieving Graded status in 2003, the Lecomte has flourished.

HARD SPUN (1st in 2007) and GOLDEN SOUL (2nd in 2013) kicked off their sophomore seasons in the Lecomte before going on to finish 2nd in the Kentucky Derby respectively.

OXBOW (runaway Winner in 2013) and WAR OF WILL (Victorious in 2019) went on to triumphs in the Preakness, while MANDALOUN improved on his 3rd-place finish in 2021 to Win the Kentucky Derby via disqualification.

During the 2010s, the Lecomte produced 13 Kentucky Derby starters, averaging better than one per year.

In 2020, Fair Grounds lengthened the race from 1 mile and 70 yards to 1 1⁄16 miles.

With its growing prestige and prominent placement on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (offering 20 qualification points to the Winner), rest assured the Lecomte will keep its NOLO mojo rising for the foreseeable future.