Louisiana Derby 2016 Results: Winner, Payouts and Order of Finish
The 103rd running of the Louisiana Derby didn’t offer the nail-biting finish fans may have hoped for, but Gun Runner’s 4 ½-length win was nonetheless impressive Saturday.
With a slow-paced pass around leader Candy My Boy in the final turn, Gun Runner surged in the final straightaway to take the win in his final race before the Kentucky Derby.
Here is a look at the replay, courtesy of TVG:
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The winner had already qualified for the first leg of the Triple Crown by virtue of his victory in the Risen Star Stakes earlier this year at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, the same site as Saturday’s event.
He became the 12th horse to win both events in the same year, according to Jonathan Lintner of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Gayle Benson, the wife of New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, had two entrants in Saturday's event, which each finished in the top five. Tom’s Ready was second, and Mo Tom, the favorite, was fourth.
Benson and her horses weren't the only ones with ties to Who Dat Nation in attendance Saturday, as Saints head coach Sean Payton was also at the Fair Grounds, per Doug Mouton of WWL-TV:
Here is a look at the rest of the results:
| 1 | Gun Runner | 7-2 |
| 2 | Tom's Ready | 30-1 |
| 3 | Dazzling Gem | 8-1 |
| 4 | Mo Tom | 2-1 |
| 5 | Forevamo | 10-1 |
| 6 | Candy My Boy | 10-1 |
| 7 | Greenpointcrusader | 3-1 |
| 8 | Conquest Windycity | 38-1 |
| 9 | Uncle Walter | 27-1 |
| 10 | Battery | 11-1 |
And here are the payouts:
| Gun Runner | $9.80 | $5.60 | $3.60 |
| Tom's Ready | $24.00 | $12.40 | |
| Dazzling Gem | $5.80 |
Mo Tom was plagued by a slow start. He was mired in the back of the pack for the early leg and got caught up behind a slower horse after finding a rail position on the final stretch.
Gun Runner will return to Churchill Downs less than eight months removed from his September debut, which he won at the venue. Since then, he’s been victorious in all three of his races.
The stakes will be higher this time around, but if Saturday’s winner has a similar display of tactical speed, he could deliver another monumental victory in the Kentucky Derby.
Post-Race Reaction
Gun Runner jockey Florent Geroux said his run to the front was possible because of how cooperative the horse is at such high speeds.
"He's very easy to manage," Geroux said, per Lintner. "I can put him exactly where I want him, and he has so many gears. He settled very nicely, and when you ask him to go, he has a very good turn of foot that's powerful.”
GMB Racing, owned by Benson, noted it's optimistic about the Kentucky Derby despite Mo Tom's fourth-place finish:
Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form gave his assessment of Saturday’s race:
Only six weeks remain until the Kentucky Derby, where most of the high-performing horses from Saturday will again be on display.
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