Fair Grounds spot plays for 2026 Lecomte Day

The Saturday card at Fair Grounds is long — 13 races — but undeniably a fun one with few apparent stickouts among the baker's dozen. The three-year-old maiden races preceding the stakes look like really good betting races, too.

Here are some of the runners I'll be looking at on Lecomte Day.

Race 5: Maiden, 3 p.m. ET

First-time starter #12 Love and Trust's (7-2) worktab is generally encouraging, more so given the recent strong gate breezes. That prep work might come in handy as she's drawn widest in post 12 for this six-furlong dash, and will need an alert break to avoid a wide trip. The Cherie DeVaux/Jose Ortiz combo has been potent one this winter, as expected, and like the Constitution filly's chances against this seemingly deep field.

Race 8: Maiden, 4:30 p.m. ET

A wide trip did #5 Silver Shot (10-1) no favors in his Nov. 7 debut at Churchill Downs, won by Lecomte (G3) entrant Mesquite. The Gun Runner half-brother to Demoiselle (G2) heroine Muhimma, can improve on that run for the combo of Asmussen/Lopez, and the addition of Lasix won't hurt either.

Race 10: Silverbulletday S., 5:30 p.m. ET

I'm going back to the well on #5 Luv Your Neighbor (4-1), my selection for the Dec. 20 Untapable S. She was an unlucky second there after jockey Axel Concepcion lost an iron in upper stretch and had to work hard simply to steer and hold on while losing by a mere head. This field has a little more depth to it, but this filly can make amends for that tough beat.

Race 11: Colonel E.R. Bradley S., 6 p.m. ET

#8 Point Proven (12-1) on paper lacks the back class that some of these have. However, his comeback effort in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial last month was solid enough, and even a modest step forward can put him in contention at a price. His two losses since joining the David Terre barn arguably had much to do with returning from long spells. He was the convincing winner of the other two, including the John Henry S. at Evangeline Downs.

Race 12: Louisiana (G3), 6:30 p.m. ET

If #7 Willy D's (4-1) can outrun the likely favorite Just a Touch to the lead, and then avoid setting too demanding a pace, I wouldn't put it past him to spring a mild surprise. Draw a line through the Lukas Classic (G2), and this horse has shown up every time since joining the Mike Maker barn early last year. That was also a strong effort last time in the Tinsel S., going 1 1/8 miles, especially after dueling for the lead most of the way. The cutback to 1 1/16 miles here helps his cause.