Vicar's in Trouble seized command entering the stretch and delivered a powerful win in the Lecomte Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds. (Alexander Barkoff Photo/Hodges Photography)

Vicar’s in Trouble flashed plenty of talent and a bit of immaturity in the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

The dark bay or brown colt by Into Mischief surged well clear in the stretch after tracking the pace from second in the early stages of the Grade 3 race for 3-year-olds. Once he pulled away, Vicar’s in Trouble zig-zagged his way through the stretch without a rival in striking distance.

The result was a comfortable 6 ¾-length victory as the 1.70-to-1 second betting choice that stamped Vicar’s in Trouble as one to watch on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with plenty of room to improve.

Vicar’s in Trouble completed the one-mile and 70-yard Lecomte in 1:42.57.

“You don’t know [how they’ll handle two turns] until you really do it,” winning jockey Rosie Napravnik said. “He certainly seemed to handle the distance with no problems. He’s got natural speed, which left our options open — could have gotten the lead, could have sat off.  The horse has been improving and I think he is still a little immature but I think he can move up a lot from this race.”

Vicar’s in Trouble finished third in his October debut for trainer Mike Maker and owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey but returned two months later to win by 13 lengths in a six-furlong (three-quarters of a mile) race at Fair Grounds. He was much the best in the Lecomte and earned 10 points on the Road in the Road to the Kentucky Derby scoring system that determines which horses make the field for the first jewel of the Triple Crown.

Albano finished a distant second with 1.30-to-1 favorite Gold Hawk checking in third.

Bred in Louisiana by Spendthrift Farm, Vicar’s in Trouble is out of the winning Vicar mare Vibrant, a half-sister (same dam [mother], different sire [father]) to Grade 3 winner True Direction.

For an Equibase chart, click here.