Track Phantom Leads all the Way in Lecomte Stakes Victory over Nash

January 20th, 2024 by Bob Ehalt

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Fair Grounds, Lecomte Stakes, Track Phantom, Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario

Track Phantom won the Grade 3 $200,000 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds, a prep race on the Road to the 2024 Kentucky Derby. (Lou Hodges, Jr. /Hodges Photography)

The official distance of the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes is a 1 1/16-mile race, but for all intents and purposes, the prep race for the 2024 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve for 3-year-olds was over at the half-mile pole.

With Track Phantom running easily on the lead in the Lecomte the tote board flashed a leisurely :48.36 for the half-mile. The result seemed pretty cut and dried after that.

Though favored Nash turned in a game effort in chasing the winner throughout, Track Phantom was able to easily fend him off on the final turn and then maintain a comfortable lead in the stretch en route to a decisive 2 3/4-length win over Nash in the stakes race worth $194,000 at Fair Grounds on Jan. 20.

"I couldn't be any prouder of the horse. He's won all three of his two-turn races," said trainer Steve Asmussen after his fourth career victory in the Lecomte. "He has a beautiful way of going and I think he's going to get better. He's a beautiful mover and we're excited to be in this position."

With the Lecomte part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby series, the Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road picked up 20 qualifying points through his win, giving him a total of 30 and tying him with FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by TAA winner Fierceness atop the leaderboard.

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Track Phantom picked up his 10 points through a win in the Dec. 23 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds. Having now won the first two preps on Fair Grounds' Road to the Kentucky Derby, Asmussen hopes to mimic his 2022 path with Epicenter by running Track Phantom in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 17 and the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at 1 3/16th miles on March 23. Of course, Asmussen would love to make a slight change from the results of two years ago.

"I love how he's running here in the 3-year-old series at the Fair Grounds and we plan on continuing in it. We like the opportunity to gradually stretch him out," Asmussen said. "We're going to try and follow the same plan as we did with Epicenter.”

Epicenter won the 2021 Gun Runner Stakes, and 2022 Risen Star Stakes presented by Lamarque Ford and Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby, but finished second by a head in the Lecomte. He went on to finish second in the 2022 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Nash was sent off as the 6-5 favorite over 7-5 Track Phantom ($4.80). The two met in the 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner, when Track Phantom flashed early speed and won by 1 1/4 lengths with 1-2 favorite Nash three lengths back in third.

In a six-horse field in the Lecomte, Track Phantom's task became a bit easier when Next Level, who chased Track Phantom in the Gun Runner, was scratched.

Nash, trained by Brad Cox, tried to chase Track Phantom in Saturday's matchup, but couldn't keep pace. Ahead by a length after a half-mile, jockey Joel Rosario and Track Phantom brushed aside a bid by Nash on the turn and motored to a safe three-length lead at the eighth pole. He was timed in 1:44.73.

The winner covered the final 2 1/2 furlongs in :31.58 after posting the opening six furlongs in a slow 1:13.15.

Nash, a homebred son of Medaglia d'Oro owned by Godolphin, was second and picked up 10 qualifying points to give him a total of 13. Lat Long was 1 3/4 lengths back in third and picked up six points. Ethan Energy was fourth (four points) followed by Tizzy Indy in fifth (two points).