2026 Lecomte Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

Key Takeaways

• The 2026 Lecomte Stakes is an early but important Kentucky Derby prep, offering 20 points to the winner and often setting the stage for success in the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby.
• This year’s field is deep and competitive, blending proven stakes horses from the Gun Runner with high-upside maiden winners taking their first major step forward.
• Chip Honcho enters as the most accomplished runner, already a stakes winner with tactical speed and a strong trainer-jockey combo.
• Golden Tempo and Stop the Car headline the upside plays, both lightly raced and bred to improve with added distance and experience.
• Historically, horses exiting November races at Churchill Downs perform especially well in the Lecomte, a trend that several contenders fit in 2026.

The stakes rise on the road to the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, January 17, in the $250,000 Lecomte Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds. The 1 1/16-mile dirt race is the second of four Kentucky Derby prep races of the Fair Grounds meet, and it offers 20-10-6-4-2 points to its top four finishers. Though it’s not enough Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying points to get the winner all the way to the first Saturday in May, it’s enough that another good prep performance or two should get them right there.

The prep races at Fair Grounds tend to draw big, competitive fields, and the 2026 edition is no exception. The race drew a field of 11, including Chip Honcho, Crown the Buckeye, and Quality Mischief: the first-, third-, and fourth-place finishers in the Gun Runner at Fair Grounds in December, all of whom crossed the wire within a length of each other on December 20.

The rest of the runners try stakes foes for the first time, but this is the right time of year for a promising maiden winner to take that step forward. And, there is still plenty of time for a horse to grow into a major Kentucky Derby prospect. After all, there are two more prep races at Fair Grounds through the winter: the 50-point Risen Star (G2) happens February 14, and the 100-point Louisiana Derby (G2) is set for March 21.

No winner of the Lecomte Stakes has yet gone on to win the Kentucky Derby. However, several winners have shined in other Triple Crown races and beyond. Oxbow (2013) and War of Will (2019) both won the Preakness, and War of Will won the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) on the lawn as a four-year-old. And Risen Star (1988), second in the Lecomte, went on to win both the Preakness and Belmont.

Lecomte Stakes 2026 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026
• Track: Fair Grounds Race Course
• Post Time: 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time
• Distance: 1 1/16 miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Lecomte Stakes Odds

This is the field for the 2026 Lecomte Stakes in order of post position, including trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Lecomte Stakes Prep Results

The 11 runners in the Lecomte Stakes come out of eight different races.

Only three horses in the field have any Road to the Kentucky Derby experience: Chip Honcho won the Gun Runner at Fair Grounds on December 20, while third-place Crown the Buckeye and fourth-place Quality Mischief were both parts of a three-way blanket place photo.

The only other horse in the field with any experience against winners is Stop the Car. Though he broke his maiden for a $150,000 tag at Keeneland—a price steeper than his $110,000 auction cost—he stepped up into allowance company at Churchill on November 29, winning the one-turn dirt mile by a confident 3 ¾ lengths.

The other seven horses come out of maiden special weight company, with five coming out of races originally carded for dirt. Two horses come out of a race on December 20 at Fair Grounds over the same 1 1/16-mile trip as the Lecomte. Thunder Buck overcame a little early trouble, still got a good spot to track in range, and cleared off to win by 1 ¾ lengths over Ocelli, a second-time starter who made up some ground into the lane but could not reel him in. Mesquite comes out of a 1 1/16-mile maiden win on the Churchill Downs dirt on November 7, rallying from last early to score. White Tiger also graduated at 1 1/16 miles on the Churchill dirt, but did so from the front end on October 26. Golden Tempo came away last in a six-furlong sprint at Fair Grounds on December 20, but made a smart wide rally and ran on to win by 1 ½ lengths.

The other two entrants come out of maiden special weight wins over sloppy tracks in 1 1/16-mile races originally carded for the grass. Carson Street, racing at Fair Grounds on December 4, attended the pace and drew off in the final furlong to win by 11 ¼ lengths. Exosome has freshened up since October 19 at Keeneland, where he rallied from midfield to win by half a length.

Lecomte Stakes Contenders

These are the eleven entrants in the 2026 Lecomte Stakes, in the order of their post positions:

1. Quality Mischief: Sent off a 25-1 outsider in the Gun Runner, he took a step forward in his third career start. He broke his maiden second-out, trying dirt for the first time, and chased on well to be fourth in the Gun Runner, missing second by only a neck. He has tables to turn on Chip Honcho and Crown the Buckeye from that start, and the rail draw could be thorny in a big field, but the pace may not be quite as torrid as in the Gun Runner, and that tactical position could get him another share.
2. Carson Street: He romped by 11 ¼ lengths last out, but the effort wasn’t faster than his two previous races at Churchill, where he was beaten by horses originally intended for dirt (including Mesquite, who had his number two starts back), and his romping victory came against a field originally drawn for turf. He also loses jockey Ben Curtis to stablemate Stop the Car. He could be an inside pace influence, but may find himself outclassed in the end.
3. Crown the Buckeye: He wasn’t disgraced stepping up from Ohio-breds onto the Road to the Kentucky Derby in the Gun Runner, setting a pressured pace before flattening a bit late to finish third, only three-quarters of a length behind Chip Honcho. He has proven that he doesn’t need the lead to win, as he rallied from last to win at this same distance two back in the Best of Ohio Juvenile. There is also some chance that, if he does go to the lead, he won’t have to set quite as fast a pace as he did last out. Even so, the relatively inside post isn’t great, and seeing jockey Jareth Loveberry on long shot Exosome instead of back with Crown the Buckeye isn’t the best sign.
4. Exosome: After being well beaten on debut at Ellis last summer, he was ignored at 18-1 in an off-turf maiden special weight last October at Keeneland but rallied from midfield to score by half a length. It was a nice step forward, and it was a positive that he could pass horses and get up even without a torrid pace in front of him. However, he will need to take another serious step forward and show that he can do so on a fast track and not a sloppy one. He’ll be a big price—and Kelsey Danner trainees are often live at long odds—but even with hard-trying jockey Jareth Loveberry aboard, this is a lot to ask.
5. Golden Tempo: He cedes a lot of experience to his foes: this Cherie DeVaux-trained son of Curlin has raced just once, and that debut came in a six-furlong sprint. To his credit, he showed he handles Fair Grounds well, and he overcame a slow start to rally best of all despite a middling pace for the distance. And, his pedigree shines top and bottom for the stretch out: he is by Curlin out of a Bernardini mare who was a Grade 3 winner at 1 ⅛ miles on dirt. With DeVaux doing so well with last-out maiden winners and first-time routers, Golden Tempo has upside at a price—especially since high-percentage rider Jose Ortiz keeps the faith.
6. Thunder Buck: He was well beaten on debut sprinting at Keeneland, but a two-month break and a stretch out to 1 1/16 miles at Fair Grounds on the Gun Runner undercard was just the ticket. He returns to the same course and distance and drew a good middle post. The connections bring a lot of confidence, too; trainer Brad Cox is firing at an unbelievable 41% heading into the week, and Luis Saez returns to ride again. The biggest question is how he performs without Lasix—he wasn’t using it for his flat debut, but was for his improved maiden win.
7. Mesquite: Horses coming from Churchill Downs tend to be worth a look in the Lecomte, and Mesquite earned his diploma there in November at second asking. He needs a step forward in terms of speed, and may not get quite as hot a pace as he got last time, which raises questions for a confirmed closer. But, he is proven at the distance, and even though he loses Jose Ortiz to Golden Tempo, he gets perhaps the best rider in the country right now: Flavien Prat.
8. White Tiger: Another one from the blazing-hot Brad Cox barn, White Tiger makes his first start since a two-turn maiden score at Churchill Downs. Despite stumbling early in that race, he still managed to lead at every call and have enough to win the battle down the lane, proving some tenacity. He keeps Irad Ortiz in the irons from that start. The concern is that he may just need the lead, but he’s one of the fastest horses in the field so far, and he’s not hemmed down in the troublesome inside.
9. Ocelli: Ocelli is the only maiden in the field, and adds blinkers for the first time for his stakes debut. The Whit Beckman barn can wake up with blinkers added, but misses more than hits in graded-stakes races and has been ice cold with jockey Joseph Ramos lately. In short, this could be good seasoning for later, but may be a little too much right now.
10. Stop the Car: One of only three two-time winners in this race, he makes his stakes debut here but had a nice juvenile season, beating six-figure maiden claimers on debut and then stepping up to traditional allowance company to score on November 29 at Churchill Downs. He took a clear step up when stretched out to a mile for that allowance race, and showed he could get a more tactical trip than he did in his late-running debut. It is odd that Tyler Gaffalione stays at Gulfstream instead of riding in this race, but he gets a high-percentage local rider in Ben Curtis, who has specifically been firing well with trainer Brendan Walsh.
11. Chip Honcho: Steve Asmussen often has live runners for the Lecomte, and this year is no exception as he brings out Gun Runner winner Chip Honcho. The post is a bit of a concern just because of the potential ground loss, but he showed in the Gun Runner that he can win from a pressing trip, not just the front end, meaning he could take initiative with an outside pressing trip. Aggressive rider Paco Lopez, who rode Chip Honcho for the first time in the Gun Runner, returns to the saddle.

Lecomte Stakes Past Winners Past Performances

In the last ten years, horses who last raced at Churchill Downs in November have shined in the Lecomte: seven of the last 10 winners of this race came out of races during the November meet in Louisville.

Four of those runners came out of the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). Only Instant Coffee (2023) won it. Mo Tom (2016) was third, Enforceable (2020) was fourth, and Call Me Midnight (2022) was seventh. Three others came out of non-stakes races there: Disco Time (2025) and Guest Suite (2017) were last-out allowance winners, while War of Will (2019) came out of a maiden victory over the course.

The three other recent winners each came from different tracks. The only last-out Fair Grounds winner in the last ten years was Track Phantom (2024), who won the Gun Runner before winning the Lecomte. The Gun Runner is a relatively new race, which only started in 2022, meaning it could have an improving profile as it gains status on the racing calendar. The other two came out of Grade 1 events at other tracks: Instilled Regard (2018) was second in the Los Alamitos Futurity, a top-level race at the time, while Midnight Bourbon (2021) was making his first start since a third-place finish in the Champagne at Belmont.

Lecomte Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 Lecomte Stakes:

1. Stop the Car (8-1)

Though he makes his first start in stakes company, this is a time of year when sophomores often take a step up, and there is every reason to think Stop the Car will be tough. Horses coming in from Churchill Downs are historically tough when returning in the Lecomte, and he comes in off of a no-doubt-about-it allowance win. Though he debuted for a tag, which is uncommon for a serious contender on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, that was a $150,000 tag—more than his $110,000 sales price, and well clear of sire Maximum Security’s $5,000 stud fee. And, his second win came protected, in one of those traditionally loaded Stars of Tomorrow II allowances.

The biggest question about Stop the Car is that he is stepping up to two turns for the first time—that allowance win came at the one-turn mile. However, he has two-turn breeding on both top and bottom, and his ability to sit closer to the pace in his longer second start than he did in his six-furlong debut win suggests he has the tactical pace to work a trip under sharp local rider Ben Curtis.

2. Golden Tempo (8-1)

Though he makes just his second start in the Lecomte, and his first past six furlongs, there’s reason to think he can move forward. Cherie DeVaux trainees often do move forward second-out, as well as when stretching out to a route distance. Everything about his pedigree suggests that more time and more distance will improve him. And, it’s good to see that Jose Ortiz—who is riding like gangbusters this winter at Fair Grounds—keeps the call.

The big question is whether he will break better, since he started slowly last out and had to catch up. However, perhaps he can do better from the gate the second time out with that experience under him. If he does? He drew a good middle post, so he won’t have to lose too much ground, and he already proved in his debut that he can both handle some adversity and pass horses. At the likely middle price, there’s plenty of upside.

3. Chip Honcho (9-2)

Steve Asmussen has won the Lecomte more times than any other active trainer, and he returns to the fray with another live contender in Chip Honcho—the only open-stakes winner in the field.

Chip Honcho drew the outside, so there’s some worry about ground loss, but Fair Grounds tends to play pretty fairly to horses breaking from outside posts. He showed tactical speed last out, and if he can do that again this time around with Paco Lopez back in the saddle, he could be in the perfect spot to stalk in range and get first run on the lead. With a good chance of a bit softer pace than he had to attend in the Gun Runner, that could make him even tougher than he was last time out.

Lecomte Stakes Undercard

Saturday’s Lecomte card is the first marquee card of the year at Fair Grounds, with six stakes races including the Kentucky Derby prep. The card also features a 20-point Road to the Kentucky Oaks prep, the Silverbulletday. Classy older dirt horses line up for the Louisiana (G3), older turf routers have their day in the Colonel E. R. Bradley, turf route fillies and mares take the stage in the Marie G. Krantz Memorial, and older turf sprinters contest the Duncan F. Kenner.

You can watch all the action from first post all the way through the Lecomte on FanDuel TV, and make sure to place your bets through FanDuel!

Fair Grounds History

The first races at what was then the Louisiana Race Course were organized by Bernard de Marigny and others in 1839. It was reopened as Union Race Course in 1852, but closed after five years because the nearby Metairie Course proved more popular at the time. It was renamed yet again in 1859 as the Creole Race Course, then was first given the name Fair Grounds in 1963. It continued to host racing during the Civil War.

That was not the end of the closing and opening of the course, though. It closed again after the Civil War when Metairie reopened. Still, some members of the Metairie Jockey Club broke away, re-formed the Louisiana Jockey Club, and restarted racing at Fair Grounds in 1872.

Racing was banned in New Orleans in 1908, though it returned in 1915. Though the track was in jeopardy after being sold to developers in 1940, racing-minded investors saved the track from certain destruction in 1941 and ensured horse racing would continue after World War II.

A stable period followed, and in 1981, the turf course was laid, and then the facility was sold in 1990. Following a devastating fire, a new grandstand had to be built in 1994 at $27 million, with a grand reopening taking place on Thanksgiving Day 1997.

Although further damaged by Hurricane Katrina, another Thanksgiving Day reopening occurred in 2006, and since then, the track has run on an even keel and remains popular with traditional racegoers and people all over the country, especially on the days of its Kentucky Derby preps.

Lecomte Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Lecomte Stakes?

A: The 2026 Lecomte Stakes happens on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at Fair Grounds Race Course. The Lecomte is the 13th and final race on the card, with post time scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Q: Where is the Lecomte Stakes?

A: The race happens at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Lecomte Stakes?

A: Trainer John B. Theall won the Lecomte five times between 1946 and 1961, including three times with Tenacious in the years 1959 through 1961, back when it was open to older horses. In its three-year-old era, which began in 1962, Steve Asmussen and Tom Amoss are tied with four wins apiece. Amoss does not have an entrant in 2026, but Asmussen can tie Theall if Chip Honcho wins.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2026 Lecomte Stakes?

A: Crown the Buckeye has been named the narrow 4-1 favorite for the Lecomte; though he was defeated last out in the Gun Runner, there is a chance he may get a better pace scenario this time around for trainer Mike Maker and jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. However, don’t be surprised if Chip Honcho, the Gun Runner winner and the 9-2 second choice on the morning line, battles for favoritism on the tote board or even takes the most money come post time.

Q: Who is the best Lecomte Stakes jockey?

A: Robby Albarado leads all jockeys with five wins between 1998 and 2017. The only jockey in the 2026 edition who has won it before is Luis Saez, who won in 2023 with Instant Coffee. He can win again with Thunder Buck.

Q: Who won the 2025 Lecomte Stakes?

A: Disco Time won the 2025 Lecomte for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux. Geroux does not have a call in this year’s edition, though Cox has a trio in the gate: Thunder Buck with jockey Luis Saez, White Tiger with Irad Ortiz, Jr., and Quality Mischief with Marcelino Pedroza, Jr.

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