Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Lecomte is the second of four stops on the Fair Grounds road to the 2025 Kentucky Derby. As an official Derby prep race, 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points are available to the top five eligible finishers. In this field of 14 there are five 3-year-olds who already have earned Derby points.

Plenty of Lecomte runners went on to run in the Kentucky Derby since it became a prep race in 1962. Noteworthy are more recent second-place Derby finishers Hard Spun in 2007 and Golden Soul in 2013. Mandaloun, third in the 2021 Lecomte, was awarded the Derby victory by disqualification.

Here is a full-field analysis for the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte with odds from the Horse Racing Nation staff that differ from the track’s morning line. The Lecomte is scheduled as race 12 of 12, with post time set for 6:30 p.m. EST.

1. Innovator, 12-1. Authentic – D. Wayne Lukas / Jaime Torres – 7: 1-4-0 – $172,555. Innovator broke his maiden at Oaklawn Park for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas in his seventh career start after a second-place effort in the Advent Stakes at that Arkansas track. After racing on the lead in sprints, Innovator will stretch out to two turns for the first time. Lukas won the Lecomte twice. Toss.

2. Maximum Promise, 12-1. Maximum Security – Ken McPeek / Brian Hernandez Jr. – 2: 1-0-0 – $45,141. Maximum Promise was last seen in August breaking his maiden in his second start at Ellis Park by more than 14 lengths going a mile as the heavy favorite. His work tab shows six breezes since Nov. 30. This field of 14 looks like a tough spot after a five-month layoff. McPeek is one of three trainers with two runners in the Lecomte. Toss.

3. Admiral Dennis, 8-1. Constitution – Brad Cox / Joel Rosario – 3: 1-0-1 – $85,000. Admiral Dennis began his career in September and got his first victory in his second start in November at Churchilll Downs. He moved onto the Derby trail last month in the Gun Runner at Fair Grounds, finished a distant fourth in a five-horse field while running two turns for the first time and earned 2 Derby points. Brad Cox won the Lecomte in 2023 with Instant Coffee. Toss.

4. Magnitude, 8-1. Not This Time – Steve Asmussen / Jose Ortiz – 5: 2-1-0 – $143,665. Magnitude won a seven-furlong maiden race at Ellis Park in July at 5-2. He tried the first stop on the Derby trail in the Iroquois (G3) where he pressed the pace and weakened down the stretch. His last two starts were much improved with an allowance win going two turns at Churchill and then he was second from start to finish in the Gun Runner. Magnitude picked up 5 Derby points. Asmussen won the Lecomte four times, including last year with Track Phantom. Win contender.

5. Optical, 20-1. City of Light – Keith Desormeaux / James Graham – 7: 2-0-1 – $119,562. Optical broke his maiden in his fourth start after racing twice on turf. The win was in a sales-restricted maiden at Churchill by 14 lengths going a one-turn mile in September. Optical got pulled up when he tried the Derby trail in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) but came right back in a starter allowance to run third. His most recent start was in November, when he won a similar starter allowance while pressing the pace against a field of six. Blinkers go on. Desormeaux won the Lecomte in 2022. Toss.

6. Golden Afternoon, 20-1. Goldencents – Nicholas Vaccarezza / Axel Concepcion – 3: 2-1-0 – $201,275. Golden Afternoon will move from turf to dirt after three impressive starts on the grass. He won at first asking at Kentucky Downs, was second in the Bourbon (G2) at Keeneland and then won an allowance at Fair Grounds. Young trainer Nick Vaccarezza takes over from his dad Carlo. Live long shot.

7. Calling Card, 15-1. Complexity – Michael Maker / Frankie Dettori – 4: 1-1-1 – $72,850. Calling Card moved from turf to dirt and broke his maiden at Aqueduct against New York-breds by 17 lengths going a one-turn mile. Last month at Oaklawn he was third in an allowance in his first start around two turns against open company. Maker won the Lecomte in 2014 and 2015. Toss.

8. Tough Catch, 10-1. Complexity – Dallas Stewart / Luis Saez – 5: 2-2-0 – $201,200. Tough Catch was a debut winner at Saratoga in July who moved right into stakes races in the Hopeful (G1), where he finished eighth. But from there, he was second in the Bowman Mills at Keeneland and the Ed Brown at Churchill. Last month Tough Catch moved back to the winner’s circle in the Sugar Bowl at Fair Grounds as an odds-on favorite. He will try two turns for the first time in the Lecomte. Stewart won the Lecomte in 2003 and 2005. Live long shot.

9. Dapper Moon, 12-1. Malibu Moon – Dallas Stewart / Edgar Morales – 6: 2-1-0 – $156,638. Dapper Moon also was a winner for Stewart at Saratoga. He did it in his second start going seven furlongs. Dapper Moon moved onto the Derby trail for his next three starts and got six Derby points from finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Futurity, the Street Sense (G3) and the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). Last month at Fair Grounds, he won a state-bred allowance as the odds-on favorite. Use underneath.

10. Mobetterthangood, 20-1. Mo Town – Ken McPeek / Colby Hernandez – 1: 1-0-0 – $49,500. Mobetterthangood won his only start in a New York-bred race at Saratoga in September with a late move to beat a horse who came back to win his next start. Toss.

11. Disco Time, 4-1. Not This Time – Brad Cox / Florent Geroux – 2: 2-0-0 – $141,960. The second runner for Brad Cox, Disco Time won his debut at Churchill in a maiden and then a mile allowance against a field of nine. This Juddmonte homebred was the favorite in both races. Win contender.

12. Jolly Samurai, 20-1. First Samurai – Danny Pish / Rene Diaz – 4: 3-0-0 – $119,196. Jolly Samurai won his first three starts as he moved from a maiden to the Kip Deville to the Clever Trevor while running from off the pace. Last month he tried the Derby trail in the Springboard Mile and finished fifth after a wide trip and got 1 Derby point. Toss.

13. Built, 3-1. Hard Spun – Wayne Catalano / Jareth Loveberry – 3: 2-0-1 – $124,204. Built is the only Derby trail winner in the Lecomte field after his almost seven-length victory on the front end in the Gun Runner, which got him 10 Derby points. He broke his maiden in his second start, which was at Keeneland in October, and he beat a horse who since has run on the Derby trail twice. Breaking from post position 13 has to be a concern for a horse who did his best while running up on the lead. The one to beat.

14. Seattle Road, 20-1. Quality Road – Tom Amoss / Martin Pedroza Jr. – 4: 1-1-0 – $48,278. Seattle Road broke his maiden by a head in his fourth start, which happened last month at Fair Grounds going the Lecomte distance with a ground-saving, closing trip. He will need a similar trip breaking from the far outside. Amoss won the Lecomte four times, most recently in 2016 with Mo Tom. Toss.

Summary: The Lecomte drew a field of 14 in which there are five horses who already have earned Derby points and three stakes winners. Built won the Gun Runner by almost seven lengths with a speed figure that clearly tops this large field.

Built is the probable favorite and the horse to beat, but he got the worst of the post position draw in the no. 13 spot in the gate. With a 14-horse field, it feels like the longer odds among the six contenders mentioned above have an advantage.

An exacta box with Tough Catch, Golden Afternoon and Magnitude makes sense in a race on the Derby trail with such a big field.