Walsh Looks to Lecomte With Stop the Car, Carson Street
NEW ORLEANS (Jan. 15, 2025) – Led by Trade Winds Farm’s Stop the Car, undefeated in two starts, trainer Brendan Walsh enters a pair of colts in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Lecomte Stakes, the headlining event on Road to the Derby Day at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Written for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, the 83rd running of the Lecomte will award qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2 on the 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Although entered in a $150,000 maiden claiming race on debut, Stop the Car has won over his connections and inspired Derby dreams.
“We didn’t think all that much of him initially,” Walsh said. “I ran him at Keeneland for a tag because he didn’t show me an awful lot in his works. But he’s come along. He’s never been a spectacular worker, but he worked good last Saturday. He’s training great. He’s really going forward.”
Successful at Keeneland going six furlongs, the waters got deeper in his second outing as the Maximum Security colt stretched out to a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs. Facing allowance company, including the likes of It’s Our Time, on Stars of Tomorrow II Day, Stop the Car relaxed early, advanced confidently and powered home to clear the field, winning by more than three lengths.
“I love the way he ran that day at Churchill,” Walsh said. “To me, he’s screaming out to go two turns. He’s your ideal type of two-turn horse, there’s no frills. He just goes out and he does it. He should have no trouble at the distance.”
Stop the Car overcame a wide post to win at six furlongs on debut at Keeneland. For the Lecomte, he drew wide again in post 10. Ben Curtis rides.
Stop the Car’s stablemate and workmate, Carson Street, broke his maiden last out by 11 lengths going 1 1/16 miles in a local race that was taken off the turf.
“He liked it here in the last, albeit it was an off-turf maiden, but he was very impressive,” Walsh said.
In the money in each of his four starts, the Street Sense colt, owned by Ike and Dawn Thrash, has held his own against the likes of Incredibolt and Mesquite, the latter of whom he’ll face again in the Lecomte.
“He’s a little on the handy side, but he’s all guts,” Walsh said. “He can go forward, chances are he’ll either be on the lead or second or third.”
The Lecomte caps the Road to the Derby Day program, a 13-race card featuring six stakes worth $875,000. First post is noon CT.
-30-
About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.
