Trainer Tom Amoss won the first stakes race of his career at Louisiana Downs in 1988. Fast forward 30 years, and he will be looking for another defining win at the Bossier City, La., track on Sunday, when he seeks to nail down his first Super Derby with Lone Sailor. “It’s Louisiana Downs’s signature race, and I’d love to be able to say that I’ve won this specific race,” Amoss, 56, said. “It would fill a hole in a résumé.” The Super Derby – being run for the 39th time – anchors a 13-race program that has a special first post of noon Central. There are six other stakes on the card, all on turf and each worth $60,000. :: Get bonus PPs for Sunday's Super Derby card at Louisiana Downs The Grade 3, $300,000 Super Derby at 1 1/16 miles on dirt drew nine, including Iowa Derby winner High North, Prelude Stakes winner Autumn Warrior, Prairie Meadows Mile winner Lionite, and speed horse Charlie’s Schiller, who is cross-entered in an undercard stakes but will run in the Super Derby, trainer Tommy Ives said Friday. Lone Sailor enters off a third-place finish in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational on July 29 at Monmouth. It was the fifth time Lone Sailor has placed in a stakes, and he will be looking for his first stakes victory on Sunday. “After the Haskell, the question was, ‘Do we move forward to the Travers, or do we try to find another quality race that offered Lone Sailor a good opportunity?’ ” Amoss said. “We think this is the race. Lone Sailor has run some very, very good races against some great competition, but he has to show us that he can seal the deal. Hopefully, this is his chance.” Lone Sailor faced champion Good Magic in the Haskell, and in May was beaten just two lengths by eventual Triple Crown winner Justify when fifth in the Preakness. Lone Sailor on Sunday will break from post 3 under James Graham. “He’s a horse that’s fairly pace-dependent in that he would like some pace to run at,” said Amoss. The first stakes Amoss won was with the 3-year-old Fire the Shot in the Gator Handicap. Fire the Shot defeated older horses over 1 1/8 miles that afternoon at Louisiana Downs and jump-started the career of his 26-year-old conditioner. “It got me some attention from the guy that really started my career, John Franks,” Amoss said. “At the time I won that stakes, I had five horses. Mr. Franks sent me three quality horses, and every one won the first time I ran them. After that, he loaded me up, and I was on my way. :: Wager on Sunday's Super Derby card with DRF Bets “In the blink of an eye, I went from someone who was running a horse once a week to someone who was running horses on a daily basis. I was able to get my name out there with some quality horses, and the horses were winning. That kind of thing snowballs.” Amoss has gone on to win more than 3,500 races, and his starters have earned $95 million in purses, chief among them Grade 1 winners Heritage of Gold and Big World. He also ranks as one of the winningest trainers at Fair Grounds in his native New Orleans, where Lone Sailor finished second by a neck in the Louisiana Derby in March, a few days after the death of co-owner Tom Benson. “We wanted to honor Mr. Benson’s legacy, and I think Lone Sailor’s performance did that,” said Amoss. High North has made one start since the Iowa Derby, finishing third in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby on Aug. 4. “I thought he looked like a winner at the three-eighths pole,” said trainer Brad Cox. “He ran into a nice horse in Mr Freeze. “He’s training really well. He’s battle-tested, run against some really good horses, and I feel like he stacks up really good with this group.” Florent Geroux has the mount from post 8. Autumn Warrior was up for a neck win in the $60,000 Prelude here on Aug. 4. It marked his first start at two turns and his first against open company. He is now 3 for 3. “He overcame a lot of adversity against much better horses than he’d been facing,” said trainer Al Stall. “We’re expecting him to step forward, to progress.” Autumn Warrior will break from the rail under Colby Hernandez. “He didn’t break well last time, and I’m hoping he breaks sharp, breaks on his toes,” said Stall, who is looking for his fourth win in the Super Derby.