NEW ORLEANS – Tiztastic, who won a pair of Kentucky Downs turf races in the space of 10 days last summer, picked an excellent time to win his first dirt contest, closing strongly into a fast pace to capture the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby by 2 1/4 lengths early Saturday evening at Fair Grounds. You can be sure his next race, all being well, also will come on dirt – in the Kentucky Derby. His Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen won his fifth Louisiana Derby, but – and Asmussen needs no reminding of this – has yet to win the Kentucky Derby after 26 tries. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2025: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Tiztastic, third in the Southwest and fifth in the Rebel, both at Oaklawn Park, looked like a marginal Derby hope until just before 6 p.m. Saturday, when his sustained run from the half-mile pole under Joel Rosario carried him past pacesetting John Hancock, a tiring Built, eventual runner-up Chunk of Gold, and on to victory. “Joel gave him a perfect trip on the day and the horse rose to the occasion,” Asmussen said. Tiztastic had raced competitively in his dirt losses, though Asmussen, after the colt had trained forwardly at Fair Grounds, wanted more than he got in the Jan. 25 Southwest and in the Feb. 23 Rebel. He brought Tiztastic back to Fair Grounds and saw the colt again work sharply into the Louisiana Derby. “I expected him to run better at Oaklawn, but he came back and trained here beautifully,” Asmussen said. Tiztastic, who paid $17, clocked 1:56.20, easily seeing out the Louisiana Derby’s 1 3/16 miles. Asmussen, who trains Tiztastic for Winchell Thoroughbreds, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, has little doubt Tiztastic will stay 1 1/4 miles in the Derby. He might also wish the race were at Fair Grounds. The winner and third-place Instant Replay, who came within a half-length of catching Chunk of Gold for second, benefitted from a fast early and middle tempo on a track surface that generally had carried speed Saturday. Rail-drawn John Hancock, favored at 9-5, broke alertly under Flavien Prat and set sail for the lead, but even considering that most of it was run down a straightaway, his opening quarter mile in 22.99 was fast. So, too, was John Hancock’s half-mile split of 46.84, longshots Yinzer and Furio hot on his heels, Built sitting fourth in the pocket, and Chunk of Gold drafting behind Built. Yinzer and Furio had thrown in the towel by the three-eighths marker, but Built, racing for the first time in blinkers and under Jose Ortiz, came off the rail with a sharp move, and in upper stretch collared John Hancock. Chunk of Gold and Jareth Loveberry followed Built’s move, and as Built faltered past the furlong grounds, Chunk of Gold ran on. By then, Rosario had Tiztastic in full stride. Following in Chunk of Gold’s wake while saving ground around the turn, Rosario spun wide for his stretch run at the five-sixteenths marker and had plenty of horse beneath him. Tiztastic took the lead at the furlong grounds, Rosario giving him just one pop of the crop, with about 60 yards remaining, to make sure the job was done. Instant Replay got virtually the same trip as Chunk of Gold and Tiztastic, following Tiztastic’s move and finishing decently on the far outside. He had 3 1/2 lengths at the finish on John Hancock, who managed fourth, with Built fading to fifth. Vassimo, who once again ran spottily despite the addition of blinkers, was a nose back in sixth, one length in front of seventh-place Hypnus, who never had much run but still finished more than 27 lengths ahead of eighth-place Caldera. Caldera stumbled significantly at the start and retreated quickly going around the far turn, beating only exhausted pace-pressers Furio and Yinzer. Chunk of Gold made his second trip here from trainer Ethan West’s base at Turfway Park and, as in the Risen Star last month, finished second. He raced closer to the pace under Loveberry in the Louisiana Derby than he had in the Risen Star and stayed on well, considering his proximity to the taxing tempo, for second. “I don’t want to say he was out of his element, but it’s just something he hadn’t done yet. Jareth said he was huffing and puffing down the lane,” said trainer Ethan West. The top five finishers earned, respectively, 100, 50, 25, 15, and 10 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby through the system Churchill Downs uses to determine the 20 Derby runners. Chunk of Gold, a $3,000 yearling purchase, obviously is going, all being well, but Instant Replay isn’t nominated to the Triple Crown and likely wouldn’t have enough points to make the field. John Hancock now has 30 points, Built 45. Tiztastic, by Tiz the Law out of Keesha, by Tapit, has 119 points and obviously is in the race. Asmussen won the Risen Star last month with Magnitude, who delivered a brilliant front-running performance but came out of the race injured and is off the Triple Crown trail. Asmussen’s last Louisiana Derby winner, Epicenter in 2022, probably was best in the Kentucky Derby but took an excruciating loss to rank outsider Rich Strike. Tiztastic has none of Magnitude’s speed and lacks Epicenter’s ruggedness and résumé. But Asmussen said the colt has a good mind, and with eight races behind him, he will not lack deep fitness. The colt’s first win on dirt came in Louisiana’s most famous horse race. A two-race winning streak would give Steve Asmussen his first Kentucky Derby. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.