Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes; one mile and 70 yards; Fair Grounds; Jan 18. (10 Kentucky Derby eligibility points to the winner, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth.) Vicar’s in Trouble, the only Louisiana-bred in this stakes, proved two things with his dominating 6 3/4-length victory Saturday. • His 13-length victory in a six-furlong maiden sprint for statebreds Dec. 14 was a good peek into his immediate future. The stoutly bred son of Into Mischief earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure that day and a 97 in the Lecomte for completing the race in 1:42.57. • Without significant improvement, few of the eight horses he defeated in the Lecomte are likely to be serious threats in the 1 1/16-mile Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 22 or the 1 1/8-mile Louisiana Derby on March 29. After closely stalking front-runner Roman Unbridled to the far turn, Vicar’s in Trouble engaged that rival through the turn before edging away to a clear lead in upper stretch. From there to the wire, Vicar’s in Trouble steadily increased his margin over second-place finisher Albano while bearing out several paths under jockey Rosie Napravnik’s left-handed whip and bearing in under her right-handed whip. [ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays] Obviously, Vicar’s in Trouble was much the best in this, his third lifetime start and his first around two turns. Trained by Mike Maker, the performance was similar to the pace-pressing victory by Bob Baffert’s lightly raced Midnight Hawk in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 11. Just as Midnight Hawk’s erratic run through the stretch in the Sham suggested room for improvement, so did the stretch run of Vicar’s in Trouble indicate that he might do better once he learns how to keep a straight course. The Fair Grounds main track was labeled “fast” but seemed to play somewhat slower than usual toward the end of the day. It also favored horses on or very close to the lead, as every dirt race except one was won by front-runners or pace pressers. That lone exception had a winner who came from a stalking position less than three lengths behind. Moreover, the four top finishers in the Lecomte – second choice Vicar’s in Trouble, Albano, Gold Hawk, and the pacesetting Roman Unbridled – were among the top four at every call. At least one horse, maybe two, had excuses. Gold Hawk, a stretch-running winner over the track and distance last month, was in excellent striking position, fourth along the inside for most of the journey. But the 13-10 favorite failed to produce an effective rally after angling out to the middle of the track for the drive. The prevailing track bias probably worked against him. Smarty’s Echo, second last fall in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland and far back in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita, broke slowly while wearing blinkers for the first time and looked uncomfortable, showing no speed. Next: The $150,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park on Jan. 20.