New Orleans, La (March 23, 2024) – John Tavormina’s El Dinero rallied up the rail to score the $125,000 Crescent City Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots on Saturday. One of eight stakes on Saturday’s “Louisiana Derby Day,” the Crescent City Derby concluded the three Louisiana-bred affairs, including the Crescent City Oaks and Costa Rising Stakes.

Trained by Pat Devereux Jr., El Dinero beat seven statebred 3-year-old males by 4 3/4 lengths. The son of El Deal completed the 1 1/16 miles across the fast main track in 1:45.08.

“It really never felt like he was going to lose all the way around there,” Devereux said. “That doesn’t happen very often. It’s come and gone with him. He’s not always as generous, but we moved back to Evangeline from Delta and he worked awesome two times, so it felt like he was coming into this race the right way.”

Sonofaship hustled hardest to beat the field to the front, clocking in honest opening fractions of :23.82 and :47.51. After positioning mid-pack in the two-path, El Dinero maneuvered far turn traffic with ease, then hugged the rail to quickly cut in line at the top of the stretch and extend his lead down the stretch. Sonofaship stayed on for second. Blue Eyed George finished third.

“He traveled super today,” Graham said. “He carried me the whole way. Whenever I needed an inch I got it. When I squeezed on him into the hole, he accelerated. And then it was over. I don’t think distance is going to be a problem for him.”

El Dinero returned $6.80, $3.20, $2.40.

Never running out of the money, El Dinero’s lifetime record of 9-4-3-2 has earned his connections $293,990.