Kickstarting the Derby Trail: The 2025 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds   For horse racing fans, the road to the first Saturday in May begins in earnest under the twin spires, not of Churchill Downs, but of New Orleans’ historic Fair Grounds. The 2025 Gun Runner Stakes serves as a premier qualifying event on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, offering a critical platform for emerging three-year-olds to secure their place in the classic season.