NEW ORLEANS --- Pyro, winner of the Risen Star Stakes here nearly a month ago, was installed Monday as the early favorite in a nine-horse field for Saturday's Louisiana Derby.

Ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan and trained by Steve Asmussen, Pyro drew the No. 3 post position and opened at 7-5 odds for one of the leading Kentucky Derby prep races.

Pyro has been the talk of the historic Fair Grounds Race Course since blowing past seven horses down the stretch to win the Grade III Risen Star on Feb. 8.

In the 95th running of the Louisiana Derby, a $600,000 Grade II stakes race for 3-year-olds, Pyro's top challengers appear to be Tale of Ekati, Yankee Bravo and Majestic Warrior. Odds opened at 7-2 for Tale of Ekati, who will be ridden by Edgar Prado; 4-1 for Yankee Bravo, ridden by Alex Solis; and 9-2 for Majestic Warrior, ridden by Garrett Gomez.

Meanwhile, jockey Robby Albarado will be aboard Dogwood Stable's Blackberry Road, a 10-1 long shot.

Blackberry Road finished fifth in the Risen Star while being ridden by Albarado's longtime friend and rival, Calvin Borel, who also rode Street Sense to a Kentucky Derby victory last year.

But Blackberry Road never found space to run as Borel was blocked in an effort to gain his preferred inside line.

"My horse is nice. He had a troubled trip last time," Albarado said. "He got blocked a few times. It maybe didn't affect him winning the race ... (but) he could have been second that day. He's worked well this week, so we're looking forward to a big effort."

Albarado called Pyro "a great horse," but also noted that the Louisiana Derby is a race which the favorite rarely wins.

"A favorite, I don't want to say never wins, but they have to run. It's different," Albarado said.

Aiken-based Dogwood has two other horses on the Kentucky Derby trail. Atoned and Holidaze, both trained by Todd Pletcher, will run in prep races this month.

Holidaze is scheduled to run in Saturday's Gotham Stakes, and Atoned will try his luck in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 15.

Last year, favorite Circular Quay did win the Louisiana Derby and was one of four horses from the race to run in the Kentucky Derby.

The last time a Louisiana Derby entry went on to win the Kentucky Derby was in 2003. That horse was Funny Cide, who finished second at the Fair Grounds.