Shang is turning into the best 3-year-old Louisiana-bred of his class. His fourth straight win also marked the best performance of his career as Shang dominated the $75,000 Crescent City Derby on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Kept outside and in the clear tracking a slow pace, Shang burst to the front at the quarter-pole under Jose Ortiz and proceeded to crush his competition, drawing off to win by 8 ¾ lengths. Off splits of 24.42, 49.26, and 1:14.45, Shang got a mile in 1:38.77 and stopped the timer in 1:44.62 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track.

Trainer Steve Asmussen swept the exacta with Jus Lively finishing a distant second, 1 ¾ lengths better than third-place Silver King. Shang’s superiority was no secret and he paid just $2.40 to win.

Shang stumbled slightly breaking from post 2 and raced two paths off the fence around the clubhouse turn before Ortiz wisely angled to the outside for the backstretch run. There Shang sat poised until Ortiz gave the colt his cue, and over the course of 100 yards in upper stretch, Shang quickly put this race to bed.

Owned by Corinne and William Heiligbrodt, Shang, a son of Shanghai Bobby and Humble Janet, finished second by a neck making his career debut this past November at Fair Grounds, subsequently notching easy wins in a maiden race and first-level allowance before shipping to Delta Downs to post a narrow score in the $100,000 Premier Prince on Feb. 9. Shang might have tolerated the deep surface at the Delta bull-ring more than he loved it, for he turned in a considerably stronger race Saturday in New Orleans.