Kentucky Derby/Oaks Contenders Stop in Fair Grounds

Set to make his sophomore debut, Godolphin’s grade one winner EAST AVENUE leads a field of 13 three-year-olds as the 9-5 morning line favorite for the 53rd running of the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Slated as the finale on Saturday’s “Louisiana Derby Preview Day” 14-race program, the Risen Star is the first Derby prep on the calendar to award 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers. Run at 1 1/8 miles, the third of four local Derby preps will be the first time any of these 13 entries have raced this far.

Six stakes are scheduled to be run on “Louisiana Derby Preview Day,” including the co-featured $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra (G2), a Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep which also awards 105 qualifying points.

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Past the Risen Star and Rachel Alexandra, the added money action includes two more graded stakes with $250,000 Mineshaft presented by Hagyard GI By Relyne (G3) and the $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes presented by Horse Racing Nation (G3). Along with the Fair Grounds Stakes, both the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial and the $100,000 Colonel Power are scheduled to be run on the Stall-Wilson turf course. First post on Saturday, Feb. 15 is noon CT.

One of last year’s most highly regarded 2-year-olds, East Avenue followed up his debut win at Ellis Park with an impressive gate-to-wire win in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. The Godolphin homebred has not raced since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), where he was sent off as the post-time favorite but stumbled badly out of the gates and finished ninth. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the Medaglia d’Oro colt is a half sibling to 2023 Eclipse Champion Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish. Aboard for both of East Avenue’s juvenile stakes runs, Tyler Gaffalione will return to the irons above the 9-5 morning line favorite in the Risen Star, who drew post 4.

Gaffalione has won this event twice, including last year piloting Sierra Leone for trainer Chad Brown. With Resolute Bloodstock’s Septarian, Brown has a shot at taking the title two years in a row. Third last out in the Mucho Macho Man, the two-time winner will be guided by Flavien Prat, recently named the 2024 Eclipse Award Champion for Outstanding Jockey.

Todd Pletcher scored in this Derby prep three times between 2010 and 2014. Vassimo, his entry this year, is a perfect two-for-two, both at one mile or longer, including a first-level allowance at Tampa Bay by open lengths. Owned by Team Penney Racing, the Nyquist colt sees his regular companion Irad Ortiz Jr. named to ride him in the Risen Star.

D. Wayne Lukas most recently took the Risen Star in 2018, and the three-time winning conditioner’s first victory came nearly three decades ago in 1997. On Saturday, he’ll saddle BC Stables’ American Promise. The Justify colt broke his maiden going 1 1/16 miles two back and exits a sixth in the Southwest Stakes.

New Orleans native and trainer of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Built, Wayne Catalano has also won the Risen Star. Though in 1978 when he got his picture taken it was called the Louisiana Derby Trial. And at age 21, he was not the winning trainer of Batonnier – he was the winning jockey.

Built stretched out successfully to win the Gun Runner gate-to-wire. Though he did not take well to the sloppy surface last out in the Lecomte, the Catalano trainee still ran valiantly to finish second. With 20 points he sits tied for third on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard. On Saturday, Luis Saez will take the reins for the first time.

The last stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby comes on March 22 with the $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), which asks the three-year-olds to go 1 3/16 miles.

Here’s the complete field for the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):

1. American Promise (Keith Asmussen, Wayne Lukas, 12-1)

2. Jonathan’s Way (Jose Ortiz, Phil Bauer, 4-1)

3. Vassimo (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher, 8-1)

4. East Avenue (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh, 9-5)

5. Chunk of Gold (Abel Cedillo, Ethan West, 30-1)

6. Seattle Road (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Tom Amoss, 30-1)

7. Septarian (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown, 12-1)

8. Giocoso (Jaime Torres, Keith Desormeaux, 20-1)

9. Built (Luis Saez, Wayne Catalano, 5-1)

10. Render Judgment (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek, 12-1)

11. Jolly Samurai (Rene Diaz, Danny Pish, 30-1)

12. Vamos Carlitos (Florent Geroux, Greg Foley, 30-1)

13. Magnitude (Ben Curtis, Steve Asmussen, 12-1)

Dominant in her four winning runs as a juvenile, Godolphin’s grade two victress Good Cheer was tabbed as the 6-5 morning line favorite for the 45th running of the $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Slated as the penultimate race on Saturday’s “Louisiana Derby Preview Day” 14-race program, the 1 1/16 miles Rachel Alexandra attracted a field of seven three-year-old fillies. It is the first Oaks prep on the calendar to award 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers.

Six stakes are scheduled to be run on “Louisiana Derby Preview Day,” including the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star (G2), a Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) prep which also awards 105 qualifying points.

Past the Rachel Alexandra and the Risen Star, the added money action includes two more graded stakes with $250,000 Mineshaft presented by Hagyard GI By Relyne (G3) and the $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes presented by Horse Racing Nation (G3). Along with the Fair Grounds Stakes, both the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial and the $100,000 Colonel Power are scheduled to be run on the Stall-Wilson turf course. First post on Saturday, Feb. 15 is noon CT.

Good Cheer proved untouchable as a 2-year-old, winning her four freshman starts by a combined 32 1/4 lengths. Taking the Golden Rod (G2) by 2 1/2 lengths and the Rags to Riches by 4 3/4 last fall at Churchill Downs, the Brad Cox trained filly racked up 20 Oaks points and sits tied for fourth on the leaderboard. Perfect in three starts at the Rachel Alexandra distance, the Medaglia d’Oro filly has been training in Florida at Payson Park in preparation for her sophomore debut. Luis Saez returns to the saddle and will guide Good Cheer from post 2.

Beginning with Monomoy Girl in 2018, Brad Cox has won the Rachel Alexandra three times, including last year with Tarifa.

Looking to continue his sweep of the local Oaks preps, trainer Whit Beckman entered the Silverbulletday victress Simply Joking in Saturday’s Rachel Alexandra. Both starts for Grantley Acres, Ryan Conner, and Berkels0813’s Simply Joking have been in local stakes. She proved her heart to overcome trouble and win on debut in the Letellier Memorial and backed that up with an impressive gate-to-wire victory in the Silverbulletday. The Practical Joke filly also boasts 20 qualifying points. Beckman will give the leg up to Jaime Torres who will guide the likely front-runner from post 6.

Second to Muhimma last out in the Demoiselle (G2), Rodeo Creek Racing’s Ballerina d’Oro proved she can kick late on the dirt as well as she had accomplished on the turf. After breaking her maiden going one mile at Kentucky Downs, the Chad Brown trainee ran a troubled eighth in the Jessamine (G2) at Keeneland, less than a half-length from finishing fourth. Donning blinkers for the second time, the Medaglia d’Oro filly drew post 3 and will be guided by Flavien Prat, recently named the 2024 Eclipse Award Champion for Outstanding Jockey.

Trainer Kenny McPeek entered both Magdalena Racing and Steve Crabtree’s Anonima and Fern Circle Stables’ Gowells Delight in the Rachel Alexandra. Attracting the services of Irad Ortiz Jr. on Saturday, Anonima has won her last two, including a local allowance where she proved two lengths best over the Cox-trainee California Sunset. Gowells Delight followed up her dazzling debut win with a fourth-place finish in the Martha Washington to earn 4 qualifying points.

The last stop on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks comes on March 22 with the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).