The Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds racetrack in New Orleans, Louisiana, is the first in the next stage of prep races which offer 50 Kentucky Derby points to the winner, with the rest of the top five earning 20-15-10-5 respectively. Six Risen Star runners in the 14 horse field have banked points: Victory Formation (10), Curly Jack (17), Two Phil’s (8), Angel of Empire (4), Sun Thunder (4), and Determinedly (3).
Post time for the Risen Star is 6:14 p.m. CT and it will be the last leg in an all-stakes 15% takeout, 50-cent Pick 5 with a guaranteed pool of $500,000. With a first post of noon (CT), Saturday’s program also features the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2) presented by Fasig-Tipton for sophomore fillies. Along with the duo of 3-year-old stakes events, the program includes the $250,000 Mineshaft (G3) presented by Relyne GI by Hagyard, the $150,000 Fair Grounds Stakes (G3) presented by Horse Racing Nation, the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial Stakes, and the $100,000 Colonel Power Stakes.
Trainer Steve Asmussen (who was 3 wins away from a remarkable 10,000 victories before Friday’s racing) has won the Risen Star three times, including last year with Epicenter, who would go on to win the Louisiana Derby (G2) en route to a second place finish in Kentucky Derby 148. Asmussen also won in 2016 with Gun Runner, one of the top earning Thoroughbreds of all-time. Of the three colts entered by Asmussen, it’s the newcomer to the barn, HARLOCAP, who gets tabbed at 8-1, ahead of Private Creed and Silver Heist both at 12-1.
HARLOCAP, co-owned by Canadian Jeremia Rudan and Harlo Stables, is the first to transfer their Derby-contender out of Bob Baffert’s barn. Baffert is suspended from entering any race at Churchill Downs, therefore any horse in his care is disallowed from earning Derby points. Making his third start on Jan. 22, the Justify colt out of the Bodemeister dam Mezinka broke his maiden in front-running fashion. Harlocap has breezed twice since and will retain the services of John Velazquez.
“Somebody will point out what number he is, and I hope I put the saddle on the right one,” Asmussen said jokingly “He had a huge work the other day (Feb. 11 at SA, 6 furlongs in 1:11 4/5). He arrived (at Fair Grounds) Monday night.”
Though drawing poorly on the far outside, Mike McCarty’s multiple stakes winner Private Creed has overcome a similar post when winning the Indian Summer in October at Keeneland. That was on the turf, as all the Jimmy Creed colt’s prior starts have been.
“I didn’t want to try the 14-hole, but I wanted to try this (route on dirt),” Asmussen said. “Last year when he won the race at Kentucky Downs, it was a coin flip on whether I’d run him back in the two-turn race at Keeneland (G2 Bourbon) or the one-turn race (Indian Summer) as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup. It’s ironic that Catalano’s horse (Andthewinneris) who just beat him (Private Creed) at Lone Star is also the horse that won the Bourbon. I backed him up to 5 1/2 furlongs (in the Indian Summer), he won that, and then ran solidly in the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile Turf Sprint, 3rd). That was always too short for him, but it was a great financial opportunity and it was fun.”
Private Creed was a head shy of getting the best of Andthewinneris at the end of January in the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston.
“He got a little aggressive (in the Texas Turf Mile) down the backside but still finished up solid with a nice horse (Andthewinneris) and stayed on well for his first two-turn try,” Asmussen said. “We breezed him back. I didn’t think there would be much speed in the Risen Star, but when there are 14 of them, somebody will go. At 1 1/8 miles, with considerably more run into the first turn, you get a fairer shot than if it was 1 1/16 miles. Another concern with the far outside post, horses miss the break at the highest percentage there. A quarter of a step in the wrong direction is not what you want. He’s such a cool horse. He deserves a chance.”
Tyler Gaffalione will climb aboard Private Creed for the first time. Gaffalione teamed up with trainer Mark Casse to win the 2019 Lecomte and Risen Star with War of Will, who would later win the Preakness (G1). He is the perennial leading rider at Churchill Downs. Casse starts Determinedly, who won the two-turn allowance on the Lecomte undercard.
With just two starts under his belt, Whisper Hill Farm’s Silver Heist could be poised for another step forward. Having won his sprint debut, the son of Tapit stretched out and finished a game third going 1 1/16 miles in a 3-year-old allowance on the Road to the Derby Day undercard. Risen Star foes Determinedly and Tapit’s Conquest finished ahead of him.
“He had the six furlong maiden win, and maybe he will benefit greatly from his first two-turn race,” Asmussen said. “We’re not scared of the horses who finished in front of him. If he can stay on, I want him in the three-year-old (Road to the Derby) mix, and this is the opportunity.”
Corey Lanerie, present on debut, gets the call and will guide Silver Heist from post No. 11.
~ with files from Fair Grounds media
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