Arguably the deepest Triple Crown prep race so far on the 2024 trail takes place Saturday in New Orleans when the Louisiana Derby series continues with the 1-1/8 miles Risen Star. Named for the 1988 Belmont Stakes winner, this year’s Risen Star race includes horses who last raced in Florida, New York, Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Let’s meet the contenders for the Grade 2 $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (Race 14):
#1-TIZZY INDY: Fifth-place finisher in the Lecomte is the only challenger in that race back to face Track Phantom, and must make up 13-plus lengths on that one Saturday. His only victory in 7 starts is a maiden claimer for Preakness-winning trainer Keith Desormeaux.
#2-AWESOME RUTA: Exits 3 local allowance defeats and now faces the toughest test of his career. Son of Medelssohn was runner-up in Delta Downs’ Jean Lafitte in his only stakes attempt to date.
#3-HONOR MARIE: Churchill Downs’ Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes winner was a shrewd $40,000 yearling purchase by Honor Code, already bagging $318,175. Whit Beckman, former Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown assistant, makes his first serious Triple Crown trail appearance in the leading role.
#4-SIERRA LEONE: Florida-based snowbird hits the road for his sophomore return, following a late-running second in the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct. Trainer Chad Brown turns to jockey Tyler Gaffalione for the first time aboard this $2.3 million son of Gun Runner. His sire won this race in 2016.
#5-MOONLIGHT: Cross-entered in a Race 3 allowance on the same Fair Grounds card, the Remsen fourth-place finisher could join Cardinale in the Risen Starting gate for a Todd Pletcher-trained 1-2 punch. Son of 2018 Holy Bull and Florida Derby winner Audible lured 3-time Risen Star winner Florent Geroux to ride. Pletcher also has won this race 3 times.
#6-REAL MEN VIOLIN: Runner-up to Risen Star return rival Honor Marie in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, he’s wintered in New Orleans for the rematch. Late-running colt has been consistent on turf and dirt as a son of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Mendelssohn. Trainer Kenny McPeek won this race in 2002 with Repent.
#7-HALL OF FAME: Rare pairing between internationally renowned owners Magnier, Tabor & Smith along with America’s all-time winningest trainer Steve Asmussen. This is a $1.4 million son of 2016 Risen Star winner Gun Runner, trained by Asmussen. Hall of Fame had a breakout victory Jan. 20 on the Lecomte Stakes undercard, winning by more than 10 lengths in his second lifetime start. He ran more than 2 lengths faster that day than stablemate Track Phantom in winning the featured stakes.
#8-CATCHING FREEDOM: Rallying winner of Oaklawn’s Smarty Jones Stakes for trainer Brad Cox, who has saddled the Risen Star winner 3 of the last 4 years. Barn now turns to jockey Luis Saez, who partnered with Angel of Empire in victory here a year ago. This $575,000 colt by Florida Derby winner Constitution has been favored in all 3 career starts, winning twice. Although raced at Oaklawn, he’s trained all winter at Fair Grounds and runs out of his home stall.
#9-CARDINALE: Three-time Risen Star winner Todd Pletcher steps this colt into the stakes ranks for the first time. He’s by the late champion sprinter Speightstown, whose best routers included Charlatan and Olympiad, and exits an allowance runner-up at 1-1/16 miles on the stretch-out. He ventures outside Florida for the first time. He’s from the same female family as champion Halfbridled and Fair Grounds maven and millionaire racemare Lu Ravi.
#10-RESILIENCE: Sharp Gulfstream maiden winner on New Year’s Day takes the rise in class for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. Mott won his first Risen Star in 1984 with Taylor’s Special, his first star horse, and again in 2020 with Modernist. Well-bred son of Into Mischief is a maternal grandson of $1.6M earning star turf mare Tranquility Lake.
#11-TRACK PHANTOM (pictured above): Gun Runner Stakes and Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes winner looks to continue a potential Fair Grounds series sweep if he can add the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby. Trainer Steve Asmussen is a 3-time Risen Star winner, most recently with Epicenter in 2022 who also took the same path as Track Phantom in preparation. In five career starts, he’s never been more than a head off of the lead after the opening half-mile at any call. The outside post will challenge his speed.
#12-BEE DANCER: Debut victory Jan. 20 over 6 furlongs is all that’s showing on the ledger for this Dallas Stewart trainee. Makes a meteoric rise in distance even more significantly than the class level, and had the misfortune of drawing the 12-hole. Fired a bullet workout Feb. 3 since his opener, apparently giving the connections confidence to take the leap.
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