Study Guide: 2024 Risen Star Stakes
Feb 13, 2024
Catching Freedom wins the 2024 Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn Park (Photo by Coady Photography)
The stakes will more than double when the Road to the Kentucky Derby makes a stop at Fair Grounds for Saturday’s $400,000 Risen Star S. (G2).
Recent Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifiers have been worth 20-10-6-4-2 points to the top five finishers. The Risen Star raises the points distribution to 50-25-15-10-5, which all but guarantees the winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby (G1) starting gate.
A dozen horses have turned out for the Risen Star, which produced 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun. Let’s take a horse-by-horse look at the field:
Tizzy Indy
Tizzy Indy (Photo by Coady Photography)
Start(s): 7
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 1
Owner: Calumet Farm
Breeder: Calumet Farm
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Jockey: James Graham
Top Speed Rating: (78) when winning a $20,000 maiden claimer at Churchill Downs.
Total Earnings: $53,750
Sire: Take Charge Indy
Dam: Tizzy Fever
Color: Dark bay/brown
Fifth by a wide margin in the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds last month, Tizzy Indy needs to improve upon his career-best 78 Brisnet Speed rating to challenge against tougher competition in the Risen Star.
Awesome Ruta
Start(s): 6
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 2
Owner: Tri-Star Racing and Cimarron TTT Farms
Breeder: Brian Levings
Trainer: Joseph Foster
Jockey: Mitchell Murrill
Top Speed Rating: (84) when finishing second in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs.
Total Earnings: $43,570
Sire: Mendelssohn
Dam: Awesome Prayer
Color: Bay
Awesome Ruta missed by only a neck when second in the Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs last fall, but three subsequent defeats in $100,000 allowance optional claimers at Fair Grounds suggest stepping up in class for the Risen Star could be tricky.
Honor Marie
Honor Marie wins the 2023 Kentucky Jockey Club (Coady Photography)
Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 0
Owner: Ribble Farms, Michael H. Eiserman, Earl I. Silver, Kenneth E. Fishbein, and Daniel Fishbein
Breeder: Royce Pulliam
Trainer: D. Whitworth Beckman
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
Top Speed Rating: (96) when winning the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs.
Total Earnings: $318,175
Sire: Honor Code
Dam: Dame Marie
Color: Bay
Stretch-running Honor Marie unleashed a big finish to win the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs last fall. The 96 Brisnet Speed rating he earned that day is strong, but it’s uncommon for horses to win the Risen Star in their first start of the season. The fact Honor Marie hasn’t run since November is a question mark.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone at Aqueduct (Photo by Coglianese Photography)
Start(s): 2
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0
Owner: Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Brook T. Smith, and Peter M. Brant
Breeder: Debby M. Oxley
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Top Speed Rating: (98) when finishing second in the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct.
Total Earnings: $96,750
Sire: Gun Runner
Dam: Heavenly Love
Color: Dark bay/brown
Sierra Leone rallied boldly over a speed-favoring track to finish second by a nose in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby at Aqueduct. But that race took place on Dec. 2, and Sierra Leone hasn’t run since, so the layoff is an obstacle to overcome. On the bright side, no Risen Star entrant has run faster on the Brisnet Speed rating scale.
Moonlight
Moonlight running at Belmont At The Big A (Photo by Coglianese Photography)
Start(s): 4
Wins: 1
Place: 2
Show: 0
Owner: Town and Country Racing and Madaket Stables
Breeder: Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Top Speed Rating: (92) when breaking his maiden at Aqueduct.
Total Earnings: $125,500
Sire: Audible
Dam: Sundown
Color: Gray/roan
Moonlight has started twice on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, rallying to finish second in the Street Sense (G3) at Churchill Downs and fourth in the Remsen. He was compromised by the speed-favoring track in the Remsen, but hasn’t started since and enters the Risen Star off a 2 1/2-month break.
Real Men Violin
Real Men Violin (Photo by Coady Photography)
Start(s): 6
Wins: 1
Place: 4
Show: 1
Owner: Tilted Shamrock Stables
Breeder: Newtown Anner Stud
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Top Speed Rating: (94) finishing second in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs.
Total Earnings: $216,825
Sire: Mendelssohn
Dam: Meg Fitz
Color: Chestnut
Real Men Violin required five starts to break his maiden, finally securing his breakthrough victory by half a length over Risen Star rival Track Phantom. Real Men Violin followed up with a fine runner-up finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club, but he was beaten two lengths by Honor Marie and hasn’t run since, so he’ll need to improve off the layoff to turn the tables.
Hall of Fame
Start(s): 2
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0
Owner: Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Gandharvi, and Brooke T. Smith
Breeder: Earle I. Mack
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.
Top Speed Rating: (91) when breaking his maiden at Fair Grounds.
Total Earnings: $60,000
Sire: Gun Runner
Dam: Flag Day
Color: Chestnut
Hall of Fame was tons the best in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on Jan. 20 at Fair Grounds, winning by 10 1/4 lengths with a final time (1:44.27) that was 0.46 faster than Track Phantom required to win the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte (G3) on the same afternoon. But can Hall of Fame repeat the performance while stepping up against tougher competition?
Catching Freedom
Catching Freedom wins the 2024 Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn Park (Photo by Coady Photography)
Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 0
Owner: Albaugh Family Stables
Breeder: WinStar Farm
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Luis Saez
Top Speed Rating: (90) when finishing fourth in a Churchill Downs allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $237,350
Sire: Constitution
Dam: Catch My Drift
Color: Bay
Catching Freedom has won two of his three starts and suffered a significantly troubled trip in his lone defeat. He rallied strongly to win the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn Park last month by 2 1/2 lengths over next-out Southwest (G3) 1-2 finishers Mystik Dan and Just Steel, so don’t count Catching Freedom out of the mix for trainer Brad Cox, who has won three of the last five editions of the Risen Star.
Cardinale
Cardinale (Photo by Coglianese Photography / Credit to Lauren King)
Start(s): 2
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0
Owner: Stonestreet Stables
Breeder: Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Top Speed Rating: (87) when finishing second in a Gulfstream Park allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $39,840
Sire: Speightstown
Dam: Foolish Living
Color: Bay
The lightly raced Cardinale was beaten only a neck when second in a $75,000 allowance optional claimer racing 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park last month, but the victorious Change of Command was subsequently beaten to 11th place in the Sam F. Davis (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, so stepping up in class is an obstacle for Cardinale to overcome.
Resilience
Resilience (Photo by Coglianese Photography / Credit to Lauren King)
Start(s): 4
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 1
Owner: Emily Bushnell and Ric Waldman
Breeder: Pam and Martin Wygod
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: John Velazquez
Top Speed Rating: (93) when breaking his maiden at Gulfstream Park.
Total Earnings: $78,630
Sire: Into Mischief
Dam: Meadowsweet
Color: Bay
Resilience knocked heads with talented Road to the Kentucky Derby participants like Locked, Stronghold, Track Phantom, and Nash before breaking his maiden fourth-time out racing 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park. Resilience’s maiden victory came by 4 1/4 lengths with a promising 93 Brisnet Speed rating, so he’s progressing in the right direction and has a shot to outrun expectations in the Risen Star.
Track Phantom
Track Phantom wins the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds (Photo by Hodges Photography)
Start(s): 5
Wins: 3
Place: 1
Show: 1
Owner: L and N Racing, Clark O. Brewster, Jerry Caroom, and Breeze Easy
Breeder: Breeze Easy
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Top Speed Rating: (94) when winning the Gun Runner S. at Fair Grounds.
Total Earnings: $285,000
Sire: Quality Road
Dam: Miss Sunset
Color: Bay
Track Phantom has been in red-hot form for three-time Risen Star-winning trainer Steve Asmussen, winning the Gun Runner S. and the Lecomte (G3) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby at Fair Grounds. Track Phantom has lots of early speed and has the benefit of recent races under his belt, so stretch-running colts like Honor Marie, Sierra Leone, and Real Men Violin—who have yet to race this year—may have a tough time catching this accomplished son of Quality Road.
Bee Dancer
Start(s): 1
Wins: 1
Place: 0
Show: 0
Owner: Charles E. Fipke
Breeder: Charles E. Fipke
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Jockey: Corey Lanerie
Top Speed Rating: (86) when winning his debut at Fair Grounds.
Total Earnings: $36,000
Sire: Bee Jersey
Dam: Dance Star
Color: Dark bay/brown
Bee Dancer showed talent when wiring a six-furlong maiden special weight at Fair Grounds last month. He’s shaping up as a promising colt with a bright future, though breaking from the far outside post while stepping up sharply in class and distance for the Risen Star looks like a formidable task on paper.
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