East Avenue training at Del Mar for The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is making his three-year old debut in The Risen Star at The Fair Grounds. (Ernie Belmonte/Past the Wire)
Grade II, $500,000 Risen Star
Derby Dispatch/Edited
LOUISVILLE, Ky.– Godolphin’s highly regarded 3-year-old colt East Avenue is set to launch his 3-year-old campaign as the 9-5 morning line favorite in Saturday’s $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes (GII) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
The 1 1/8-mile test headlines the track’s “Louisiana Derby Preview Day” and serves as the first race in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Championship Series, awarding 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points to the Top 5 finishers toward securing a spot in the May 3 Kentucky Derby (GI).
A half-brother to 2023 Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, East Avenue dazzled as a 2-year-old, winning the Breeders’ Futurity (GI) at Keeneland before a troubled start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) led to a ninth-place finish. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the Medaglia d’Oro colt will be reunited with jockey Tyler Gaffalione and break from post No. 4 in the 13-horse field.
One of East Avenue’s chief rivals is Rigney Racing’s Jonathan’s Way (4-1), who secured 10 Derby qualifying points with his Iroquois Stakes (GIII) victory at Churchill Downs which kicked off the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The Phil Bauer trainee finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) before stepping onto the sidelines and will have a new rider in Jose Ortiz for the Risen Star. The duo will break from post 2.
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Built (5-1), winner of the Gun Runner Stakes, will also have a new rider for the Risen Star, with Luis Saez taking the call. The Hard Spun colt stamped himself as a contender on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a decisive 6 ¾-length gate-to-wire victory in the Dec. 21 Gun Runner Stakes. Last time out in the Lecomte Stakes (GIII), Built showed a different dimension, closing from 4 ½ lengths off the pace to finish a narrow second behind Disco Time. He will break from post 9 in the Risen Star.
Trainer Chad Brown, who won last year’s Risen Star with Sierra Leone, sends out Resolute Bloodstock’s Septarian (12-1). The third-place finisher in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, he will be piloted by Flavien Prat, recently named 2024 Eclipse Award Champion Jockey, from post 7.
Three trainers tied atop the Risen Star all-time leaderboard with three victories each—Steve Asmussen, Todd Pletcher and D. Wayne Lukas—have runners aiming for a record fourth win.
Asmussen, who teamed with Winchell Thoroughbreds to win this race with Pyro (2008), Gun Runner (2016) and Epicenter (2022), will saddle Magnitude (12-1). The colt looks to rebound after a troubled trip in the Lecomte Stakes (GIII), where he finished sixth. Ben Curtis has the mount from the far-outside post 13.
Pletcher enters Vassimo (8-1), a Team Penney Racing-owned son of Nyquist, who remains unbeaten in two starts. Irad Ortiz Jr. takes the call from post 3.
Lukas, who last won this race in 2018 with Bravazo, sends out BC Stables’ American Promise (12-1). The Justify colt broke his maiden going 1 1/16 miles and will have Keith Asmussen aboard from post 1.
*Jolly Samurai is not Triple Crown nominated but can become eligible by paying a $6,000 late fee by Monday, April 7.
The final major local prep for the Louisiana contingent on the Road to the Kentucky Derby comes March 22 with the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (GII) at 1 3/16 miles.
Risen Star Quotes
East Avenue (trainer Brendan Walsh): “We had a plan after the Breeders’ Cup to give him six works into the Risen Star. His breeze (on Jan. 17) was really good. I had him sit behind two horses and he really finished up nicely. … It’s an important race for him to get started on his campaign this year. We know there are bigger targets down the road. We’ll have him ready for this race and hopefully still have some left in the tank for later this spring.”
Jonathan’s Way (trainer Phil Bauer): “At the end of his 2-year-old year he gave us a solid effort in the Kentucky Jockey Club. This winter he’s been doing very well training at Fair Grounds. We’re excited to get him back to the races. We have him where we need to be and it’s setting up to be a key race like it normally is.”
Chunk of Gold (trainer Ethan West): “He impressed us when he broke his maiden on debut and stepped up his game running second last time in the Leonatus, closing from pretty far out of it. We debated on running him in this spot or the Battaglia, which would be in our backyard. With earnings, we may not have gotten into the Battaglia if it drew a full field. That being said, this race will give him experience on dirt and he’s trained very well out of the Leonatus.”
Vamos Carlitos (trainer Greg Foley): “He ran a huge race last time out in an allowance. They went slow early, and he came flying late. He should love every bit of the mile-and-an-eighth.”
Risen Star By The Numbers
Risen Star has produced 76 Kentucky Derby starters since 1985 including 33 in the past 10 years.
Three horses have won the Kentucky Derby after exiting the Risen Star: Mandaloun (2021), Country House (2019) and War Emblem (2002)
Most wins by a jockey (3): Shane Romero (1988-89, ’92); Robby Albarado (2003-04, ’07); Florent Geroux (2016, ’20-21)
Most wins by a trainer (3): Neil Howard (1992, ’98, 2004); Todd Pletcher (2010, ’12, ’14); D. Wayne Lukas (1997, 2000, ’18); Steve Asmussen (2008, ’16, ’22); Brad Cox (2020-21, ’23)
Number of favorites that won in the last 10 runnings – 3: Sierra Leone (2024, 5-2); Mandaloun (2021, 2-1); War of Will (2019, 1-1)
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