Risen Star Stakes (Grade 2) (KYD)- $400.000 Purse
FG- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
February 17, 2024
As the KYD gets closer, the prep races start to carry a little more weight, and this weekend we will have our first 50-point Derby prep. It’s the Risen Star Stakes from FG, a Grade 2 that has seen some great horses end up in its winner circle, including Fusion, Moment Of Madness, Beach Dandy, and Howl Of The Hound. When Howl Of The Hound won the Risen Star, it was the perfect result for his trainer, Mb Stables, since that one finished in a dead heat with his stablemate, Evergreen. 2023 winner, the late Cross Examination, would run in all three of the TC races, but was soundly beaten in each of them. He would last run on New Year’s Eve. With fifty points on the line for the race’s winner, our field of twelve is hoping to howl in victory. One thing that I noticed in this field is that there does not seem to be much early speed as a lot of these horses like to come from off the pace, and if not that, are running midpack. I’ll be interested in seeing how the start of this race looks. Here’s a look at the runners!
1- Walk Em Down (Mb Stables, ridden by O Murphy)- We get things started with a maiden, but it’s no surprise that the trainer does not want to wait around with MSW’s. This very well-bred colt who is out of Power Walk and by Rotarian put together an impressive work at SA on the 26th of last month. About two weeks before that, he had a strong come from behind effort in the $100.000 Allison Derby, just needing a little more time, and he gets that time here. If you’re not afraid to pick a maiden in a race like this, then he’s appealing. If you are afraid to do so, this is a good candidate to maybe change your mind about that. Either way, I look forward to watching him run.
2- Free Agent (Fractious, ridden by R L Moore)- In his young career, Free Agent has been very hit and miss. He showed his potential by winning the $200.000 Saplin last August, but struggled in the three graded races that follow. That’s concerning he was simply not competitive, twice beaten by six lengths. After being dropped into an optional claimer that he won, Free Agent will try to negotiate that he belongs at this level.
3- Fun Runner (Asgar, ridden by P Lopez)- He was indeed a fun runner for his trainer in his last start as he won the Grade 3 Lecomte last month, grabbing the 20 points that come with it, and placing him seventh on the leaderboard for now. That’s a good start and he may not need many more points now to get into the big race. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want them, and if his last two races are any indication, Fun Runner’s going to be at or near the back and look to come on strong in the end.
4- Maple Mafia (Mb Stables, ridden by F Prat)- In five starts, Maple Mafia has either won or finished ninth with the latter happening on three occasions. Most recently, he finished in that spot in the Grade 3 Lecomte, losing to Fun Runner by three lengths. Like Free Agent, he needs to start getting more consistent and he’s still young enough to grow into that. Had a very nice at AQU earlier this month, but he needs to start translating that to the track more frequently.
5- Complicated (Waldo, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Ran six times in high level maidens, but did not do much of anything in them. That would lead to Waldo giving him the snip last month, and five days later, he broke his maiden SA. Did he just need to be gelded to start racing up to his work times, or did he simply become able to win a maiden race? That’s the question right now, but one can certainly understand why Complicated gets this opportunity.
6- Doc Rivers (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by M Franco)- We saw this one in the Lecomte last month as well, and Doc Rivers ended up getting the fourth-place spoils. He did the same in his previous race, the Grade 2 Remsen, and those results allow his name to appear on the leaderboard for the TC right now with six points and that is a starting point to build on here. He may not work as fast as others in here, but he has been able so far to run consistently in races and is scoring promising SRF’s along the way.
7- Master And Commander (Fractious, ridden by J P Spencer)- Joined the Fractious army in mid-October by way of a $150.000 private sale, and the trainer has handled him very patiently since then. Master And Commander has raced just twice since then, struggling in the Grade 2 KY Jockey Club before winning the $150.000 Mucho Macho Man at GP on New Year’s Day. It’s important for him to follow that up with another good run here and to not let a dud like the Jockey Club happen again. I think he’ll be okay.
8- Fayette County (Dmc Racing, ridden by Al Perez)- Making his first appearance since running in the BC Juvenile and only beating one of his rivals. That performance came as quite of a surprise, because he seemed to be on great form leading into it, winning the Hopeful and placing second in the Champagne. This is the stable star right now for Dmc Racing, and hopefully the trainer has worked out what happened in the BC with this one so that they can have a chance to get into the KYD and give us some different faces in there, trainer wise.
9- Soho First (Allinthegate, ridden by T Gaffalione)- You can put this one in that “inconsistent” category. In seven starts, Soho First has only been first on occasion, though has hit the board four times. That would be great, but the problem is when he is not finishing in the top three, he is not near the front at all. In the $100.000 Gun Runner, not to be confused with Fun Runner, here in December, he started at the back and was never a factor. Like the other inconsistent horses in here, he has time to get it right but a competitive performance here is a must.
10- One Beer (South Shore Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Here’s another one of those horses that we saw run in the Lecomte, and One Beer was the third-place finisher, beaten by less than a length by Fun Runner. He was also a horse that came from behind, but not from the same depth of the field that the winner came from. It’s something that could suggest he’ll like running a little longer this time. Currently has six points on the leaderboard for the KYD.
11- Rotary State (Alydar Stables, ridden by V Espinoza)- This is another horse to be looking for in the stretch, as he has shown a liking for coming from off the pace. When he last saw him, it at OP for the $300.000 Smarty Jones where he was six lengths off at one point before his late charge got him a second place. He’s been first or second in four of five races thus far, which is a level of consistency that I like in this field. Also appealing is that he has his regular rider, V Espinoza.
12- Looney Cracker (Martyparty, ridden by P Husbands)- Coming from the outside, we have another horse that we saw in the Lecomte. For Looney Cracker, it was his stake debut, and like those that are near him in the starting gate, he closed well at the end to get up for fifth. That didn’t get him any earnings, but it did show that he could be competitive at this level and there is no reason to not give him another chance.
Prediction: 6-1-3-11
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
