The Risen Star Stakes (Grade 2) (KYD)- $500.000 Purse
FG- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
February 15, 2025

It’s now time for the first 50 KYD-point race of the 2025 prep season as the 20th running of The Risen Star Stakes takes place at FG! To celebrate, the track will offer the highest purse that it ever has for the Risen Star, increasing that amount to $500.000 from the $400.000, which is where it had been since 2013. We’ve seen some great winners in the past here, going back to the earlier days when Fusion got the victory. Since then, we’ve seen the likes of Pinnacle West, Beach Dandy, and Howl Of The Hound, among others grab the Risen Star trophy. In 2024, Mb Stables won the race for the fifth time with Walk Em Down, a horse that went on to win the PRK and later the Travers last year, as well. He remains active at this time and will look to rebound from a rough go of it in the Pegasus World Cup. Mb Stables has loaded up for this race as well, bringing three horses here, but eight others are looking to get the win for themselves. Here’s a look at the field:

1- Without Warning (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- Went 3-for-3 to begin his career, winning two stakes at SAR which were highlighted by the Grade 3 Sanford. Almost extended the streak to four in the Hopeful but settled for second in a photo with the impressive looking Extreme Jet. That’s the last time that earned a piece of a purse and comes into race after placing sixth in the BC Juvenile. He’s ready to roll after a strong six-furlong work at AQU leading into this.

2- Forever Martian (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Mostly has run on the turf during his career, and that was a good call seeing as how he was able to qualify for the BC Juvenile Turf. After running third there, he was taken off the grass, at least for now, to purse the KYD. That did not work out for him last month in the Jerome, but he certainly deserves another chance, which he gets right here.

3- Magical Embrace (Riggins Racing, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- Still looking to prove himself at this level as he makes his fourth career starts. He’s won once over his prior three, taking a maiden race at PID in September, sending him into the $175.000 CA Cup Derby, where he was second. That certainly earned him the right to compete here, but now we will see what he can do against unrestricted company.

4- Salah (Royalty Stables, ridden by R L Moore)- In late November, Salah broke his maiden out at DMR, and carried that into the Smarty Jones at OP. The outside post would not stop him there, either, as he came from the middle of the pack to secure the win as a 15/1 longshot. Now, after showing that he can defeat this company, he looks to take that next step and prove that he can consistently do that and put his name on the list of strong contenders for the KYD.

5- Axon (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by D Davis)- Up to this point, you can count on Axon being a part of the exacta, as the gelding has managed three wins and two seconds over his five career starts. Each of those runner ups could also have been a victory as he was within a length of the winner. He has yet to run in an unrestricted stake, but those two FL Sire Series races he was in, one a victory in the Affirmed, are typically tough races and send at least one or two runners to the KYD every year.

6- Gold State (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- The first of the three horses that Mb Stables will have in this race, and it is the first time that Gold State has run in a stake. The horse was acquired in the December auction for $8.000 from Smokey Stover, and when he ran last month in an allowance, it was his first race since September. He won that race and works as well as anyone in this field.

7- Ref You Def (Night Rider Stables, ridden by J Bravo)- Looked good when I had the chance to cover his win in the $100.000 Gun Runner two back, coming from off the pace to get the win, but that is not something that carried into the Withers at the Big A just two weeks ago. It’s a very quick turnaround for him here and likely suggests that the trainer knows why Ref You Def never made his run in the Withers and is confident that he will do so here.

8- Scorched (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- Lived up to his name last month, with a wire-to-wire victory, scorching the field in the $100.000 Allison Derby at SUN. It was his second consecutive win with a frontrunning style, and we should expect to see the same type of tactic here. Still just beginning to make a name for himself, with only four starts, but he has been either first or second every time. Not the most accomplished of Mb’s trio in the field, but the one that interests me the most to watch.

9- Ello Santa (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- This would be the highest earner of the Mb runners in the race, as Ello Santa has already made close to $900.000 for his career. Now, first to clarify something, when I said Scorched excites me more to watch, it’s because I’m interested to see how he measures up against this field. With Ello Santa, it’s already an accomplished horse at this level. After all, he’s a BC winner, doing so in the BC Juvenile Turf. Faded late in the Smarty Jones last time out and will look to finish this one out in a stronger manner.

10- Dimholt Road (Alydar Stables, ridden by M T Fuentes Jr)- The trainer hopes to give Daemon a running mate in the KYD, and while Point Given also has a good chance, Dimholt Road just might need a little more luck to find his way into the race. He’s been second in his last two, including the Jerome last month. He came from well off the pace in that one, but Tube had built too big of a lead for him. There are some in here that may be tough to run down as well, but don’t rule Dimholt Road out from doing so.

11- Mooresy (Big Guns Stables, ridden by F Prat)- A strong two-year-old campaign saw him win the Funny Cide at SAR, then run second in the Grade 1 Champagne. That would get him into the BC Juvenile, but he was not a factor there. Rebounded well after, hitting the board twice, including the Lecomte here last month. As of now, he will be back off Lasix, after trying it last month.

Prediction: 1-9-10-8

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES