This Saturday at the Fair Grounds marks the first 50-point Derby prep race in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes. Typically a tune up for the 100-point Louisiana Derby, the Risen Star has produced some competitive Triple Crown contenders in recent years, including Brad Cox’s Mandaloun, eventually the winner by disqualification in the Kentucky Derby. 

Trainer Brad Cox has been on a tear at the Fair Grounds preps recently, winning three of the last four Risen Stars, matching Steve Asmussen for the most wins in this race all time. Both Cox and Asmussen will send three year olds into this nine-furlong race, with two for Asmussen in a well-stocked 12-horse field.

Asmussen’s Track Phantom is the shortest on the morning line at 7/2 with Joel Rosario, but Chad Brown enters Sierra Leone, by Gun Runner, as the second choice after a place in the Grade 2 Remsen in early December.

On paper, it appears as if Track Phantom will be leading the way early, as a winner of three straight front-running scores including back-to-back points races at the Fair Grounds. Having experience over the track certainly gives this one a leg up on the field, and in a group that has not shown much early speed in limited starts, this Asmussen trainee should be able to run on his terms. Joel Rosario opted to take this runner over the “other” Asmussen trainee, Hall of Fame, on which he won a maiden last time out by an impressive 10 lengths. That $1.4 million colt figures to be sitting off of his stablemate early, with the other top contenders likely slotting in near the back. 

Still, Asmussen sounded optimistic about both of his entries when comparing them to recent success stories who participated on the Derby trail. 

“It’s easy to compare what Track Phantom’s done with what Epicenter did two years before,” Asmussen told Fair Grounds publicity. “It is also very easy to compare Hall of Fame to what Disarm was last year, but with better timing. We are extremely excited about (both of) them.”

Perhaps the tougher eleven post for Track Phantom will force him and his stablemate into faster than expected fractions, with long shots in Todd Pletcher’s Cardinale and Dallas Stewart’s Bee Dancer as possible pests to set up the race for the deep closers.

Of those who have rated early in their careers, it is hard to ignore Sierra Leone, sold for a whopping $2.3 million as a yearling and now making his three-year-old debut for Chad Brown. In his Grade II Remsen effort at Aqueduct, jockey Jose Ortiz had him 12 lengths off the lead early, only to make a huge sweeping run to pass the favorite in the stretch. This colt by Gun Runner fell victim to a game recovery by the eventual winner Dornoch, but the visually impressive move makes this up-and-comer one that could be a factor even with little pace here. 

Of Sierra Leone’s Remsen, Brown told the Blood-Horse, “I was very pleased with the effort but disappointed with the result that he gave up the lead late, but for a lightly raced horse that still needs some experience, he gave a very good performance, especially considering he was the only horse on the card that closed ground. It was a pretty good indicator that he at least deserves to be on the Triple Crown trail.” 

At 4/1 on the morning line, the lightly raced Sierra Leone cannot be ignored going forward into the spring.

Brad Cox’s Catching Freedom should break with Sierra Leone early, most recently coming from dead last to win the Smarty Jones stakes at Oaklawn by one and a half lengths. Sold for over half a million to Albaugh Family Stables, the owners of last year’s Risen Star winner and Top Midlantic-bred Angel of Empire, Cox and his team look for a repeat effort here with a colt he is already very high on. 

“Excited about the horse. I think there’s a lot of improvement left. If there is, he could be a serious horse this year,” he told Oaklawn publicity. 

With plenty of other tough contenders, this Risen Star will be a challenging spot for Brad Cox to nab his fourth win in five years, but his entry along with other promising colts here from top trainers could end up doing big things aiming for Kentucky.

The Risen Star is the 14th race on the Fair Grounds card on Saturday, February 17th and breaks at 7:17 EST.

THE PICKS

1. #8 Catching Freedom (5-1)

2. #11 Track Phantom (7-2)

3. #7 Hall of Fame (6-1)

4. #4 Sierra Leone (4-1)

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