Popular Risen Star Stakes Split into Divisions

A Feb. 15 race card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots already rich in purses and qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby grew richer on entry day Feb. 8 when Fair Grounds officials split 23 entries for the 1 1/8-mile Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford-Lincoln (G2) into two divisions.

Each race will be contested for the advertised $400,000 purse, and per Road to the Kentucky Derby rules, the two stakes will both offer 85 qualifying points toward Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) May 2 at Churchill Downs.

With this added stakes race, Fair Grounds will now stage seven black-type events next Saturday worth $1.65 million, including the $150,000, 14-horse Fair Grounds Stakes (G3T), the $200,000 Mineshaft Stakes (G3), and the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2)—an 85-point qualifying prep for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill May 1.

Beyond drawing depth, the two Risen Star divisions attracted quality, landing Lecomte Stakes (G3) 1-2-3 finishers Enforceable, Silver State, and Mr. Monomoy in the first division, an 11-horse field, and TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) runner-up Anneau d'Or and dual stakes winner Liam's Lucky Charm in the 12-horse second division. The two stakes are the final contests on a 13-race card, which in total drew 142 horses in the bodies of its fields, plus six also-eligibles.

Anneau d'Or and Enforceable both worked Saturday thousands of miles apart. Anneau d'Or went three-quarters of a mile in a bullet 1:12 4/5 for trainer Blaine Wright at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, while John Oxley's Enforceable breezed a half mile in :49 3/5 at Fair Grounds for trainer Mark Casse. Anneau d'Or ships to Fair Grounds in New Orleans next week.

Following two close defeats, Anneau d'Or races with blinkers added, and Joel Rosario has picked up the mount for Wright and owner Peter Redekop.

Rosario is one numerous out-of-town riders in for the day along with Javier Castellano, Ricardo Santana Jr., Junior Alvarado, Julien Leparoux, Joe Bravo, and others.

The Rachel Alexandra drew champion British Idiom, who capped a 3-for-3 campaign last year by winning the Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). For her first start of the year, she is matched against six rivals, led by multiple stakes winner Finite.

Four of the last six winners of the Kentucky Oaks raced in the Rachel Alexandra. Untapable (2014), Monomoy Girl (2018), and Serengeti Empress (2019) won both races, while Lovely Maria took the 2015 Oaks after a runner-up finish in the Rachel Alexandra earlier that year.

The divisions of the Risen Star offer the most qualifying points of any race to date in the 2020 Derby series, providing points on a 50-20-10-5 scale to the top four finishers. Most of the earlier preps have awarded points on a 10-4-2-1 basis.

Qualifying points are used by Churchill Downs officials as a preference system when the Derby is oversubscribed beyond its 20-horse limit. For the most part the points gradually increase as preps get closer to the Derby, with the major grade 2 and grade 1 preps run in the final six weeks before the Derby awarding points with a 100-40-20-10 structure.

Entries: Risen Star S. presented by Lamarque Ford (G2)

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, February 15, 2020, Race 12

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 5:38 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Digital (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	122	W. Bret Calhoun	-
2	Silver State (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Steven M. Asmussen	-
3	Ready to Roll (KY)	Gabriel Saez	122	W. Bret Calhoun	-
4	Perfect Revenge (ON)	Shaun Bridgmohan	122	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	-
5	Moon Over Miami (KY)	Junior Alvarado	122	William I. Mott	-
6	Shashashakemeup (KY)	James Graham	122	J. Keith Desormeaux	-
7	Blackberry Wine (KY)	Adam Beschizza	122	Joe Sharp	-
8	Enforceable (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Mark E. Casse	-
9	Mr. Monomoy (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Brad H. Cox	-
10	Farmington Road (KY)	Javier Castellano	122	Todd A. Pletcher	-
11	Scabbard (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Eddie Kenneally	-

Entries: Risen Star S. presented by Lamarque Ford (G2)

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, February 15, 2020, Race 13

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 6:12 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Modernist (KY)	Junior Alvarado	122	William I. Mott	-
2	Truculent (KY)	Declan Carroll	122	Jack Sisterson	-
3	Mr. Big News (KY)	Robby Albarado	122	W. Bret Calhoun	-
4	Fame to Famous (KY)	Colby J. Hernandez	122	John P. Mc Allen	-
5	Liam's Lucky Charm (FL)	Edgard J. Zayas	122	Ralph E. Nicks	-
6	Excession (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Steven M. Asmussen	-
7	Major Fed (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Gregory D. Foley	-
8	Anneau d'Or (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Blaine D. Wright	-
9	Lynn's Map (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	122	Mark E. Casse	-
10	Finnick the Fierce (KY)	Sonny Leon	122	Rey Hernandez	-
11	Mailman Money (KY)	Gabriel Saez	122	W. Bret Calhoun	-
12	Ny Traffic (NY)	Javier Castellano	122	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	-