International Star Sweeps to LA Derby Score

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's International Star capped a trio of 3-year-old prep wins at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots March 28 with a game victory over pacesetter Stanford in the $750,000 Louisiana Derby (gr. II) .

International Star and jockey Miguel Mena closed up the inside from seventh in a field of nine and had to work to put away the tenacious Stanford inside the furlong of the 1 1/8-mile test, but edged ahead just in time to win by a neck. War Story finished 4 1/2 lengths back in third.

"We got another good trip, had a clean run," Mena said. "He was the best horse in the race again today and I thank the connections for giving me the chance to ride him."

The 3-year-old New York-bred son of 2000 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Fusaichi Pegasus   gave the Ramseys their second Louisiana Derby victory in a row, coming on the heels of the 2014 score of Vicar's in Trouble. The win, worth 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, lifted him to the top of the leaderboard with 171.

"That's back-to-back wins for us here in the Louisiana Derby and we swept all three this year," said Ken Ramsey. "Last year (with Vicar's in Trouble) we missed out on the Risen Star. Next stop is Kentucky, that's the goal—these are prep races and we're certainly glad to get them under our belt."

International Star won the Jan. 17 Lecomte Stakes (gr. III) and took the Feb. 21 Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) before winning the Louisiana Derby in 1:50.67 on a fast track. The Louisiana Derby was his fourth graded score overall—he aced the Grey Stakes (Can-III) on Polytrack at Woodbine as a 2-year-old, then was fourth in the Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) at Churchill Downs in November before coming to Fair Grounds to put together his hat trick for trainer Mike Maker.

"I'm gonna take some of this sand back and sprinkle it back on Churchill Downs," Maker said.

Mena guided International Star in from the outside post to his favorite rail-skimming spot early on in the Louisiana Derby, tracking well back behind fractions of :24.03 and :48.59 set by Stanford and jockey Florent Geroux. The pacesetter went three-quarters in 1:13.27, and set off for home through a 1:37.94 mile with International Star giving chase.

"Great trip," Geroux said. "We had a great start and I just let him go and relax. If someone wanted to go faster than me, I would have let them, but he was very nice and relaxed on the lead and put up reasonable fractions. They came to us a little bit earlier than I thought they would, but that's racing and that's why International Star was able to run me down. He gave me a good feeling. You have to give credit to the winner; he's three-for-three and a very good horse."

Off the slight favorite at odds of 2-1, International returned $6.60, $3.60, and $2.60. Stanford paid $7 and $4.80 while War Story brought $2.80. Keen Ice, Fusaichi Flame, St. Joe Bay, Defondo, A Day in Paradise, and Mr. Z completed the order of finish.

"I'm still evaluating how he ran," trainer Tom Amoss said of War Story. "On the surface, you have say that we were closer to International Star last time than we were this time and the pace wasn't nearly as fast as last time. I have some positive thoughts about the race and the bottom line is that we got him to break better from the gate and we'll move forward with him. We'll see how he comes out of the race."

Bred by Katharine M. Voss and Robert T. Manfuso out of the French Deputy mare Parlez, International Star was an $85,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2013 Eastern fall yearling sale purchase by Patrice Miller and EQB, agent, when consigned by Chanceland Farm. He improved his record to five wins and two seconds from nine starts.