East Avenue Battles Dozen Foes in Risen Star

Doomed by stumbling at the start when ninth in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar, East Avenue  returns to action Feb. 15 in the $500,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

He faces a dozen other 3-year-olds, including contenders such as Vassimo , Jonathan's Way , and Built .

The Risen Star, a 1 1/8-mile dirt race, should provide some clues about where East Avenue and the other competitors stand in the 3-year-old pecking order ahead of the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs. 

The Risen Star is the first 105-point qualifying race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby this year, distributing points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale to its top five finishers. Churchill Downs uses qualifying points as a preference system when the Derby overfills beyond its capacity 20-horse field size.

Last year's Risen Star winner, Sierra Leone , would go on to finish second in the Kentucky Derby during a championship 3-year-old season that culminated with him winning the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

Already with 10 qualifying points by virtue of his front-running, 5 1/4-length win in the Breeders' Futurity (G1) last fall at Keeneland, which followed a similarly easy maiden win at Ellis Park, East Avenue would be assured of a starting position in the Kentucky Derby with a victory based on historical trends. A runner-up finish might also result in him having enough points to gain entry—with the opportunity to earn still more in a final prep preceding the Derby, when points are at their highest levels.

Readying him for Risen Star, trainer Brendan Walsh has worked East Avenue behind horses in some of his drills and in a solo gate breeze designed for starting gate readiness.

Tyler Gaffalione is aboard the Godolphin's homebred son of Medaglia d'Oro  .

Another Risen Star entrant with Breeders' Cup Juvenile experience is Rigney Racing's Jonathan's Way, who ran seventh. He followed the Breeders' Cup with a runner-up finish behind First Resort  in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 30, a start that wrapped up his 2-year-old campaign. Before those defeats, he won his first two starts: a summer maiden race at Saratoga Race Course and the Iroquois Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs. Those races were around one turn.

Fair Grounds leading rider Jose Ortiz rides the son of Vekoma   for trainer Phil Bauer.

Disco Time , the winner of Jan. 18 Lecomte Stakes (G3), the prior Road to the Kentucky Derby prep at Fair Grounds, has not breezed since the race and is absent from the Risen Star, but the Lecomte runner-up, Built , does return. Outkicked down the stretch after stalking the leaders in the Lecomte, he finished a neck behind at the finish.

Luis Saez replaces Jareth Loveberry in the saddle aboard the Hard Spun   colt, a wire-to-wire winner of the ungraded Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds in December.

Team Penney Racing's Vassimo is unbeaten in two starts in Florida for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. The Nyquist   colt races in a stakes race for the first time and will have jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. up.

The Risen Star is the last of 14 races on the card and has a scheduled post time of 6:30 p.m. CT.