Local Hero, Guest Suite Top Risen Star Selections

For aspiring 3-year-olds, the road to Louisville goes through New Orleans and New York this Saturday, highlighted by the $400,000 Risen Star and $200,000 Rachel Alexandra, a pair of Grade 2 stakes at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots that respectively offer 85 qualifying points (50-20-10-5) for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1). The $150,000 Busher Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack also offers Oaks prospects 85 points. All three races are at 1 1/16 miles.

Down in sunny South Florida, the over-achieving New York-bred sprinter Mind Your Biscuits makes his seasonal debut for a fledgling trainer in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes (G3), after concluding a hard-hitting sophomore campaign with a win in the Malibu Stakes (G1).

Let's start with the Rachel Alexandra and Risen Star, which are the second and fourth legs of an all-stakes late pick four that also includes the $125,000 Fair Grounds Handicap (G3T) and begins with the Mineshaft Handicap (G3).

Rachel Alexandra (FG, race 9, 4:06 CT): The top three finishers from a muddy renewal of the Silverbulletday Stakes: Farrell (#2), Wicked Lick (#6) and Gris Gris (#7), square off again, along with fifth-place finisher Untapped (#1), a full sister to champion Untapable, who appeared to be spinning her wheels over the sealed surface five weeks ago.

The important new additions are Delta Princess Stakes (G3) winner Shane's Girlfriend (#3) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) runner-up Valadorna (#5).

The Santa Anita-based Shane's Girlfriend proved her ability to ship and win last fall, when she stretched out off a six-furlong debut victory at Santa Anita Park to take the one-mile Delta Princess by better than 13 lengths in 1:37.98 seconds. That was .66 seconds faster than the mile split of the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (G3) for males a race later. She comes off a tough setup in the Santa Ynez (G2), contesting the pace between horses against Unique Bella, who has now won three in a row by a combined margin of more than 26 lengths after coming back to take the Las Virgenes (G2). While it's always tough to bank on a horse based on one knockout performance, this looks like a potential bounce-back spot, particularly if the track seems to be playing to early-pace types.

Valadorna was nowhere close to fully cranked, and was under only minimal pressure to win an allowance prep by a half-length in late January. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that the second finisher, What What What, needed seven starts to graduate against maiden-claiming company last season.

A - 3, 5

B - 1, 2

Risen Star (FG, race 11, 5:00 CT): The first five finishers out of the Lecomte (G3) are back, headed by Guest Suite (#6), who got a favorable pace scenario and put in a solid run through the long Fair Grounds' stretch to edge away as the lukewarm 5-2 favorite. It's difficult to knock a steadily improving young horse like this, especially after a series of sharp interim workouts.

Five days after the Lecomte, a maiden route was won in eye-catching manner by Local Hero (#3), and while he was loose on the lead in his seasonal bow Jan. 26, the effort was accomplished over a surface that featured an "important closer bias," according to Racing Flow. The $500,000 son of Hard Spun   ran right through it.

Likely to attract considerable support first out since his Remsen Stakes (G2) triumph is Mo Town (#9), who has reportedly trained so well at Payson Park that his connections decided not to wait for next week's Gotham Stakes (G3) in New York. The Uncle Mo   colt is obviously a top prospect, but thus far, the Remsen has been something of a key race in the negative sense: Of the seven horses to have run back, six finished out of the money, among them runner-up No Dozing, who was beaten 10 lengths in the Sam F. Davis (G3), and third finisher Takaful, who was basically eased after setting the early pace in the Jerome Stakes (G3).

One to keep an eye on is Girvin (#1), who was a game debut winner over the track in December, taking a photo over Excitations, who returned to win at odds of 1-20; It was better than nine lengths back to the third horse. Tried on turf three weeks ago in the Keith Gee Memorial, he finished gamely for second, running the last quarter in under 23 seconds to wind up a close second to Cowboy Culture, who is 3 for 3.

A - 3, 6

B - 9

C - 1

Busher (Aqu, race 8, 4:50 ET): An interesting edition of this winter-time fixture drew a field of 10. The pace could be especially lively given the presence of several fillies with early speed that break toward the inside: Yorkiepoo Princess (#3), who stretches out after a pair of sprint stakes wins; Heavenly Score (#4), a last-out maiden winner at six furlongs; and Full House (#5), who rolled on the lead against maidens first time going long. Further complicating the pace scenario is Bride Street (#9), who has speed as well, but didn't get to show it when pinched back at the start of the Ruthless against Yorkiepoo Princess most recently.

If the fractions take their toll, things could fall into place for Spanish Harlem (#8) and/or No Sweat (#10).

A - 5

B - 3, 8, 10

C - 4, 9

Gulfstream Park Sprint (GP, race 12, 5:35 ET): Mind Your Biscuits (#6) was flattered when the horse he ran down in the Malibu, Sharp Azteca, returned to win the Hardacre Mile Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) convincingly, punching his ticket to Dubai for the Godolpin Mile (G2) four weeks from Saturday. After going 4-3-1 from nine starts last year for 23-year-old trainer Robert Falcone Jr., he begins his 4-year-old season for Chad Summers, a 32-year-old Long Island native who acquired Mind Your Biscuits for J Stables, and who was set to saddle his first horse at Gulfstream, Golden Pirate, in a $16,000 conditioned claimer on Friday.

Mind Your Biscuits drew well on the outside in a field of six, but the Posse colt doesn't customarily show the kind of tactical speed that was on display in the Malibu. It will be interesting to see whether he can stay within striking range of Early Entry (#4), who is 4 for 4 over the Gulfstream surface after returning from an 11-month absence to win the Sunshine Millions Sprint; and Delta Bluesman (#2), who just missed to Early Entry after carving out the pace last time.

Drawn on the rail for his first start since finishing fifth in Monmouth Park's version of the Pegasus Stakes (G3) last June is Unified (#1). He stopped badly at 3-10 that day, and trainer Jimmy Jerkens theorized that the Candy Ride colt was knocked out after taking the Bay Shore (G3) and Peter Pan (G2) stakes in just the second and third starts of his career. Although he won at first asking here last February, he will need to be super sharp to keep pace in this, his first assignment against older horses.

A - 4, 6

B - 1, 2