Saturday, Feb. 17 marks an important point on the road to the 2024 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve as the prep schedule set by Churchill Downs reaches its next level. The $400,000, Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans is the first prep race that offers 105 qualifying points for the 150^th Derby to the top five finishers, distributed on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis.

Finishing first or second in the Risen Star will therefore go a long way toward securing a spot in the Derby starting gate on May 4 – and as a result, the Risen Star drew a competitive 12-horse field that includes local star Track Phantom, who won both of Fair Grounds’ previous Derby points races, as well as an intriguing group of prospects shipping in from other tracks. For several of these contenders, the Risen Star will serve as a tune-up for Fair Grounds’ final Kentucky Derby prep, the $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 23. The Louisiana Derby offers 200 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby to the top five finishers.

First held in 1973, the Risen Star is named after the 1988 race winner who went on to finish third in the Kentucky Derby and then win the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. The only Risen Star Stakes winner to train on and earn a Kentucky Derby victory was Mandaloun in 2021, and that horse was officially established as the Kentucky Derby victor only recently, when a lawsuit challenging Medina Spirit’s disqualification from first in the Derby was withdrawn. Read about some of the best Risen Star Stakes winners throughout its history in this feature.

The Risen Star, held at 1 1/8 miles on Fair Grounds’ dirt track, will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV with a scheduled post time of 7:17 p.m. ET.

Learn more about all of the Risen Star entrants and get analysis of the race below:

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1. Tizzy Indy (50-1 morning-line odds)

Jockey: James Graham

Trainer: Keith Desormeaux

Owner: Calumet Farm

Career record: 7 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $53,750

Earnings per start: $7,679

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 72

Kentucky Derby points: 2

Pedigree: Take Charge Indy – Tizzy Fever, by Tiznow

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Tizzy Indy comes into the Risen Star off of a fifth-place finish in the Jan. 20 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds, won by Track Phantom. Those are the only two Risen Star starters that are wheeling back after running in the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte, and this colt was not a factor in his prep, trailing the field led by gate-to-wire winner Track Phantom for most of the race and ending up 13 ¼ lengths back. He finished third in a one-mile turf race at Fair Grounds and second in a 1 1/16-mile starter allowance race on dirt at Churchill Downs in his two starts prior to the Lecomte, and his only win in seven starts overall also came at Churchill when he won a maiden claiming race held at a one-turn mile by 4 ¼ lengths in early November of last year. His connections must be respected, no doubt – trainer Keith Desormeaux and jockey James Graham won the 2013 Risen Star with 135.20-1 longshot Ive Struck a Nerve. Tizzy Indy won’t go off at similarly astronomical odds Saturday, but he should be in the 50-1 range of his morning-line estimate based on his record to date, and it is hard to see how he could do any more than fill out the superfecta with his best effort. Brad Kelley’s Calumet Farm won the 2018 Risen Star with longshot Bravazo, who subsequently finished second to Triple Crown winner Justify in the Preakness Stakes.

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2. Awesome Ruta (30-1)

Jockey: Mitchell Murrill

Trainer: Joseph Foster

Owners: Tri-Star Racing and Cimarron TTT Farms

Career record: 6 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $43,570

Earnings per start: $7,262

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 84

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Mendelssohn – Awesome Prayer, by Awesome Again

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This colt might vie with Tizzy Indy drawn to his inside for the longest shot in the Risen Star field come post time Saturday evening. Awesome Ruta enters off of a third-place finish in a six-furlong allowance-optional claiming race on a sloppy track at Fair Grounds on Jan. 18, where he raced in third in a six-horse field at every point of call and ran evenly without ever threatening, finishing 5 ¼ lengths behind the top two horses that were separated by a neck. His lone career win came by an impressive nine lengths in September 2023 in a six-furlong sprint at Louisiana Downs, and Awesome Ruta did follow that effort up with a near-miss in his stakes debut, losing the Jean Lafitte Stakes at Delta Downs by a neck at odds of 42.70-1. The Jean Lafitte was held at seven furlongs, however, and in this colt’s only race longer than that he finished fifth of seven and defeated by 11 lengths in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race at Fair Grounds last November that was won by subsequent Gun Runner Stakes runner-up Snead. Awesome Ruta has tailed off in form since moving to a tougher circuit at Fair Grounds and will be hard pressed to have even a minor say in the Risen Star outcome.

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3. Honor Marie (6-1)

Jockey: Rafael Bejarano

Trainer: D. Whitworth Beckman

Owners: Ribble Farms, Michael Eiserman, Earl Silver, Kenneth Fishbein, and Daniel Fishbein

Career record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $318,175

Earnings per start: $106,058

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 98

Kentucky Derby points: 10

Pedigree: Honor Code – Dame Marie, by Smart Strike

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: With several Risen Star contenders from established trainers shipping in to challenge Track Phantom in the Risen Star, there’s a chance that Honor Marie might be overlooked somewhat by bettors when the starting gates open. If so, he could represent the best value play in the race based on both his record as a 2-year-old last fall and his speed figures which are among the fastest in the field. The Honor Code colt trained by up-and-coming Whit Beckman started three times last fall at Churchill Downs, rallying strongly late to win his debut in a six-furlong sprint, running second to subsequent Remington Springboard Mile Stakes winner Otto the Conqueror in a seven-furlong allowance-optional claimer, and then handling his two-turn debut with aplomb when winning the 1 1/16-mile Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes by two lengths over Real Men Violin on Nov. 25. All systems are go for his 3-year-old debut after a three-month break, and he’s been training steadily at Fair Grounds since moving south. Stretching out to 1 1/8 miles should be no problem at all based on his pedigree, and his regular jockey Rafael Bejarano, who’s based at Oaklawn Park during the winter, flies in to ride as well. There are a handful of Risen Star entrants who stand a solid chance of winning if they show up with their “A” game, and Honor Marie is definitely one of them.

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4. Sierra Leone (4-1)

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Trainer: Chad Brown

Owners: Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Brook Smith, and Peter Brant

Career record: 2 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $96,750

Earnings per start: $48,375

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 99

Kentucky Derby points: 5

Pedigree: Gun Runner – Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This well-bred son of 2016 Risen Star winner and 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner is scheduled to make his highly anticipated 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s renewal, and he’s already highly rated on many experts’ lists of Kentucky Derby prospects based on the potential he displayed in only two starts last fall as a 2-year-old. A $2.3 million purchase as a yearling, Sierra Leone debuted at Aqueduct on Nov. 4 and won a one-turn mile race going away by 1 ¼ lengths with a strong stretch rally. He then was bumped up to face much tougher company in the two-turn, 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes Dec. 2 on a muddy track at Aqueduct, and made another sustained charge – this time from last of 10 horses – to take the lead in midstretch. Sierra Leone showed his inexperience when challenged in the final strides by favored Dornoch, however, and appeared to hesitate when that rival ranged up to duel him on the inside. Sierra Leone lost by a nose in an effort that was nevertheless very encouraging for his long-term prospects, and he’s been posting steady workouts for trainer Chad Brown in Florida over the past month in preparation for his return to the track. It’s always a bit of a mystery as to how well 2-year-old prospects develop over the winter, and if Sierra Leone has indeed matured he’ll be a main win threat in the Risen Star. Notably, Chad Brown will also put blinkers on his charge for Saturday’s return with the goal of helping him improve focus in the stretch. Tyler Gaffalione will ride for the first time Saturday; he won the 2019 Risen Star aboard eventual Preakness Stakes winner War of Will.

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5. Moonlight (12-1)

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: Town and Country Racing and Madaket Stables

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $125,500

Earnings per start: $31,375

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 89

Kentucky Derby points: 7

Pedigree: Audible – Sundown, by Tapit

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: The first of two Risen Star entrants trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher comes into the race off of a fourth-place effort in the Dec. 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct. In the 1 1/8-mile Remsen, Moonlight settled near the back of the 10-horse field along with Sierra Leone and attempted to rally racing on a muddy track, but he flattened out to end up 7 ¼ lengths behind that rival and nose winner Dornoch. The Audible colt also encountered an off track in his stakes debut on Oct. 29 at Churchill Downs, and ran a respectable second of five in the 1 1/16-mile Street Sense Stakes in the slop behind Liberal Arts, who recently came back in his 3-year-old bow to finish third in the Southwest Stakes. Moonlight’s maiden win came in his second career start back in September going a one-turn mile on Aqueduct’s main track in a race originally scheduled for turf, which he won going away by eight lengths. This colt appears to have plenty of untapped potential and also a solid pedigree for handling route races. He’s one of several Risen Star contenders who could more firmly secure a position on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with a top-three finish, although he’ll have to improve his speed figures by around 8-10 points from his 2-year-old level to do so. Pletcher has three Risen Star victories on his résumé: Discreetly Mine (2010), El Padrino (2012), and Intense Holiday (2014). Jockey Florent Geroux, who will ride Moonlight for the first time, has also won this race three times, with the aforementioned Gun Runner (2016), Mr. Monomoy (2020), and subsequent Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun (2021). Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stables co-owned Mr. Monomoy. Of note: Moonlight is also entered in an allowance optional claiming race Feb. 17 at Fair Grounds, but Pletcher told Daily Racing Form that he expects to race Moonlight in the Lecomte.

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6. Real Men Violin (8-1)

Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Trainer: Ken McPeek

Owners: Tilted Shamrock Stables

Career record: 6 starts – 1 win – 4 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $216,825

Earnings per start: $36,138

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 95

Kentucky Derby points: 5

Pedigree: Mendelssohn – Meg Fitz, by Tapit

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Real Men Violin joins Honor Marie in making his 3-year-old debut in the Risen Star off of a three-month break and returning from a start in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs. The Mendelssohn colt made what appeared to be a winning move while rallying from a stalking spot along the rail in the Kentucky Jockey Club, only to settle for second by two lengths when Honor Marie showed a stronger kick charging to his outside. He ran well in all six of his starts in 2023, including two turf races, and has yet to finish worse than third. His lone victory is also notable, as it came one start prior to the Kentucky Jockey Club in a one-turn mile race at Churchill, where he edged Track Phantom by a half-length. That runner, as mentioned above and below, has trained on to win both of Fair Grounds’ Kentucky Derby preps to date and will vie for post-time favoritism in the Risen Star. Real Men Violin has been training steadily at Fair Grounds for Ken McPeek, and Brian Hernandez Jr., who has been aboard for his past four starts, keeps the mount. Hernandez is enjoying a solid meet at his winter base of Fair Grounds, and he recently traveled to Oaklawn Park to win the Southwest Stakes on McPeek-trained Mystik Dan. Based on these credentials, Real Men Violin is a solid longshot candidate to win the Risen Star and a must-use horse for exacta and trifecta bets. McPeek won the 2002 Risen Star with Repent, and Hernandez rode 2017 winner Girvin. The pair finished second in last year’s Risen Star with Sun Thunder.

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7. Hall of Fame (6-1)

Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Owners: Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Gandharvi, and Brooke Smith

Career record: 2 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $60,000

Earnings per start: $30,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 97

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Gun Runner – Flag Day, by Giant’s Causeway

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This Gun Runner colt turned heads in his second career start and 3-year-old debut Jan. 20 at Fair Grounds, romping by 10 ¼ lengths over seven opponents in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race that was run as Race 5 on the Lecomte Stakes card. That was his first start going two turns and represented an 18-point improvement in Equibase Speed Figure (and an even-more impressive 28-point jump in Beyer Speed Figure) over the number earned when he finished second of 11 in a seven-furlong maiden back on Nov. 26 at Churchill Downs. Now, Hall of Fame takes a big class leap for start number three to face stablemate Track Phantom and several other highly rated horses in the Risen Star. Based on potential, he fits right in with this field (and arguably could be placed at the very top as a $1.4 million yearling purchase for the Coolmore team and partners). He’ll obviously need to take another leap in development to secure a top-two finish, and it’s notable although not very surprising that Joel Rosario, who rode both Hall of Fame and Track Phantom in their Jan. 20 victories, stays aboard the two-time stakes winner in the Risen Star. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. travels from Oaklawn Park for the mount, and he should have Hall of Fame positioned close to the pace set by Track Phantom and possibly Cardinale before asking him for his best on the far turn. Asmussen is seeking his fourth Risen Star victory after winning with Pyro in 2008, Gun Runner in 2016, and Epicenter in 2022.

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8. Catching Freedom (5-1)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owner: Albaugh Family Stables

Career record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $237,350

Earnings per start: $79,117

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 97

Kentucky Derby points: 10

Pedigree: Constitution – Catch My Drift, by Pioneerof the Nile

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Catching Freedom is yet another win candidate in a stacked Risen Star field. He ships in from Oaklawn Park after showing encouraging development in his 3-year-old debut on New Year’s Day, taking the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones Stakes by 2 ½ lengths after rallying from off the pace. That effort came after a two-month layoff following a pair of starts at Churchill Downs. He encountered traffic trouble in both of his juvenile races, overcoming tight quarters to win a one-turn-mile maiden race by 3 ¾ lengths in October at the Louisville track and then settling for fourth of 10 in a 1 1/16-mile, two-turn allowance-optional claiming race on Nov. 9. In the Smarty Jones, he was angled out four wide by jockey Cristian Torres for clear running room and surged to an impressive victory. Look for first-time rider Luis Saez, who travels from Florida’s Gulfstream Park, to attempt a similar trip in the Risen Star. Saez, trainer Brad Cox, and owner Albaugh Family Stables won last year’s Risen Star with off-the-pace runner Angel of Empire, who later won the Arkansas Derby and finished third in the Kentucky Derby. Cox also won this race in 2020 with Mr. Monomoy and in 2021 with Mandaloun, who was moved up to Kentucky Derby winner via disqualification. Catching Freedom has gone off as the post-time favorite in all three of his starts to date. Look for that streak to end Saturday, but he still should be among the top three or four betting choices and can be expected to validate those odds based on his current form.

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9. Cardinale (12-1)

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owner: Stonestreet Stables

Career record: 2 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $39,840

Earnings per start: $19,920

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 85

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Speightstown – Foolish Living, by Medaglia d’Oro

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Cardinale ships into New Orleans from south Florida for Todd Pletcher having made both of his starts at Gulfstream Park. He debuted last November in a six-furlong maiden race and won by 1 ¾ lengths despite racing on his wrong lead in the stretch. After a six-week break, the Speightstown colt returned for a two-turn test in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race, where he dueled with race favorite Change of Command throughout and kept on gamely through the stretch before yielding by a neck. That was a good step forward for Cardinale from age 2 to 3 as he boosted his Equibase Speed Figure by 13 points to an 85 and his Beyer Speed Figure 24 points to an 83. On the negative side, Change of Command disappointed in his subsequent start, checking in 11^th of 12 and finishing ahead of only a riderless horse in last Saturday’s Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. This Stonestreet Stables homebred will need to make another forward move in ability to contend in the Risen Star, but he has a couple of advantages as the race shapes up on paper: 1) he possesses good tactical speed in a field that is comprised largely of come-from-behind types, aside from Track Phantom; and 2) he receives the services of standout jockey Flavien Prat, who flies in from California to ride for the first time. Look for Prat to be aggressive with Cardinale and possibly challenge Track Phantom for the early lead in an attempt to pull the upset. The colt will have blinkers removed for the Risen Star.  Pletcher’s three Risen Star victories came with Discreetly Mine in 2010, El Padrino in 2012, and Intense Holiday in 2014.

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10. Resilience (12-1)

Jockey: John Velazquez

Trainer: Bill Mott

Owners: Emily Bushnell and Ric Waldman

Career record: 4 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $78,630

Earnings per start: $19,658

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 91

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Meadowsweet, by Smart Strike

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This son of leading sire Into Mischief profiles as an upset candidate in the Risen Star at what figures to be odds in the 15-1 range, although he’ll have to both take another step in development and have a handful of his opponents level off or decline for that to happen. Resilience knocked heads with several horses currently on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard over three starts as a 2-year-old last fall, finishing second in an October maiden race going a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs, and one length ahead of third-place Track Phantom, before closing out the season with a third-place effort behind Nash in a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile maiden race. He then was shelved for nearly two months before returning in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race around two turns at Gulfstream Park on New Year’s Day, which he won by an impressive 4 ¼ lengths. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez was aboard Resilience for that win and will travel from South Florida for the mount Saturday. This runner, like several other middle-tier win candidates in the race, will need to boost his speed figures by around 10-15 points in order to pull the upset, and he’s eligible to do just that in his second start at age 3 for recent Eclipse Award-winning trainer Bill Mott. Resilience has an outstanding pedigree for stamina as a close relative of several horses who excelled competing in races at a mile or longer, including his millionaire second dam (maternal grandmother), Tranquility Lake. Mott won this race in 2020 with Modernist when it was split into two divisions, and also won it in 1984 with Taylor’s Special when it was named the Louisiana Derby Trial Stakes.

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11. Track Phantom (7-2)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Owners: L and N Racing, Clark Brewster, Jerry Caroom, and Breeze Easy

Career record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $285,000

Earnings per start: $57,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 100

Kentucky Derby points: 30

Pedigree: Quality Road – Miss Sunset, by Into Mischief

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: The test gets tougher Saturday for this high-class competitor, as Track Phantom is scheduled to face the same number of horses – 11 – in the Risen Star as he did in his two prior stakes wins at Fair Grounds combined. The Kentucky-based Steve Asmussen trainee ran very well in his first three career starts at Churchill Downs last fall, finishing third (behind runner-up Resilience), second (to Real Men Violin), and then first by 4 ¾ lengths in his maiden races. Track Phantom then elevated his game once shipping south, taking both the 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner Stakes Dec. 23 at Fair Grounds and then the Jan. 20 Lecomte Stakes at the same distance and track. Track Phantom raced just off of the early pace in the Gun Runner before taking over and drawing clear to a 1 ¼-length win, and then was aggressively sent to establish an early lead under Joel Rosario in the Lecomte and never was challenged in a 2 ¾-length score. Rosario also rode Track Phantom to his November maiden win at Churchill Downs going 1 1/16 miles, and there’s no reason to expect this colt to be anywhere worse than second in the early stages of the Risen Star. As alluded to above, he’ll face a stronger field Saturday than he did in the Gun Runner and the Lecomte, and it will be interesting to see if Track Phantom goes off as the post-time favorite considering he drew a far outside post and might need to be hustled out of the gate in order to move over and save ground. If Rosario can steer Track Phantom into a good early position and is able to get him comfortable in a good cruising speed as he did in the Risen Star, he could be all alone in front once again, and therefore a big threat to pick up stakes win number three in the Big Easy. Asmussen has won the Risen Star three previous times: Pyro (2008), Gun Runner (2016), and Epicenter (2022), the last of these with Rosario in the saddle.  

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12. Bee Dancer (20-1)

Jockey: Corey Lanerie

Trainer: Dallas Stewart

Owner: Charles Fipke

Career record: 1 start – 1 win – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $36,000

Earnings per start: $36,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 86

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Bee Jersey – Dance Star, by Sea The Stars

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Making a second career start in a $400,000 stakes against a full field already equals a tough assignment, and this Charles Fipke homebred faces another obstacle after drawing the far outside post. Bee Dancer takes the plunge into deeper waters after making an impressive debut on the Jan. 20 Lecomte Stakes undercard at Fair Grounds, where he saved ground early in a six-furlong maiden race, angled out from a stalking spot to move past the two horses in front of him, and then held off a late rally to win by a length. He did not change to his correct lead until nearing the finish line but did respond after doing so and finished well under Brian Hernandez Jr. That jockey will ride Real Men Violin in the Risen Star, and Bee Dancer gets the services of Corey Lanerie, who is off to a solid start at the Fair Grounds meet and surpassed 5,000 career victories last fall. It will be interesting to see how Lanerie rides Bee Dancer early given his draw from post-position 12 and just outside of projected pacesetter Track Phantom. If Lanerie can situate Bee Dancer in a stalking position through the backstretch, this colt has the pedigree to handle 1 1/16 miles and could still be in the mix when the field turns for home with a shot to fill out the trifecta and/or superfecta at hefty odds. Trainer Dallas Stewart won the 2001 Risen Star with Dollar Bill.

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