Saturday’s $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds is an important race on the road to the 152^nd Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve as it is the first race in Churchill Downs’ Championship Series. Horses entered in the Risen Star will compete for a total of 105 qualifying points for the May 2 Kentucky Derby, distributed on a scale of 50-25-15-10-5 to the top five finishers. That means whichever horse wins this race has a very good chance of securing one of 17 spots in the Derby starting gate reserved for North America-based runners.

This year’s 54^th edition of the Risen Star drew a competitive eight-horse field, including four entrants exiting Fair Grounds’ Lecomte Stakes held Jan. 17, led by winner Golden Tempo. The race also drew two horses coming back after starting in the Dec. 6 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in New York, including winner Paladin. It’s the third of four Derby qualifying points races at Fair Grounds, to be followed by the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby on March 21.

The Risen Star anchors a racecard at Fair Grounds that also features five other stakes races. It will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV and has a scheduled post time of 6:30 p.m. ET.

Read on for information about each of the Risen Star contenders plus some handicapping insights.

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1. Universe

Jockey: Christopher Elliott

Trainer: Ken McPeek

Owners: 4 G Racing, Gregg Day, Steven Crain, and Magdalena Racing

Career record: 5 starts – 1 win – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $239,650

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 91

Kentucky Derby points: 13

Pedigree: Global Campaign – Equalityforall, by Quality Road

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Analysis: This colt seeks a rebound effort in the Risen Star after finishing seventh of eight in the Jan. 3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park as the 2.30-1 post-time favorite. He broke last in the field and never threatened in the 1 1/16-mile race, finishing 11 ¼ lengths behind winner Strategic Risk. Prior to that, Universe ran respectably in three consecutive Derby preps last fall, finishing third in the Champagne Stakes and then second in both the Street Sense Stakes and the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. He’s been training steadily for 2024 Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Ken McPeek since the Smarty Jones, and McPeek will also equip him with blinkers for the Risen Star. If Universe can boost his speed figures back up to his late 2025 level, this colt can be a factor. It’s fair to wonder, however, if he’s already peaked. Young jockey Christopher Elliott is scheduled to ride Universe after being aboard for his first two starts, a maiden win at Saratoga and his Champagne third-place finish. Elliott will be making his first start at Fair Grounds.

New to racing? Let us explain…

Blinkers are cups that are placed on the outside of each eye on a horse prior to a race. They can be cut to different lengths and are used to restrict the horse’s field of vision, which ideally will enable him/her to perform better through improved focus on what is in front of him rather than what is behind. When a trainer removes blinkers it usually is a sign of confidence that the horse is maturing.

Lou Hodges, Jr. /Hodges Photography

2. Golden Tempo

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Trainer: Cherie DeVaux

Owners: Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable

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

Career earnings: $183,000

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 85

Kentucky Derby points: 20

Pedigree: Curlin – Carrumba, by Bernardini

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: This deep closer is 2-for-2 to start his career, both wins coming at Fair Grounds, and he enters the Risen Star off of a win in the track’s most recent Kentucky Derby points race, the Jan. 17 Lecomte Stakes. Golden Tempo raced ninth of 10 runners, 10 lengths off of the early leaders in the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte and launched a sustained rally at the top of Fair Grounds’ long homestretch to prevail by three-quarters of a length over stablemate Mesquite. He had closed from last of 10 to win his career debut on Dec. 20 in a six-furlong sprint, so his running style has been fairly well established through only two career races: he’ll settle well off of the early pace and make one big late charge. Golden Tempo’s pedigree is excellent for stretching out to 1 1/8 miles in the Risen Star — he’s bred to handle the Kentucky Derby’s mile-and-a-quarter distance, too — and his regular jockey Jose Ortiz is currently residing atop Fair Grounds’ seasonal standings in both wins and earnings. All signs point to another top effort, although Remsen Stakes winner Paladin shipping in from his winter base in Florida should give him a strong challenge.

Lou Hodges, Jr. /Hodges Photography

3. Carson Street

Jockey: Ben Curtis

Trainer: Brendan Walsh

Owners: Ike and Dawn Thrash

Career record: 5 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 3 thirds

Career earnings: $110,400

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 86

Kentucky Derby points: 6

Pedigree: Street Sense – Miz Kella, by Harlan’s Holiday

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Press the pace

Analysis: Carson Street enters the Risen Star off of a good third-place finish in the Lecomte Stakes, won by Golden Tempo. He contested the pace and took the lead in the homestretch only to tire late and get passed by both the winner and runner-up Mesquite. This son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense was a 15.10-1 longshot in the Lecomte and could hit the board (finish in the top three) again Saturday at good odds. He dominated a 1 1/16-mile maiden race at Fair Grounds in his start prior to the Lecomte, winning by 11 ¼ lengths on a sloppy track – and the forecast calls for rain Feb. 14 in New Orleans. Ben Curtis, a good pace jockey, was aboard for Carson Street’s maiden win and is scheduled to ride him in the Risen Star. Carson Street has yet to run a bad race in five career starts and, although his Equibase Speed Figures have leveled off in the mid-80s, he shouldn’t be overlooked.

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4. Paladin

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Trainer: Chad Brown

Owners: Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, Brook Smith, and Summer Wind Equine

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

Career earnings: $184,250

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 96

Kentucky Derby points: 10

Pedigree: Gun Runner – Secret Sigh, by Tapit

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: This well-bred colt is already highly regarded by many Kentucky Derby watchers and that scrutiny figures to intensify as he ships to Fair Grounds from his winter base in Florida for his 3-year-old debut in the Risen Star. Paladin was one of the standouts among the 2-year-old division in New York last fall. He debuted in a one-mile maiden race at Aqueduct on Oct. 17, where he finished second by a head to Renegade after leading in the stretch but was then moved up to first after that foe was disqualified due to interference. Then, Paladin stretched out to two turns and 1 1/8 miles in the Dec. 6 Remsen Stakes, and he improved his Equibase Speed Figure by 13 points to a 93 and showed both class and stamina by outfinishing a game Renegade and winning by two lengths. Last Saturday, Renegade came back for his 3-year-old debut and romped in the Sam F. Davis Stakes, flattering this runner’s form. If Paladin can show a similar level of improvement to Renegade in his own sophomore bow, the rest of the Risen Star field could be competing for second … of course, there are no sure things in horse racing. Tyler Gaffalione will take the mount Saturday as Flavien Prat, who was aboard Paladin in both of his 2025 races, is scheduled to ride in Saudi Arabia.

Lou Hodges, Jr. /Hodges Photography

5. Chip Honcho

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Owners: Leland Ackerley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe, and John Cilla

Career record: 4 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $160,475

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 87

Kentucky Derby points: 14

Pedigree: Connect – Miss My Rose, by Magician

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Press the pace

Analysis: Chip Honcho won the first of Fair Grounds’ four Kentucky Derby qualifying points races on Dec. 20, taking the 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner Stakes by three-quarters of a length to close out a good juvenile campaign. He then returned for the Lecomte Stakes in a bid to annex Fair Grounds’ second Derby prep and ran well after a slow start but settled for fourth behind Golden Tempo, Mesquite, and Carson Street. Overall, this colt’s Equibase Speed Figures have leveled off and he could not improve off of his Gun Runner Stakes effort when facing tougher competition. His pedigree also suggests that racing farther than 1 1/16 miles (as he did in both Fair Grounds preps) could be stretching the limits of his stamina. Look for Chip Honcho to be a factor in the Risen Star’s early pace scenario, perhaps contesting the lead with Courting and Carson Street. Luis Saez, a good pace jockey, will jump aboard for the first time, and Chip Honcho also will have his blinkers removed Saturday. This runner can pick up some more Kentucky Derby points with a top-five finish but is a longshot to win the Risen Star.

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6. Colt Forty Seven

Jockey: James Graham

Trainer: Keith Desormeaux

Owners: Blazing Saddles Racing Stables 2024

Career record: 8 starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third

Career earnings: $87,670

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 75

Kentucky Derby points: 0

Pedigree: Bolt d’Oro – Getting Lucky, by Pioneerof the Nile

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: This experienced runner leads the Risen Star field with eight career starts and has a good chance to have the highest odds in the field at post time. Colt Forty Seven was pointed to turf last fall when he started racing, competing on grass in four of his first five starts (the one dirt start was scheduled for turf and rained off), with one win. In November, he picked up his first dirt victory in a seven-furlong claiming race at Churchill Downs, rallying to score by 4 ½ lengths, and followed that with a fourth-place finish at that track when stretching out to 1 1/16 miles. On Jan. 17, Colt Forty Seven made his 3-year-old debut at Fair Grounds in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race and outran his 21.70-1 odds to finish second, albeit 5 ½ lengths behind heavy favorite Jackson Hole. His two best Equibase Speed Figures have come in his last two starts racing on dirt and around two turns, yet the numbers are still about 15-20 points below those earned by the top Risen Star contenders. Trainer Keith Desormeaux and jockey James Graham teamed up to win the Risen Star in 2013 with 135.20-1 longshot Ive Struck a Nerve and they’re seeking a similar surprise Saturday.

New to racing? Let us explain …

Claiming racehorses is a process by which a licensed person may purchase a horse entered in a designated race for a predetermined price. When a horse has been claimed, its new owner assumes title after the starting gate opens although the former owner is entitled to all purse money earned in that race. Therefore, if a horse is entered in a claiming race, its owner has accepted that it might be claimed and change hands.

Susie Raisher/NYRA

7. Courting

Jockey: John Velazquez

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Owners: Whisper Hill Farm, Stonestreet Stables, and Windancer Farm

Career record: 3 starts – 1 win – 0 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $66,850

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 85

Kentucky Derby points: 2

Pedigree: Curlin – Cavorting, by Bernardini

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: Sporting one of the best pedigrees among this year’s Kentucky Derby contenders, Courting could be poised for a breakthrough effort when he makes his 3-year-old debut in the Risen Star. He started three times last year at age 2, all in New York, finishing fourth in his debut at one mile in September, easily winning his second start by 2 ½ lengths at the same distance in early November when he faced only three opponents, and then finishing fourth of 11 runners in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes in December. Courting broke in the air and was then bumped at the start of that two-turn Kentucky Derby points race at Aqueduct and raced wide, yet he did not quit and made up some late ground while never threatening the top three finishers. He’ll face Remsen winner Paladin again in the Risen Star, and he’ll have to improve his 2025 speed figures by about 10 points to contend. Even so, if Courting can get off to a trouble-free start, he has shown enough speed in his past races (particularly his win) to be a pace threat in a Risen Star field that is largely comprised of stalkers and closers. Keep in mind that this colt sold for a whopping $5 million as a yearling and has a pedigree loaded with stamina as a son of Hall of Famer Curlin and a full-brother to recent top-class filly Clairiere. Regular jockey John Velazquez travels to Fair Grounds for the mount, which is another plus for this intriguing upset candidate. He’ll also be fitted with blinkers for the Risen Star.

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8. Quality Mischief

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owners: West Paces Racing and Donegal Racing

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

Career earnings: $30,360

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 86

Kentucky Derby points: 4

Pedigree: Into Mischief – Quality Way, by Quality Road

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Analysis: Like Chip Honcho, this runner has started in both of Fair Grounds’ prior Kentucky Derby points races, finishing fourth by a length to that foe in the Gun Runner Stakes and then fifth, three lengths behind Golden Tempo in the Lecomte Stakes. Quality Mischief was a longshot at odds of 25.40-1 and 29-1 in those respective races and figures to have odds of 15-1 or higher again in the Risen Star. He’s a deep closer with a solid stamina pedigree who should be making up some late ground Saturday, and while he’s got a chance to fill out the trifecta or superfecta with another solid effort, he’d have to reach another level of ability to pull the upset. Jockey Florent Geroux, who recently started riding primarily in California, returns to Fair Grounds to take the reins for the first time aboard Quality Mischief; he’s had success over the years as one of trainer Brad Cox’s top riders.

New to racing? Let us explain …

A trifecta or superfecta filler: We’re suggesting that you might want to add the horse to your bet if you’re playing a trifecta (first three finishers) or superfecta (top four finishers), and using this horse in the third and fourth slots but not to win or finish second.