This post has been reprinted through permission of ScoresandStats.com
The 2022
Risen Star Stakes Highlight’s Saturday’s Card at Fair Grounds
A key prep race
leading up to this year’s Louisiana Derby is this Saturday’s Risen Star Stakes
at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. This Grade 2 stakes race is also an
important stop on this year’s Kentucky Derby Trail.
The eventual
winner in the field of 10 three-year old Thoroughbreds listed as entered will
take a major step up the betting board to win this year’s “Run for the Roses”
on Saturday, May 7. A number of the top trainers in the nation also have a
vested interest in the outcome of Saturday’s main event.
With $400,000
in total prize money on the line plus valuable Kentucky Derby qualifying
points, this 1 1/8-mile trip around the dirt track at Fair Grounds should be a
highly competitive race. The post positions have been drawn and the following
three colts are my top plays to finish in the money.
Saturday, Feb.
19- Fair Grounds Race Course
2022 Risen
Star Stakes
Win-
Epicenter
This
Kentucky-bred colt made his three-year old debut with a second-place finish in
the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds on Jan. 22. That race was won by
Call Me Midnight, who is not in Saturday’s field. Trained by Steve Asmussen,
Epicenter will break from the No. 5 post with Joel Rosario as his jockey. He
has been opened at 4-1 odds on the morning line.
The son of Not
This Time closed out his juvenile campaign by winning the ungraded Gun Runner
Stakes at this same track on Dec. 26. He covered the 1 1/16 miles on dirt in
1:44.19 past Tejano Twist and Surfer Dude. In a total of four career starts,
Epicenter has finished in the money three times.
Place- Smile
Happy
Saturday’s race
will be this Kentucky-bred colt’s first event as a three-year old. He won his
only two races last year, including the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at
Churchill Downs on Nov. 27. The son of Runhappy posted a winning time of
1:43.94 in that 1 1/16-mile run on dirt past Classic Causeway, who just won
last week’s Sam F. Davis Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Smile Happy has
been opened as a 7-2 favorite to win this year’s Risen Star. Trained by Kenneth
McPeek, he drew the No. 8 post for Saturday and jockey Corey Lanerie will get
the ride. He started his racing career with a victory in a 1 1/16-mile Maiden
Special Weight race at Keeneland on Oct. 29. His winning time in that race was
1:44.75.
Show- Zandon
Starting from
the No. 7 post on Saturday with jockey Jose Ortiz on board, Zandon is listed at
9-2 odds on the morning line. This is another Kentucky-bred colt that will be
making his three-year old debut in this race. Trainer Chad Brown has high
expectations for the son of Upstart after a strong but limited showing last
year.
He opened up
his racing career with a victory in a six-furlong Maiden Special Weight race at
Belmont Park on Oct. 9. He covered that distance on dirt in 1:10.61. Running in
the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Dec. 4, Zandon placed second behind Mo Donegal in
a race that covered 1 1/8 miles on the dirt track at Aqueduct. Midnight Chrome
was the show horse in that race.
No comments:
Post a Comment