Brown putting Paladin on familiar path with Risen Star up next

Paladin, 2 for 2 to start his career and a two-length winner of the Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct last month, will launch his 3-year-old campaign in the $500,000 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 14, trainer Chad Brown said Monday.

“It’s a ways away, but yes, that’s my Plan A,” Brown said. “I’ve had success there going that route, at least getting to the Derby and running well.”

Sierra Leone, narrowly defeated in the Remsen, won the 2024 Risen Star before landing the Blue Grass at Keeneland and finishing second by a nose in the Kentucky Derby.

Paladin, a Gun Runner colt who cost $1.9 million at auction, races for the same connections as did Sierra Leone, a $2.4 million yearling.

:: Big Action in the Big Easy at Fair Grounds! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now.

Paladin last month shipped from New York to Florida, posting an easy half-mile workout Dec. 28 at Brown’s Payson Park base. Brown said he intentionally skipped a breeze this week after confirming the Risen Star as the colt’s target.

◗ Bella Ballerina, who went from a debut sprint win at Keeneland to victory in the 1 1/16-mile Golden Rod at Churchill, had her first work since the Nov. 29 Golden Rod when she breezed a half-mile in 48.80 seconds on Sunday at Fair Grounds for trainer Brendan Walsh. The Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Feb. 14 looms as a natural target for Bella Ballerina, a half-sister to 2023 Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous, also trained by Walsh.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.