Fair Grounds: Rise Up sizzles in prep for Risen Star

Tom Amoss put several stakes horses through timed workouts Saturday morning at Fair Grounds, including Risen Star hopeful Rise Up, who whizzed through a half-mile in a near-bullet 47.40 seconds.

Other prominent Amoss workers included Mylute, whose half-mile in 49.20 seconds was his first published racetrack work since he went to the sidelines following the Jim Dandy Stakes last July; and Delaunay, who went a half-mile in 48.60, his first drill since he won the Gaudin Stakes last month at Fair Grounds in his first race in about five months.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Rise Up already has earned more than $800,000, thanks mainly to a six-length romp in the $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot on Nov. 23, his most recent start. But while Rise Up, a son of Rockport Harbor, already has four wins in his career, those victories have come over five furlongs at Presque Isle, six furlongs at Mountaineer, and one mile and 1 1/16 miles around the small six-furlong Delta Downs oval. Rise Up finished sixth in the Iroquois Stakes, his only start over a distance of ground on a full-sized track.

“The Risen Star will tell us a lot,” Amoss said. “There’s no doubt Rise Up is a very nice 3-year-old. The question of whether he’s a very nice 3-year-old at these longer distances on a traditional track has not been answered.”

Rise Up worked by himself Saturday. His major stamina work for the Risen Star came last week, when Rise Up went a strong six furlongs (only a five-furlong work was recorded on a foggy morning).

“It was a quick half the right kind of way, finishing up good with very little urging. The idea of today’s work as opposed to other ones was to make sure that his game, which is speed, was there for the Risen Star. It was a peppy work. We want to have him in the right frame of mind,” Amoss said.

Mylute’s best races as a 3-year-old were a close second in the Louisiana Derby and a third in the Preakness, and he could only finish distant eighth in the Jim Dandy, his final start at 3. Mylute was breezing at Gold Mark Farm in Florida (Amoss said he was up to five furlongs there) before shipping to Fair Grounds and already is a fairly fit horse.

“Today’s work went well,” Amoss said. “He was always a big kind of strong-made horse, and he still is.”

There’s a chance Mylute might make his 4-year-old debut in the March 29 New Orleans Handicap, but “that’s not something that has to happen,” Amoss said.

Delaunay, meanwhile, appears to have come out of his Jan. 25 comeback run in the Gaudin in good shape and remains on track to start March 8 in the Duncan Kenner.

Divine Beauty will await Oaks

Trainer Larry Jones has backed off the training of Silverbulletday Stakes runner-up Divine Beauty, and the filly won’t start in the Feb. 22 Rachel Alexandra Stakes. Divine Beauty worked a slow five furlongs Feb. 3 and has not breezed since.

“It’s nothing serious, but I don’t want to stress her right now,” Jones said. “We’ll be okay. We’re still on track for the Fair Grounds Oaks.”

Jones still has a horse for the Rachel Alexandra in Cassatt, who had such a strong one-mile work last weekend, Jones said, that she will just gallop up to her race next weekend.

◗ Silverbulletday winner Unbridled Forever had her first timed workout since that race on Saturday, going a half-mile in 50.20 seconds. Unbridled Forever will skip the Rachel Alexandra to point to the Fair Grounds Oaks.