Risen Star rivals to get company in Louisiana Derby

Five locals from the Risen Star Stakes and a handful of shippers constitute the likely field that will be entered Saturday for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 26.

The first four home from the Risen Star on Feb. 20 – Gun Runner, Forevamo, Mo Tom, and Candy My Boy – plus seventh-place Tom’s Ready are expected to run.

The Florida shippers Greenpointcrusader, who won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes last fall, and Battery, a Todd Pletcher-trained winner of a first-level allowance last out, also will be entered, their trainers confirmed, as will the Oaklawn-based Conquest Windycity, an allowance winner last out.

All of the Fair Grounds-based aspirants worked Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, with Risen Star winner Gun Runner going five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.60 on Monday for trainer Steve Asmussen. Working in company for the second straight week with the 3-year-old filly Adore, Gun Runner turned in the fastest of 34 drills at the distance.

“The racetrack was in great shape this morning,” Asmussen said. “He’s a very athletic colt. It was a nice, smooth work.”

Gun Runner, a Candy Ride colt, has won three of his four starts, his lone loss a fourth-place finish in the incredibly productive Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes over a sloppy track Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs. The Risen Star was Gun Runner’s first start this year.

Forevamo and Mo Tom both worked a half-mile to their trainers’ satisfaction Sunday, with Forevamo going in 49.40 and Mo Tom in 48.60. Mo Tom, who might have won the Risen Star had he not found trouble in midstretch, went off more relaxed in this work than in his last, trainer Tom Amoss said, and galloped out strongly another quarter-mile past the finish.

Candy My Boy, who set an extremely fast pace in the Risen Star, worked five furlongs in 1:02 on Saturday for trainer Roger Brueggemann.

Greenpointcrusader will start for the first time since finishing second by 3 1/2 lengths to Mohaymen on Jan. 30 in the Holy Bull Stakes.

Battery’s name only recently came up as a Louisiana Derby possible, and Pletcher confirmed Monday that he intends to send him for the race. By Bernardini, Battery, who started his career in a Woodbine Polytrack race, has won two of four starts and is coming off a career-best performance in a nine-furlong, first-level allowance Feb. 10 at Gulfstream.

Conquest Windycity, a Tiznow colt trained by Mark Casse, has won two straight races, a Keeneland maiden race in October and an Oaklawn allowance Feb. 16 in his 3-year-old debut.

Asmussen to run two in Oaks

Asmussen said Monday he’ll have two entrants for the Fair Grounds Oaks, Adore and Stageplay.

Stageplay worked in company with the 3-year-old filly Royal Obsession on Monday, the team going five furlongs in 1:01.40. Stageplay won her first two starts last year, finished second to Carina Mia in the Golden Rod Stakes to end her campaign, won the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds to start her 3-year-old season, but could only finish fifth as the 3-5 favorite Feb. 20 in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes. Asmussen isn’t making excuses for that defeat, but Stageplay was caught very wide on a track that strongly favored inside horses.

“She’s a horse that’s trained beautifully who had a bad day,” Asmussen said. “It just didn’t work out our way.”

Florent Geroux will retain the mount on Stageplay.

Adore, a Big Brown filly who cost just $15,000 at a yearling auction, lost her lone start at 2 but won a maiden race at Oaklawn in her 3-year-old debut, then stepped forward and captured a first-level allowance race there by four lengths Feb. 21.

Others expected to be entered in the Oaks are Venus Valentine and Midnight On Oconee, the one-two Rachel Alexandra finishers, along with Dream Dance, Street Fancy, and possibly Land Over Sea.

◗ Ahh Chocolate, who improved throughout her 3-year-old campaign last year for trainer Neil Howard, winning the Grade 2 Falls City in her final start of 2015, will launch her 4-year-old season Friday at Fair Grounds in the $50,000 Esplanade, a dirt race over one mile and 70 yards. Ahh Chocolate is one of eight fillies and mares entered in the race.