Risen Star Stakes draws field of 10

There are fewer than 75 days to the Kentucky Derby. Now, things start to get serious.

On Monday, 10 3-year-olds were entered in the Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. The Risen Star is a second-tier qualifying race for the Kentucky Derby, offering 85 points distributed on a 50-20-10-5 basis to the top four finishers. Win on Saturday, and you’re in the 20-horse Derby.

From the rail out, with riders, the field is: St. Joe Bay (Florent Geroux), Tiznow R J (Robby Albarado), Bluff (Kerwin Clark), J S Bach (Rafael Bejarano), Imperia (Mike Smith), War Story (Kent Desormeaux), Hero of Humor (Antioco Murgia), Keen Ice (James Graham), Big Big Easy (Richard Eramia), and International Star (Miguel Mena).

There were surprises regarding both who is in and not in the race.

J S Bach was supposed to start Monday in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn, but that race was postponed because of wintry weather, with rescheduling delayed until track officials could assess the impact of the poor conditions on the race week. Trainer Todd Pletcher said via text message Monday that J S Bach would depart Oaklawn on Tuesday and ship to New Orleans for the Risen Star.

Eagle, who disappointed in the Lecomte Stakes last month, and Another Lemon Drop, who was fourth in that race, are not part of the Risen Star field despite having been considered prospective runners.

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The Lecomte winner, International Star, could be the third choice in the Risen Star if J S Bach and Imperia start. Imperia began his career on turf but was a good second behind the capable El Kabeir while making his dirt debut in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last fall at Churchill.

St. Joe Bay was supplemented to the race after trainer Peter Miller lost his intended Risen Star starter, Calculator, to injury. The race also had been the target of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red before the colt was sidelined with a foot problem.

The 1 1/16-mile Risen Star is carded as the 11th of 12 races on a strong program, with first post at 12:30 p.m. Central. The early forecast calls for pleasant temperatures and a chance of showers.

The supporting stakes, headed by the Grade 3, $175,000 Rachel Alexandra for 3-year-old fillies, drew fields that boast competitiveness and quantity that will appeal to bettors.

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Trainer Larry Jones entered three fillies in the Rachel Alexandra, including I’m a Chatterbox (post 10, Geroux), the blowout winner of the Silverbulletday Stakes last month at Fair Grounds. Jones appears just as high, however, on Lovely Maria (post 5, Clark), who beat Shook Up (post 1, Albarado) in a recent Fair Grounds allowance race. The draw is a poor one for Shook Up, who was rank when trapped inside in her last start and whose connections hoped for an outside post.

Jones’s third entrant, White Clover, will be a longshot, while Pletcher ships in Angela Renee (post 6, Bejarano), who races with blinkers off.

There are 11 entrants – no standouts – in the Grade 3 Fair Grounds Handicap on turf, and 12, headed by Red Rifle and Hard Aces, in the Grade 3 Mineshaft. Two $60,000 stakes, the Bayou for female turfers and the Duncan F. Kenner for older sprinters, also came up decently, with Delaunay the big horse in the Kenner.