Split Risen Star two times the fun; Anneau d'Or adds blinkers for 3-year-old debut

NEW ORLEANS – One-tenth of the 2020 Kentucky Derby field could be set when the dust settles Saturday evening at Fair Grounds.

The Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes awards 85 Derby qualifying points. The 50 that go to the Risen Star winner essentially assure a spot in the 20-horse Derby – and this year there are two Risen Stars.

Twenty-three horses passed the entry box here Feb. 15, leading Fair Grounds’ parent company, Churchill Downs Inc., and local racing officials to split the Risen Star into two divisions. They’ll be run under lights as races 12 and 13, the last two contests on a marathon program featuring five other stakes, including the Grade 2, $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. The card starts at noon and should be run under clear skies. The temporary turf rail will be down and Saturday grass races contested over fresh ground along the inner part of the course, conditions that have produced speed-favoring results this meet.

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The Risen Star has been lengthened from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles this year, and for all the interest generated as a key Derby prep, 17 of its 23 entrants remain eligible for a first-level allowance. Only one horse, Enforceable, has won a graded race, having captured the Lecomte here last month, and he’s part of race 12, which appears to be the stronger of the two divisions.

Race 13, however, includes the most promising Risen Star entrant, Anneau d’Or, who makes his 3-year-old debut for trainer Blaine Wright and owner Peter Redekop after shipping from Golden Gate Fields on Wednesday. Anneau d’Or, a $480,000 auction purchase by Medaglia d’Oro out of the Grade 3-winning Tapit mare Walk Close, debuted in a Golden Gate turf mile and won by eight lengths, was beaten a head at 28-1 by Storm the Court in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and lost by a neck to leading Triple Crown prospect Thousand Words in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 7.

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Two changes Saturday: Joel Rosario rides Anneau d’Or for the first time, and Anneau d’Or makes his first start wearing blinkers. In the Juvenile particularly, Anneau d’Or looked like a sure winner in upper stretch but failed to push past his final rival. Thousand Words probably was a more formidable foe than Storm the Court, but Anneau d’Or had a chance at him, too.

“From the very start, he’s a horse you had to get after, even in his training – a big, lazy stud colt,” said Wright.

Anneau d’Or, a gorgeous specimen, tips the scales at roughly 1,250 pounds. Wright experimented with blinkers before Anneau d’Or ever ran, but they weren’t helping.

“We tried them again [earlier this year] and it was totally different. He gets it now. Judging from his company works in blinkers, I wouldn’t expect him to fall too far behind,” Wright said.

Anneau d’Or spent only four days away from the track following his last start before Wright felt the colt needed to return to training – for his own safety, if nothing else. He’s gotten in plenty of strong work for the Risen Star and shouldn’t lack fitness, Wright said.

On Beyer Speed Figures, Liam’s Lucky Charm is the only race 13 entrant especially close to Anneau d’Or, and his two top numbers came in sprints. Liam’s Lucky Charm was beaten nearly 11 lengths in his lone two-turn start, but trainer Ralph Nicks believes the colt regressed in that Sept. 28 race following a peak performance a month earlier. Liam’s Lucky Charm returned from a four-month layoff racing in blinkers and scored a sharp seven-furlong win at Tampa in the Pasco Stakes last month.

“He’s got to prove he can do it going farther,” Nicks said. “He’s not as leggy as some route horses. That being said, he stands over a lot of ground.”

Truculent, who figured to show speed from post 2, will be scratched, but the pace here still could be strong with speedy Ny Traffic breaking from the far outside. A couple of mildly interesting alternatives to the favorite are Mailman Money, who has started his career with two wins, including a two-turn Fair Grounds allowance win in a race rained off turf, and Major Fed, who caught the eye in his second start, a maiden win here in his route debut.

Race 12 includes the top three finishers from the Jan. 18 Lecomte – Enforceable, Silver State, and Mr. Monomoy – as well as Blackberry Wine and Digital, the top two home in an allowance race on the Jan. 18 card that went in a faster time than the Lecomte.

Enforceable already has raced seven times, though he has come around nicely his last few starts and already has a win at 1 1/8 miles in a Saratoga maiden race. Enforceable turned in a sustained rally to win the Lecomte decisively, and according to David Carroll, Fair Grounds assistant to trainer Mark Casse, he is doing at least as well coming into Saturday’s start.

The two behind him last month also have merit. Mr. Monomoy contested a strong Lecomte pace and was the only forwardly placed horse anywhere near the winner, while Silver State, making his two-turn debut and just his third start, stumbled at the start, was farther behind than planned, and had a more difficult trip from the half-mile pole home than Enforceable. He should improve Saturday and could be worth a play at something like his 4-1 morning-line odds.

Blackberry Wine is two for two in dirt routes and turned back a serious stretch challenge from highly regarded Digital (who has a tough draw on the rail) while earning a 94 Beyer in his recent allowance win. Moon Over Miami disappointed at Gulfstream last out but won a maiden race well enough two starts back to be taken somewhat seriously here.