Graham Ross
Fair Grounds

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Let’s Go Stable’s El Padrino, who closed out in the opening Kentucky Derby Future Pool this year at 16-1, has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in Saturday’s Grade II Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds.

As Fair Grounds’ designed prep for the $1 million Louisiana Derby on April 1, the $300,000 Risen Star is the centerpiece race on Saturday’s six-stakes race program worth $885,000 and billed as Louisiana Derby Preview Day Presented by Lamarque Ford.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, El Padrino won an allowance at Gulfstream by two lengths on Jan. 29 in his only start as a sophomore after finishing third, beaten less than a length for the win, in Aqueduct’s Grade II Remsen Stakes last fall in New York.

Red-hot reinsman Javier Castellano will fly to New Orleans from South Florida to ride El Padrino in the Risen Star. As a son of Pulpit out of a Giant’s Causeway mare, El Padrino worked a half-mile in 48.80 at South Florida’s Palm Meadows training center Sunday morning and is expected to arrive in New Orleans mid-week.

Capable of providing strong competition for El Padrino is the Brereton Jones-owned and Larry Jones-trained entry of Fair Grounds’ Grade III Lecomte Stakes winner Mr. Bowling as well as his stablemate Mark Valeski, who have been pegged as the 4-1 second choice for Saturday’s Risen Star.

Mr. Bowling, who dug in to find a second gear in the late stages of the Lecomte to win by a head while coming off a three-month layoff, will be ridden once again by seven-time Fair Grounds jockey champion Robby Albarado in the Risen Star. The homebred son of Istan was third in his previous outing in Churchill Downs’ Grade III Iroquois Stakes last Oct. 30 but had won the $75,000 Dover Stakes at Delaware Park before that. The colt worked five furlongs in 59.80 Monday morning at Fair Grounds.

Entry mate Mark Valeski won his seasonal bow by a length in the allowance ranks at Fair Grounds on Jan. 13 and had closed out his juvenile campaign last Sept. 22 by breaking his maiden with a 4 1/2-length tally at Delaware Park. The son of Proud Citizen breezed five-eighths Monday morning at Fair Grounds in 1:00.20. Defending Fair Grounds jockey champion and current leading rider Rosie Napravnik will ride Mark Valeski.

Zayat Stables’ Z Dager, runner-up in the Lecomte, is the third choice in the Risen Star morning line at 5-1 and breezed a half-mile in 50.60 at Fair Grounds Monday morning. The Mizzen Mast colt is trained by Steve Asmussen and will be ridden by Shane Sellers in the Risen Star. Out of a Wavering Monarch mare, Z Dager broke his maiden by 1 1/4 lengths locally on Dec. 15.

Jerry Namy’s Shared Property, 6-1 in the early Risen Star line, was third in the Lecomte and won Chicago’s Grade III Arlington-Washington Futurity last September. Regular rider Leandro Goncalves will be aboard the Tom Amoss trainee once again this weekend.

Completing the Risen Star field, with respective riders, trainers and odd, is Bluegrass Hall’s Optimizer, Carlos Marquez Jr., D. Wayne Lukas (6-1); Jim Tafel’s Afford, Shane Sellers, Greg Geier (8-1); George and Tiffany Veloudis’s Tizanexpense, Miguel Mena, Mike Maker (10-1); Steve Martin’s Ted’s Folly, Ramsey Zimmerman, Wilson Brown (20-1) and the Raut LLC-owned Gennadi Dorochenko-conditioned coupling of Hero of Order and Adena’s Chance, to be ridden respectively by James Graham and Richard Eramia while pegged at 30-1 in the Risen Star morning line.  

Coglianese Photos/file photo
El Padrino winning and allowance race on Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

The post postions and morning-line odds for the five other stakes races on Louisiana Derby Preview Day are below.

In post position order from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, weights for handicap stakes), followed by odds.

$200,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (Grade III, 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles): Believe You Can (Rosie Napravnik, Larry Jones), 3-1; Avie’s Sense (James Graham, Josie Carroll), 6-1; Inny Minnie (Shaun Bridgmohan, Steve Margolis), 5-1; Table Three Ten (Javier Castellano, Graham Motion), 5-1; Summer Applause (Robby Albarado, Bret Calhoun), 4-1; Applauding (Shane Sellers, Al Stall Jr.), 5-2; and Annaclone (Miguel Mena, Bernie Flint), 20-1.

$125,000 Mineshaft Handicap (Grade III, Four-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles): Mister Marti Gras (Shaun Bridgmohan, Neil Pessin, 118), 9-2, cross-entered in Fair Grounds Handicap; Alma d’Oro (Javier Castellano, Todd Pletcher, 119), 6-1; Tres Borrachos (Edgar Prado, Martin Jones, 121), 7-2; Cool Blue Red Hot (Manoel Cruz, Angel Penna Jr., 116), 12-1; Nates Mineshaft (Jesse Campbell, Austin Smith, 113), 20-1; Thiskyhasnolimit (Shane Sellers, Steve Asmussen, 118), 5-1; Pants On Fire (Rosie Napravnik, Kelly Breen, 116), 6-1; Fast Alex (Robby Albarado, Greg Geier, 119), 5-1; and Gladding (James Graham, John Sadler, 117).

$125,000 Fair Grounds Handicap (Grade III, Four-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf): Derby Kitten (Rosie Napravnik, Mike Maker, 114), 12-1; Achaemenes (Ramsey Zimmerman, Doug Matthews, 114), 12-1; Mr. Vegas (Miguel Mena, Richie Scherer, 118), 9-2; Gleam of Hope (James Graham, Mike Stidham, 116), 6-1; Strike Impact (Javier Castellano, Merrill Scherer, 115) 8-1; Dubious Miss (Corey Lanerie, Paul McGee, 116), 8-1; Uptowncharlybrown (Paco Lopez, Ed Coletti Jr., 113), 12-1; Mister Marti Gras (Shaun Bridgmohan, Neil Pessin, 117), 5-1, cross-entered in Mineshaft Handicap; Ioya Bigtime (Robby Albarado, Neil Pessin, 115), 10-1; and Smart Bid (Edgar Prado, Graham Motion, 121), 3-1.

$75,000 Colonel Power Stakes (Four-year-olds and up at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf): Sweetsouthernmoon (Miguel Mena, Jerry Marler), 10-1; Southern Style (Edgar Prado, Maynard Chatters), 12-1; Cactus Son (Shane Sellers, Mike Burgess), 8-1; Lonesome Street (Javier Castellano, Mike Maker), 6-1; Heir Joe (Robby Albarado, Jeff Thornbury), 20-1; Zeb (Rosie Napravnik, Greg Foley), 15-1; Chamberlain Bridge (Jamie Theriot, Bret Calhoun), 3-1; Country Day (James Graham, Steve Margolis), 5-2; Uno Ducksy (Richard Eramia, Danny Pish), 20-1; Joe Hollywood (Shaun Bridgmohan, Steve Asmussen), 6-1; and Smokethruakeyhole (Ramsey Zimmerman, Bobby Barnett), 20-1.

$60,000 Gentilly Stakes (Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds at one mile on turf): Zip Motion (Javier Castellano, Jerry Delhomme), 4-1; Four Joes (Shaun Bridgmohan, Pat Mouton), 15-1; Benwill (Robby Albarado, Tony Richey), 8-1; Raiseanothergator (James Graham, Tom Amoss), 6-1; Wits End (Richard Eramia, Steven Duke), 20-1; Hud’s Rebellion (Jermaine Bridgmohan, Andy Leggio Jr.), 12-1; Freddie One Bite (Rosie Napravnik, Merrill Scherer), 6-1; Silent Punch (Kerwin Clark, David Banks), 20-1; Look At the Time (Corey Lanerie, Wes Hawley), 9-2; One Survivor (Miguel Mena, Keith Desormeaux), 10-1; Validfromthegitgo (C.J. McMahon, Sam Breaux), 8-1; Beckyboy (Shane Sellers, Morris Nicks), 15-1; and Geaux Wando (Iram Diego, Keith Desormeaux), 20-1.