Jack Hammer’s Ron the Greek, hero of Fair Grounds’
Grade III Lecomte Stakes Jan. 23, and WinStar Farm’s Drosselmeyer, a
rapidly emerging sophomore who won his first start of the year in impressive
fashion at Gulfstream Park Jan. 31, may vie for favoritism when they head a
field of 12 named to Saturday’s Grade II Risen Star Stakes at Fair
Grounds.
Ron the Greek has been installed as the lukewarm 3-1 choice
in Saturday’s final major local tune-up for the Grade II Louisiana Derby March
27, while Drosselmeyer has been tabbed at 4-1.
The Risen Star heads a 13-race Louisiana Derby Preview Day
program with six stakes, including four of which are graded, with an early
first post of 12:10 p.m. CST. A special all-stakes Pick Four will be offered on
Races 7-10, with the first race of the that sequence, the Pan Zareta Stakes,
set for 3:13 p.m. CST. The Risen Star, carded as Race 10, will go off at 4:43
p.m. CST.
Trained by Tom Amoss, the only conditioner to win a
Fair Grounds training championship nine different seasons, Ron the Greek won
the first two starts of his four-race career before finishing fourth in the
$200,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park Dec. 13 while closing strongly in
the late stages. The son of Full Mandate then returned to his Fair Grounds home
base to rally boldly in the mile-and-40-yard Lecomte, improving from eighth to
first by a length-and-a-half in the final furlong. Fair Grounds’ current
leading rider James Graham returns in the irons astride Ron the Greek,
who breezed a bullet three-quarters in 1:13 at Fair Grounds Feb.10.
Drosselmeyer, conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Bill
Mott, made his first two starts on grass last year without reaching the
winner’s circle, missed by a head in his third over Keeneland’s Polytrack last
October 24, and then broke his maiden by six lengths Nov. 18 at Churchill in a
race scheduled for the Louisville lawn but transferred to the main track. The
Distorted Humor colt then made it two in a row at Gulfstream at last asking in
non-winners-of-one-other-than company, but won by a length-and-three-quarters
with authority. Kent Desormeaux is named to handle the reins Saturday
aboard Drosselmeyer, who breezed a half-mile Sunday in :50 at Payson Park in South Florida.
E. Paul Robsham’s Discreetly Mine, trained by Todd
Pletcher, is the 5-1 third choice in the Risen Star morning line. The son
of Mineshaft broke his maiden easily last Aug. 22 at Saratoga,
finished second in Belmont’s
Grade II Futurity last Sept. 19 and was once again runner-up in Belmont’s
Grade I Champagne Oct. 10. He finished fourth in his lone 2010 start in
Gulfstream’s $100,000 Spectacular Bid Stakes Jan. 9, but worked a half-mile
handily in 48.80 at Palm Meadows in South
Florida on Sunday. Javier Castellano comes in
from South Florida
to ride Discreetly Mine.
| 1 | Bravo Whiskey | Bourque C C | 30-1
|
|
| 2 | Tempted to Tapit | Cohen D | 8-1
|
|
| 3 | Mountain Justice | Sellers S J | 20-1
|
|
| 4 | Discreetly Mine | Castellano J J | 5-1
|
|
| 5 | Random Move | Mena M | 30-1
|
|
| 6 | Drosselmeyer | Desormeaux K J | 4-1
|
|
| 7 | Northern Giant | Jacinto J | 12-1
|
|
| 8 | Worldly | Valenzuela P A | 10-1
|
|
| 9 | Stay Put | Theriot H J II | 8-1
|
|
| 10 | Letsgetitonmon | Bridgmohan S X | 8-1
|
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| 11 | Ron the Greek | Graham J | 3-1
|
|
| 12 | Hotep
| Albarado R
| 12-1
| |