Nominations for the Feb. 20 Grade II,
$300,000 Risen Star Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles are due Feb. 6.
Horses that were Early Bird nominees to the Louisiana Derby are automatically
subscribed to the Risen Star. Otherwise, subscriptions are $300 each, with an
additional $1,750 to enter and $1,250 to start.
Any horse that starts in both the
Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby and finishes among the top three in either
race will have its $25,000 starting fee waived for the Kentucky Derby.
The Risen Star is the second race in Fair Grounds’ Road to
the Derby
series for 3-year-olds, which culminates with the March 27 Grade II, $750,000
Louisiana Derby at 1 1/8 miles, five weeks before the Kentucky Derby. The
series kicked off with the Grade III Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 23, won by Ron
the Greek.
Also closing Feb. 6 is the Grade III
Silverbulletday Stakes, for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, which carries a
nomination fee of $150, with an additional $650 to enter and $700 to start. The
Silverbulletday is the second race in Fair Grounds’ Road to the Oaks series,
which culminates with the March 26 Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks. Four of the last
five winners of the Fair Grounds Oaks have gone on to win the Kentucky Oaks (Rachel
Alexandra, Proud Spell, Summerly and Ashado; the Fair
Grounds Oaks was not run in 2006). The Road to the Oaks series kicked off with
the Jan. 23 Tiffany Lass Stakes, won by Jody Slew.
The Risen Star and the Silverbulletday
are two of six stakes to be run Feb. 20 as part of Louisiana Derby Preview
Day. Also scheduled are a pair of Grade III, $100,000 races for older
horses at 1 1/16 miles, the Mineshaft Handicap on the main track and the
Fair Grounds Handicap on turf, as well as the $60,000 Pan Zareta
Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs and the $60,000 Colonel
Power Stakes, a turf sprint for older horses. Nominations for those stakes
also close Feb. 6.
Stakes nomination forms are available
online in the Horsemen’s section of FairGroundsRaceCourse.com. For more information
contact the Fair Grounds Racing Office at 1-800-786-0010.
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