Imperia Enters Risen Star Stakes

The powerhouse Godolphin Racing stable is bringing a colt with blood as blue as his owner’s silks in Imperia for the Grade II $400,000 Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 21, according to reports by the Daily Racing Form. A son of classic-producing sire Medaglia d’Oro, Imperia is a handsome nearly black colt with an attractive blaze down his face who is bred to run on virtually everything and already has proven such versatility when winning the grassy Grade III $200,000 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park in September and then losing the Grade II $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs by a head two starts later on the dirt in November.

Out of the phenomenal race mare Cocoa Beach – who was not only Chile’s Horse of the Year in 2008, but also a winner of Grade Is on both turf and dirt in America and finished a game second to Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic – Imperia is a homebred who has yet to run a poor race. In fact, he was arguably running a winning race in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf four weeks prior to the Kentucky Jockey Club when he steadied badly at the eighth-pole and was blocked the majority of the stretch. Hall of Famer Mike Smith is scheduled to fly in from his California base to ride the exciting newcomer for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion Texas Red made his sophomore debut this past weekend when finishing second by a neck after a bold mid-stretch move for trainer and part-owner Keith Desormeaux in the Grade II $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita. The son of Afleet Alex is expected to wheel back, as planned, on 20 days’ rest and run in the Risen Star for those connections, including jockey Kent Desormeaux. A long-striding colt, Texas Red may appreciate the longer Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots stretch as he prepares to attempt to become only the second winner of the Juvenile to win the Kentucky Derby (the other being Street Sense in 2007). After the Risen Star, the bay Kentucky-bred will run in either the Grade I $1,000,000 Santa Anita Derby or the Grade II $750,000 Louisiana Derby one week prior on Mar. 28.

Locally based colts who may have their eyes on the Louisiana Derby worked this week, including Tiznow R J, War Story and Eagle. While War Story is reportedly skipping what looks to be a tough renewal of the Risen Star and instead running in the Grade III $300,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 16, Tiznow R J and Eagle are expected to run in the Risen Star, and both worked five furlongs this week. Mike McCarty’s Tiznow R J worked in 1:01.60, while William S. Farish’s Eagle – the beaten favorite in the Grade III $200,000 Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 17 – went in 1:02.20. Loooch Racing and Chris Dunn’s War Story, on the other hand, worked a half-mile in :48.40.

An exciting new face on the scene, Fox Hill Farm’s Bluff, has been confirmed as aiming toward the Risen Star. By Tapit out of a full-sister to multiple Grade I winner Borrego, the Larry Jones trainee was an easy winner of a mile and 70-yard maiden over the Fair Grounds surface on Jan. 22. Bluff’s stablemate, stakes-winning Exodus, will most likely stay at shorter distances for now, according to his owner and trainer. The son of Medaglia d’Oro recently won the seven-furlong $50,000 Allen’s Landing Stakes at Sam Houston and is believed by his connections to most likely be a seven-furlong to a mile specialist.

Another Risen Star probable who worked well this week was Rigney Racing’s Another Lemon Drop. The son of Lemon Drop Kid remains on course for the Risen Star, but is also possible for the $60,000 Black Gold Stakes at 7½ furlongs on the grass one week later on Feb. 28 if anything should change between now and then for the already turf-proven colt.

3-YEAR-OLD FILLIES: THE JONES SHOW

Trainer Larry Jones has nothing short of a lock on the 3-year-old filly division at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots – and such can be said for both surfaces. So, instead of going over which fillies are on or off the fence for the upcoming Grade III $175,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes, this edition of the Fair Grounds Focus for 3-year-old fillies is dedicated to rounding up the (no less than) five stakes-quality sophomore she-warriors in the Jones shedrow.

One must start with the most accomplished and that is obviously I’m a Chatterbox. Owned by Fletcher and Carolyn Gray, the daughter of Munnings out of a Lost Soldier mare is bred to be sprinter – but much like her gate-to-wire romp in the mile and 70-yard Listed $125,000 Silverbulletday Stakes, she repulses such challenges. A ‘real runner’, as Cindy Jones (assistant trainer and wife to Larry) calls her, the chestnut filly is dead-game and heads into the Rachel Alexandra as the filly to both catch and beat.

Another Jones filly who improved greatly since turning three is Brereton C. Jones’ Lovely Maria. A daughter of Majesticperfection, Lovely Maria was very impressive winning a mile and 70-yard allowance over highly regarded Shook Up and is taking aim on the Rachel Alexandra. Shook Up, a Steve Asmussen-trained royally bred Tapit filly out of Grade I winner Sugar Shake, is following her there.

On the grass, Jones is no less potent. On Sunday, he has the favorite and probable second choice in what looks to be an allowance prep for the $60,000 Allen Lacombe Memorial on Mar. 7. Tommy Ligon and Michael Pressley’s Divine Dawn is likely to go favored as she exits a fifth in the Silverbulletday on the dirt and a sharp win over the 7½-furlong course and distance in her last two starts. By Divine Park – the same sire as 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Lady Eli – she has every right to return to her winning ways for Jones on Sunday afternoon.

Standing in her way will be her own stablemate in Calumet Farm’s White Clover. A daughter of Exchange Rate, she also should adapt well to the grass considering how many of said sire’s offspring have excelled over the surface. Additionally, being out of a dam by Thirty Six Red and from a family flush with stamina influences, it should be of little issue for the attractive gray filly to stretch to two turns.

The fifth and final filly of the Jones phalanx (from the fifth different ownership) may be the most exciting. Started once in her career, Fox Hill Farm’s Broadway Show was dazzling on debut on Jan. 8 when wiring a field going six furlongs and finishing in hand. The daughter of Unbridled’s Song out of graded stakes-winning sprinter Richiegirlgonewild returned to the worktab on Jan. 28 going a half-mile in :50.80 and is currently looking for a race to make her second start. The buzz in the Jones barn – whether there is validity to it or not – is that this athletic filly may be the best of the aforementioned quintet. Now, that is a show the racing world would definitely enjoy watching unfold.

NEXT WEEK:
Next week we will dive more into the handicap and turf divisions, including a closer look at what could be a telling allowance race scheduled for Saturday afternoon that features four graded stakes winners – three who could be under consideration for the Grade II $400,000 Mervin H. Muniz, Jr. Memorial Handicap. In the handicap division, we will have a better idea of which horses are considering the Grade III $125,000 Mineshaft Handicap – the last local prep for the Grade II $400,000 New Orleans Handicap on Louisiana Derby Day.