2026 Kentucky Derby prep: Risen Star odds and analysis
Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile, Grade 2, $500,000 Risen Star is the third of four stops on Fair Grounds road to Kentucky Derby 2026. The Risen Star is the first of the seven races that offer 105 qualifying points (50-25-15-10-5) to the top five eligible finishers.
One of the strongest fields on the 2026 Derby trail to date was drawn for the Risen Star. The group of eight contains seven 3-year-olds who earned a total of 69 Derby points, and they include the winners of the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct and the Gun Runner and Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds.
Here is a full-field analysis for the Risen Star with morning-line odds from Brian Zipse of Horse Racing Nation. The race is scheduled as the last of 12 races, with post time set for 6:30 p.m. EST.
1. Universe, 12-1. Global Campaign – Ken McPeek / Chris Elliot – 5: 1-2-1 - $239,650. Universe will make his fifth appearance on the Kentucky Derby trail in the Risen Star. He debuted with a maiden victory at Saratoga and was third in the Champagne (G1) and second in the Street Sense (G3) and the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) giving him a total of 13 Derby points. Blinkers go on Universe for the first time. Trainer McPeek, who has a Derby victory in 2024 with Mystik Dan, also won the Risen Star in 2002 with Repent. Use underneath.
2. Golden Tempo, 2-1. Curlin – Cherie DeVaux / Jose Ortiz – 2: 2-0-0 - $183,000. Golden Tempo won the Lecomte to stay undefeated in two starts going back to his maiden victory at Fair Grounds in December. In the Lecomte, he won against a field of 10 with a closing rally from last as the 5-2 favorite. The win was the first one from the prep races that give the winner 20 points. The homebred is owned in partnership by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable. Win contender.
3. Carson Street, 8-1. Street Sense – Brendan Walsh / Ben Curtis – 5: 1-1-2 - $110,400. Carson Street needed four tries to break his maiden, which happened in December at Fair Grounds when he beat a field of six by more than 11 lengths after pressing the pace. He moved onto the Derby trail in the Lecomte, where he had the lead at the stretch call and got passed to finish third, a length behind Golden Tempo. He got six points from the race last month. Toss.
4. Paladin, 8-5. Gun Runner – Chad Brown / Tyler Gaffalione – 2: 2-0-0 - $184,250. Paladin was the winner of the Remsen, where he stalked the pace against a field of 11 to win by two lengths as the 9-5 favorite. On that day he defeated Renegade who won the Sam F. Davis on the Derby trail Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs. On the record he is undefeated since he was moved to first after Renegade was disqualified in his first start. Brown won the Risen Star in 2024 with Sierra Leone, who missed winning the Kentucky Derby by a nose. Win contender.
5. Chip Honcho, 8-1. Connect – Steve Asmussen / Luis Saez – 4: 2-1-0 - $160,475. Chip Honcho won the Gun Runner, the first stop on the Fair Grounds road to the Kentucky Derby, when he pressed the pace against a field of six. He moved on to the Lecomte and again pressed the pace but faded to fourth in the final stages of the race at 8-1. Those two finishes on the Derby trail got him 14 points. he wor blinkers in his last two races, but they come off here. Hall of fame trainer Steve Asmussen won the Risen Star four times, with Magnitude last year, Epicenter in 2022, Gun Runner in 2016 and Pyro in 2008. Use underneath.
6. Colt Forty Seven, 20-1. Bolt d’Oro – Keith Desormeaux / James Graham – 8: 2-1-1 - $87,670. Colt Forty Seven is the only horse in the field without an appearance on the Derby trail, but he does have eight races. He broke his maiden on the turf at Colonial Downs in a $30,000 claimer and then won on the dirt at Churchill Downs for a $50,000 tag. Last seen Colt Forty Seven was second in a $125,000 optional claimer. Desormeaux won the Risen Star in 2013. Toss.
7. Courting, 6-1. Curlin – Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez – 3: 1-0-0 - $66,850. Courting will make his 2026 debut here after a layoff from his fourth-place finish in the Remsen, which earned him two Derby points. Blinkers go on for the first time, and regular rider John Velazquez stays on board. Todd Pletcher is a two-time winner of the Kentucky Derby with Super Saver and Always Dreaming and won the Risen Star three times from 2010 to 2014. Toss.
8. Quality Mischief, 12-1. Into Mischief – Brad Cox / Florent Geroux – 4: 1-0-0 - $30,360. Quality Mischief broke his maiden at Horseshoe Indianapolis in October in a race that was meant for the turf. He moved onto the Derby trail with a fourth in the Gun Runner and a fifth in the Lecomte, which earned the son of Into Mischief four Derby points. Cox won the Risen Star three times in a four-year span from 2020 to 2023 with Mr. Monomoy, Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun and Angel of Empire. Toss.
Summary: It is a strong field of eight in the Risen Star, with four horses from the Lecomte and two from the Remsen. Those include Golden Tempo and Paladin, who won those two Derby preps. Both of them are undefeated in two starts. Golden Tempo won twice at the Fair Grounds, Paladin was flattered by the recent success of Renegade on the Derby trail, and both of them already are winners around two turns. Paladin is trained by Chad Brown, and Golden Tempo is from the barn of Brown’s former assistant Cherie DeVaux.
Golden Tempo and Paladin are hard to separate in the Risen Star. Golden Tempo keeps his regular rider in Jose Ortiz, who is winning at Fair Grounds with 29% of his mounts. Tyler Gaffalione will ride Paladin since Flavien Prat will ride Nysos for Bob Baffert in the Saudi Cup (G1) on Saturday.
I liked Golden Tempo for the Lecomte and I will stick with him at the New Orleans track, which we know he likes. Golden Tempo is the top pick in the Risen Star to win the 50 points and lock up a spot in the Kentucky Derby.