Risen Star Stakes Day Recap: The Morning After

The sextet of stakes winners from Saturday’s star-studded six-stakes card at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots have all resurfaced well on Sunday morning, according to their conditioners.

 

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm’s Gun Runner, winner of the Grade II $400,000 Veterans Ford Risen Star Stakes, is in good shape and came out well, according to trainer Steve Asmussen. The son of Candy Ride will now march on to the Grade II $1,000,000 TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby on Mar. 26.

 

Asmussen also added that $60,000 Duncan F. Kenner Stakes winner Cinco Charlie, owned by Corinne and William Heiligbrodt, was also well after his 2¾-length gate-to-wire win. The son of Indian Charlie – and three-quarter brother to successful Louisiana stallion My Pal Charlie – won his seventh stakes event and his second at Fair Grounds following the 2014 Sugar Bowl.

 

Trainer Tom Amoss was upbeat on Sunday morning following the shocking 74-1 upset of the Grade II $200,000 TwinSpires.com Rachel Alexandra Stakes with Rosemont Farm’s Venus Valentine. The daughter of Congrats has reportedly exited her effort well and will move on to the Grade II $400,000 TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks on Mar. 26.

 

G M B Racing’s Mo Tom, who appeared to be making a winning move when he had to check badly and suffered a minor gash to his right front leg, was also in good shape on Sunday morning. The Grade III Lecomte Stakes-winning son of Uncle Mo will move on to the Louisiana Derby for a second shot at Gun Runner.

 

“Both horses look good today,” Amoss reported. “(The gash on Mo Tom) is a non factor. We are very fortunate.”

 

John C. Oxley’s beaten 8-5 favorite Airoforce exited his poor showing in good order and has returned to Florida for conditioner Mark Casse. Finishing 10th of 11, it was the son of Colonel John’s first poor effort in five career starts, including two graded stakes victories and a Breeders’ Cup placing.

 

“He’s fine and he flew back to Florida this morning,” Casse said. “We’re going to bring him home to Ocala and go over him some more and make sure we don’t find anything. We will see how that goes and go from there.”

 

Trainer Brad Cox once again had a big day on the Stall-Wilson turf course, while also proving that his grass affinity was not a mere New Orleans phenomena. The conditioner won both turf stakes on the card – the Grade III $125,000 Fair Grounds Handicap with Wentworth Brochu’s Chocolate Ride and the $60,000 Daisy Devine Stakes with Richard and Bertram Klein’s homebred Cash Control – while also taking the $75,000 Melody of Colors Stakes at Gulfstream Park with Cash Control’s half-sister Cash Back.

 

“Both Chocolate Ride and Cash Control look good today,” Cox said. “I’m really pleased with both. All winter (Chocolate Ride) has maintained himself really well. He definitely didn’t regress today and looks as good as he did yesterday morning.

 

“It was a really positive day with both fillies,” Cox continued. “It was kind of cool to win with the two sisters in the same hour at two different tracks. Cash Control ran big came out in good order and the ($50,000 New Orleans Ladies) is on the radar for her.”

 

The New Orleans Ladies is an overnight stakes recently added to the schedule and will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the Stall-Wilson turf course for older fillies and mares. It is set for Saturday, Mar. 26, becoming the ninth stakes on Fair Grounds’ biggest day of the season and pushing the day’s stakes purse total to $2,420,000.

 

Trainer Paul McGee was very pleased with the effort of his 8-year-old war horse Majestic Harbor, who gutted out his first stakes victory since the Grade I $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita in the summer of 2014 when taking Saturday’s Grade III $125,000 Mineshaft Handicap under Corey Lanerie. Owned by Gallant Stable, the son of Rockport Harbor made all the running and then held off William S. Farish’s game Eagle by a head, earning a 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

 

“He checks out really good today and came out fine,” McGee said. “He really ran hard, dug in and showed a lot of gameness. He just keeps chugging along. He’s a very sound horse which obviously helps - knock on wood. He’s been a sound horse his whole career. He pretty much shows up every time, but you can draw a line through (the Listed $75,000 Louisiana Stakes) with his trip. He has the back-class for sure and is now coming up on a million dollars (in earnings).