KY-based East Avenue, Jonathan’s Way start 3yo campaigns in G2 Risen Star
Fair Grounds stakes advance by publicist Kevin Kilroy (Keeneland/Coady Media photo by Alyssa Cumming of East Avenue winning last fall’s Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity)
New Orleans, La (Feb. 9, 2025) – Set to make his sophomore debut, Godolphin’s Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) winner East Avenue leads a field of 13 three-year-olds as the 9-5 morning line favorite for the 53rd running of the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Slated as the finale on Saturday’s “Louisiana Derby Preview Day” 14-race program, the Risen Star is the first Derby prep on the calendar to award 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers. Run at 1 1/8 miles, the third of four local Derby preps will be the first time any of these 13 entries have raced this far.
Six stakes are scheduled to be run on “Louisiana Derby Preview Day,” including the co-featured $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra (G2), a Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep which also awards 105 qualifying points.
Past the Risen Star and Rachel Alexandra, the action includes two more graded stakes with the $250,000 Mineshaft presented by Hagyard GI By Relyne (G3) and the $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes presented by Horse Racing Nation (G3). Along with the Fair Grounds Stakes, both the $100,000 Albert M. Stall Memorial and the $100,000 Colonel Power are scheduled to be run on the Stall-Wilson turf course. First post on Saturday, Feb. 15 is noon CT.
One of last year’s most highly regarded 2-year-olds, East Avenue followed up his debut win at Ellis Park with an impressive gate-to-wire win in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. The Godolphin homebred has not raced since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), where he was sent off as the post-time favorite but stumbled badly out of the gates and finished ninth. Trained by Brendan Walsh, the Medaglia d’Oro colt is a half sibling to 2023 Eclipse Champion Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish. Aboard for both of East Avenue’s juvenile stakes runs, Tyler Gaffalione will return to the irons above the 9-5 morning line favorite in the Risen Star, who drew post 4.
Gaffalione has won this event twice, including last year piloting eventual 3-year-old champion and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone for trainer Chad Brown. With Resolute Bloodstock’s Septarian, Brown has a shot at taking the title two years in a row. Third last out in the Mucho Macho Man, the two-time winner will be guided by Flavien Prat, recently named the 2024 Eclipse Award Champion for Outstanding Jockey.
As a 2-year-old, Rigney Racing’s Jonathan’s Way earned 10 qualifying points with a win in the Iroquois (G3). Similar to East Avenue, the Ohio-bred trained by Louisville’s Phil Bauer underperformed expectations in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, finishing seventh, but Jonathan’s Way rebounded from that effort nicely with a second in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2). Tallying 15 Derby points, Jonathan’s Way is one seven Risen Star runners on the Road to the Derby Leaderboard. Regular rider Joel Rosario has been replaced with the current meet-leading jockey, Jose Ortiz, who has been able to breeze the locally-stabled Vekoma colt in the mornings. Drawing post 2, Jonathan’s Way was tabbed at 4-1 in the morning line.
If either East Avenue or Jonathan’s Way wins the Risen Star, it would be a first for their connections. On the other hand, three of the five trainers who are tied at the top with three titles could walk away on Saturday with a record-making fourth.
Since 2008, Winchell Thoroughbreds and Steve Asmussen have teamed up to win the Risen Star with Pyro (2008), Gun Runner (2016), and Epicenter (2022). On Saturday, Magnitude will look to get a cleaner trip after encountering several spots of trouble when sixth last out in the Lecomte.
Todd Pletcher scored in this Derby prep three times between 2010 and 2014. Vassimo, his entry this year, is a perfect two-for-two, both at one mile or longer, including a first-level allowance at Tampa Bay by open lengths. Owned by Team Penney Racing, the Nyquist colt sees his regular companion Irad Ortiz Jr. named to ride him in the Risen Star.
D. Wayne Lukas most recently took the Risen Star in 2018, and the three-time winning conditioner’s first victory came nearly three decades ago in 1997. On Saturday, he’ll saddle BC Stables’ American Promise. The Justify colt broke his maiden going 1 1/16 miles two back and exits a sixth in the Southwest Stakes.
New Orleans native and trainer of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Built, Wayne Catalano has also won the Risen Star. Though in 1978 when he got his picture taken it was called the Louisiana Derby Trial. And at age 21, he was not the winning trainer of Batonnier–he was the winning jockey.
Built stretched out successfully to win the Gun Runner gate-to-wire. Though he did not take well to the sloppy surface last out in the Lecomte, the Catalano trainee still ran valiantly to finish second. With 20 points he sits tied for third on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard. On Saturday, Luis Saez will take the reins for the first time.
The last stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby comes on March 22 with the $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), which asks the 3-year-olds to go 1 3/16 miles.
Here’s the complete field for the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):
1. American Promise (Keith Asmussen, Wayne Lukas, 12-1)
2. Jonathan’s Way (Jose Ortiz, Phil Bauer, 4-1)
3. Vassimo (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher, 8-1)
4. East Avenue (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh, 9-5)
5. Chunk of Gold (Abel Cedillo, Ethan West, 30-1)
6. Seattle Road (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Tom Amoss, 30-1)
7. Septarian (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown, 12-1)
8. Giocoso (Jaime Torres, Keith Desormeaux, 20-1)
9. Built (Luis Saez, Wayne Catalano, 5-1)
10. Render Judgment (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek, 12-1)
11. Jolly Samurai (Rene Diaz, Danny Pish, 30-1)
12. Vamos Carlitos (Florent Geroux, Greg Foley, 30-1)
13. Magnitude (Ben Curtis, Steve Asmussen, 12-1)
