Saturday’s Risen Star Stakes kicks of the Highway to the Kentucky Derby Championship Collection races. The 1 1/8 mile Grade 3 race on the Truthful Grounds in New Orleans drew a full and aggressive area of 14 runners and carries a handbag of $400,000. The 15 Championship Collection races over the subsequent three months are basically “Win and You’re In” qualifying races with the winner incomes sufficient factors to get into the beginning gate for the Could 6 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Opening pari-mutuel odds present Victory Formation (3/1) because the morning line favourite. He’s 3-for-3 and received a Kentucky Derby prep race on New 12 months’s Day by 3-lenghts over Risen Star contender Angel of Empire. However know that simply 3 of the final 15 submit time favorites within the Risen Star have received the race.

Risen Star Area and Odds

You’ll be able to watch and wager on the Risen Star Stakes (7:14 p.m. ET) by FanDuel Racing, and FanDuel TV might be dwell on-site at Truthful Grounds with unique protection of the Risen Star Stakes on the Highway to the Kentucky Derby.

Professional evaluation and behind-the-scenes protection by FanDuelTV’s employees of the 13-race card consists of six stakes races. Race 12 is a Rachel Alexandra Stakes for 3-year-old fillies awarding qualifying factors (50-20-15-10-5) to the Could 5 Kentucky Oaks. Race 13 is the Risen Star Stakes with the highest 5 finishers choosing up factors (50-20-15-10-5) for the Could 6 Kentucky Derby.

A assured prize pool of $500,000 for the all-stakes Late Decide 5 (races 9-13) will generate added wagering curiosity on a giant day of racing on the Truthful Grounds.

Risen Star Picks

Together with FanDuel Racing protection, I turned to the consultants at Horse Racing Nation (HRN) and it’s Tremendous Screener huge stakes race evaluation for extra perception and full race protection.

Risen Star Win Contenders

• #8 Tapit’s Conquest (6/1)
• #10 Two Phil’s (8/1)
• #5 Harlocap (8/1)
• #9 Curly Jack (8/1)

All however #12 Crupi (15/1) might be testing 9 furlongs (1 1/8 miles) for the primary time.

The Risen Star tends to present a bonus to horses with early velocity. The final six winners had been all racing first, second, or third after the opening half-mile. The HRN tempo projection exhibits the tempo leaders are anticipated to return from the far outdoors with #14 Non-public Creed and #13 Victory Formation on the entrance finish. Non-public Creek will assist guarantee an trustworthy tempo for his stablemates #5 Harlocap and #11 Silver Heist, and Victory Formation will do the identical for his stablemates #6 Angel of Empire and the Tremendous Screener High Win decide #8 Tapit’s Conquest. Each #9 Curly Jack and the Tremendous Screener different High Win decide, #10 Two Phil’s, are anticipated to safe ultimate urgent journeys.

Tapit’s Conquest is the HRN Tremendous Screener most dependable board hitter (prime 3 in-the-money end) and a prime worth play together with Two Phil’s. 4 of the final 5 Risen Star winners have been received by horses which have excited a race on the Truthful Grounds, which inserts the profile for each these win contenders, however not the opposite two.

Coach Brad Cox has three favorites and main win contenders within the race in Victory Formation (3/1), Tapit’s Conquest (6/1) and Angel of Empire (8/1).

Tapit’s Conquest has moved ahead in every of his three races, and he’s anticipated to relish the added floor. He’s a son of tremendous sire Tapit, and posted his fasted velocity determine when ending second right here final month. He’ll attempt to buck a development working in his first stakes race, as 14 of the final 15 Risen Star winners had beforehand contested a stakes race, and 13 of them had beforehand contested a graded stakes.

Based on coach coach Larry Rivelli, Two Phil’s is by far one of the best horse he has ever skilled. He received a Grade 3 Derby prep over a sloppy floor in Oct, and returned final month as a 3-year-old to run even sooner and end second in one other Grade 3 Derby prep.

Harlocap has been transferred from the Bob Baffert barn (suspended by Churchill Downs) to coach Steve Asmussen so he’s eligible to earn qualifying factors for the Kentucky Derby. Harlocap is a son of Triple Crown winner Justify, and he broke his maiden final month and now faces winners for the primary time.

Curly Jack is a son of two-time Grade 1 winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up Good Magic. The Tom Amoss-trained colt has essentially the most expertise in stakes races having raced in 5 of them since breaking his maiden at first asking. He received a Grade 3 Derby prep in September after which completed fifth within the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. His final race was a Grade 2 runner-up end at lower than 3/1 odds the top of Nov., and Curly Jack has a pointy bullet work over this monitor earlier this month.

Horse Racing Nation’s Tremendous Screener says the Risen Star has “excessive payoff potential” with the win contenders and added horses to make use of beneath for exacta, trifecta and superfecta payoffs. These embrace: #12 Crupi (15/1), #7 Solar Thunder (15/1), #6 Angel of Empire (8/1) and #4 Determinedly (8/1).

Rachel Alexandra Win Contenders

Six superb 3-year-old fillies battle for Kentucky Oaks qualifying factors, and the Horse Racing Nation Tremendous Screener picks these feminine horses as prime win contenders.

• #1 Vahva (8/1)
• #4 Chop Chop (8/5)
• #2 Hoosier Philly (6/5)

Vahva is essentially the most dependable board hitter and prime worth.

Truthful Grounds Stakes

In Race 11 and the Grade 3 Truthful Grounds Stakes, the picks as prime win contenders are:

• #2 Two Emmys (3/1)
• #3 Cavalry Cost (6/1)

Mild Soul (7/2) is a dependable board hitter and Cavalry Cost is prime worth.

Final 12 months’s Risen Star winner Epicenter and third-place finisher Zandon went on to complete second and third within the 2022 Kentucky Derby, respectively. In whole, 33 starters in each the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby have run within the Kentucky Derby since 2013 — essentially the most of any Kentucky Derby factors prep races.

You’ll be able to wager on it.