The Risen Star Stakes is a Grade II

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for three-year-old horses at a distance of one and one-eighth miles on the dirt run annually in February, usually during the

President's Day Presidents' Day, also called Washington's Birthday at the federal governmental level, is a holiday in the United States celebrated on the third Monday of February to honor all persons who served as presidents of the United States and, since 1879 ...

weekend at

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The event currently offers a purse of $400,000.

History

The event was inaugurated 16 March 1973 as the Louisiana Derby Trial with handicap conditions over a distance of one mile and forty yards with the

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

bred colt Navajo victorious by one length over Smooth Dancer with Assagai Jr. in third place. The time run by the winner was 1:40 flat. Navajo received free entry into the

Louisiana Derby The Louisiana Derby is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Run in late March, the race is open to horses, age three, willing to race miles on the dirt. It currently o ...

and finished second to Leo's Pisces. Later that year Navajo ran in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

and finished seventh to

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

. The event as a trial race immediately became a major prep for the

. In 1975 the event was increased to miles and was won by

Master Derby Master Derby (April 24, 1972 – January 22, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1975 Preakness Stakes. Background He was bred by Robert E. Lehmann at his Golden Chance Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Master Derby was ...

. Master Derby followed up winning the Louisiana Derby. Later in his

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campaign, Master Derby was victorious in the

Preakness Preakness may refer to: * The Preakness or Preakness Stakes, an American flat thoroughbred horse race held in Baltimore, Maryland * Preakness (horse), an American thoroughbred racehorse from Preakness Stables * Preakness, New Jersey, a section of W ...

. The event was shortened back to its inaugural distance in 1988 of 1 mile and 40 yards. The event that year was won by

Risen Star Risen Star (March 25, 1985 – March 13, 1998) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1988. Background The dark bay colt was the son of the great Triple Crown winner Secretariat and out of ...

who went on to win the

and

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

and be voted the 1988

Eclipse Award The Eclipse Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th-century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. An Eclipse Award Trophy is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American ...

for

American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse The American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually in Thoroughbred flat racing. It became part of the Eclipse Awards program in 1971. The award originated in 1936 when both ''Turf & Sport ...

. The following year the track renamed the event in honor of Risen Star to the Risen Star Stakes. In 1991 the distance of the event was increased to miles and in 2002 the

American Graded Stakes Committee {{short description, Organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeders The American Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) based in Lexington, Kentucky is a trade organization for Thoroughbred racehorse owners and breeder ...

upgraded the race to Grade III. The event was upgraded once more in 2010 to Grade II. The Risen Star Stakes was run in two divisions in 1989, 1993, 1995 and 2020. No winner of the Risen Star Stakes has gone on to win the Kentucky Derby. However, two runners who have run in the event have gone on to win the Run for the Roses. War Emblem finished sixth at Fair Grounds before winning at Churchill Downs in 2002. Country House was second in the Risen Star before crossing second in the

2019 Kentucky Derby The 2019 Kentucky Derby (officially, the 2019 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve) was the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby, and took place on Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky. The field was open to 20 horses, who qu ...

, only to be promoted after first-place finisher Maximum Security was disqualified by Kentucky stewards for interference. The Risen Star also has produced two winners of the second leg of the

American Triple Crown In the United States, the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, commonly known as the Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for three-year-old Thoroughbreds, consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The three r ...

(1975) and

War of Will ''War of Will'' is the second studio album by American extreme metal band Battlecross. Produced at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, FL, the work was released on July 9, 2013 via Metal Blade Records peaking at No. 2 on Heatseekers Albums durin ...

(2019). It has also produced two winners of the

Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3-year-olds and older run at a distance of on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in late October ...

Gun Runner Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small ...

and

Mucho Macho Man Mucho Macho Man ( foaled June 15, 2008) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic. He was foaled in Florida and named after the Village People song " Macho Man". His breeders were Carole and John Rio of Flori ...

. The event is part of the

Road to the Kentucky Derby The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a points system by which horses qualify for a position in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. It features dozens of stakes races for 2 and 3-year-old Thoroughbreds – the number and specific races have chang ...

Records

Speed record: * miles – 1:49.03

Epicenter The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Surface damage Before the instrumental pe ...

(2022) * miles – 1:42.80 Zarbs Magic (1996) *1 mile and 40 yards – 1:39.80 Heavy Mayonnaise (1974) Margins: * 10 lengths – Badge of Silver (2003) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

: * 3 - Shane P. Romero (1988, 1989, 1992) * 3 -

Robby Albarado Robby J. Albarado (born September 11, 1973, in Lafayette, Louisiana) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding at the age of 10 and progressed to riding at bush tracks in his native Louisiana by the age of 12. After turning ...

(2003, 2004, 2007) * 3 - Florent Geroux (2016, 2020, 2021) Most wins by a trainer: * 3 - Neil J. Howard (1992, 1998, 2004) * 3 - Todd A. Pletcher (2010, 2012, 2014) * 3 - D. Wayne Lukas (1997, 2000, 2018) * 3 -

Steve Asmussen Steven Mark Asmussen (born November 18, 1965) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. The leading trainer in North America by wins, he is a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer and was inducted into the National M ...

(2008, 2016, 2022) Most wins by an owner: * 3 - William S. Farish III (1992, 1998, 2004) * 3 - Winchell Thoroughbreds (2008, 2016, 2022) Risen Star Stakes –

double: *

†(1975), Taylor's Special †(1984),

†(1988), Dispersal (1989), Line in the Sand (1992), Dixieland Heat (1993), Comic Strip (1998), Pyro (2008),

Friesan Fire Friesan Fire (foaled April 30, 2006, in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by 1992 American Horse of the Year, A.P. Indy, a son of the 1977 U.S. Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. His dam, Bollinger, is an Australian ...

(2009), International Star (2015),

(2016), Girvin (2017),

(2022) ''Notes:''
† Risen Star Stakes was known as the Louisiana Derby Trial.

Winners

''Notes:''
§ Ran as an entry

External links

Ten Things You Should Know About the Risen Star Stakes at Hello Race Fans!

References

{{reflist, 2 Fair Grounds Race Course Flat horse races for three-year-olds Triple Crown Prep Races Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in New Orleans

Horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1973 1973 establishments in Louisiana Grade 2 stakes races in the United States

History

Records

Winners

See also

External links

References