East Avenue With Something To Prove As Fair Grounds Hosts Derby/Oaks Preps

'TDN Rising Star' and GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) has a chance to set things right as the Derby circus rolls into New Orleans Saturday in the GII Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes, the first race on the 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby to award 50 points to the winner.

“We had a plan after the Breeders' Cup to give him six works into the Risen Star,” trainer Brendan Walsh said of his Godolphin homebred. “His breeze (on Jan. 17) was really good. I had him sit behind two horses and he really finished up nicely. It's an important race for him to get started on his campaign this year. We know there are bigger targets down the road. We'll have him ready for this race and hopefully still have some left in the tank for later this spring.”

The 9-5 morning-line choice, who lost all chance as the favorite when stumbling badly at the start of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, will face a full field which notably lost fellow 'Rising Star' and morning-line 4-1 second choice Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) Friday, who will scratch due to what trainer Phil Bauer attributed to “an unsatisfactory blood count”.

He'll be left to contend with Built (Hard Spun), a Wayne Catalano-trainee who romped by 6 3/4 lengths in the Gun Runner Stakes going just a sixteenth of a mile shorter Dec. 21 and just missed by a neck to undefeated Disco Time (Not This Time) in the GIII Lecomte Stakes Jan. 18.

Good morning, East Avenue 🤩

The Grade I-winning TDN Rising Star will make his 3-year-old debut in Saturday's GII Risen Star Stakes at @fairgroundsnola.

🎥: @HorseRacingKK pic.twitter.com/yeXrFqtgSP

— TDN (@theTDN) February 14, 2025

Trainer Steve Asmussen, looking for a record fourth Risen Star win after saddling Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Epicenter (Not This Time) to wins in 2016 and 2022, respectively, sends out widest-drawn Magnitude (Not This Time) who ran second behind Built in that Gun Runner Stakes and was sixth, beaten just 2 3/4 lengths in the Lecomte.

Todd Pletcher, also seeking a fourth Risen Star, will saddle the undefeated Vassimo (Nyquist) for Team Penney Racing. Irad Ortiz, Jr. stays aboard the colt who steps into stakes company for the first time after a pair of wins in Florida.

While trainer Brad Cox doesn't have a Risen Star entry this year, he does bring a strong hand into the GII Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra Stakes, a race which will award 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The undefeated Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) may have started her career with a win at Horseshoe Indianapolis but she burst onto the scene with a 17-length thrashing of an allowance field over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs in September before taking the Rags to Riches Stakes and the GII Golden Rod Stakes to finish out 2024.

Good Cheer | Coady Media

“She's got a great mind,” said Cox of Good Cheer who, like East Avenue, is a Godolphin homebred. “She does everything well within herself and she's full of class. We feel like we've taken her as far as we can take her since the Golden Rod. She's responded well, she's moving great, and I expect her to run big.”

Cox has plenty of experience leading the Godolphin silks into the Fair Grounds winner's circle having won last year's Rachel Alexandra with another homebred in 'TDN Rising Star' Tarifa (Bernardini).

While the field will miss GII Demoiselle Stakes runner up Ballerina d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) who scratched earlier in the week, the favorite will still have to contend with another undefeated runner in Simply Joking (Practical Joke) who skipped the traditional route and debuted a winner in the Letellier Memorial Stakes before taking the Silverbulletday Stakes, both at Fair Grounds.

Cox will also lead over last year's GII Louisiana Derby winner Catching Freedom (Constitution) who makes his 2025 debut in the GIII Mineshaft Stakes. Not seen since placing fourth in the GIII Ohio Derby last June, the 3-1 shot returns here for Albaugh Family Stables.

“I love him physically,” said Cox of Catching Freedom, who ran fourth in last year's GI Kentucky Derby. “He seems to be better physically now than he was last year and he's moving great. Obviously with his running style, he has to get a set up. He showed up two days ago and looked unbelievable galloping yesterday. I think he's set up for a good run.”

He'll face new Repole Stable runner Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) who recently topped the Fasig-Tipton January Digital Sale at $450,000, while 'TDN Rising Star' Hall of Fame (Gun Runner) also lines up to the inside for Steve Asmussen. Juddmonte homebred Batten Down (Tapit), who beat Catching Freedom in that Ohio Derby last year, is drawn outside.

The turf course will play host to the GIII Fair Grounds Stakes where Virginia-bred Gigante (Not This Time), who recently changed hands to Clark Brewster and L and N Racing to the tune of $610,000 during a Fasig-Tipton Digital Flash Sale in January, looks to make it three in a row off wins in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial and the rained-off Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes, both in New Orleans. Opposing him is Taking Candy (Twirling Candy), a Cherie DeVaux runner making his 5-year-old debut, and the rail-drawn What Say Thee (Sea the Stars {Ire}), a shrewd claim for Michael Maker who continues to race in good form at the age of seven, having earned five wins from eight starts last year.

Gigante | Coady Media

Gulfstream Park hosts the GIII Royal Delta Stakes for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up going 1 1/16 miles on the main track Saturday and Saffie Joseph, Jr. saddles Dazzling Move (Not This Time) for the first time after a private purchase and a barn change from Michael Trombetta to end 2024. She faces Irish import Grand Job (Justify), a filly who ran four times in her native Ireland and now is perfect in two races in the United States for William Mott.

The only graded feature for the weekend at Santa Anita, the GIII Palos Verdes sees 2-5 morning-line favorite Big City Lights (Mr. Big) bring a two-race win streak in off dominant victories in the Cary Grant Stakes and the California Cup Sprint Stakes over course and distance Jan. 18 for Richard Mandella. He breaks from the rail inside of Roll On Big Joe (Prospective) who also won over course and near distance with a 93 Beyer Speed Figure Jan. 3 and Bartholdy (Mendelssohn), another runner putting a two-race win streak on the line.