Risen Star Stakes Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2024 Risen Star Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2024 (G2) Risen Star is set for February 17 at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, LA. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Risen Star Stakes Preview
- Race: Risen Star Stakes
- Purse: $400,000
- Track: Fair Grounds Race Course
- Date: February 17
- Post Time: 7:17 PM (ET)
- Live: Risen Star Stakes Odds: Click Here
Before we can give you our expert 2024 Risen Star Stakes free pick, we have to break down the entries! In fact, we’d love to hear from you after you’ve given this post a read to see if you see an angle that we don’t!
2024 Risen Star Stakes Handicapping
The first major qualifying race for the 2024 Kentucky Derby goes this weekend with the running of the (G2) Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. The Risen Star will award Derby qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale to the top five finishers. Based on recent past history, 50 points would be enough to get the winner a spot in the Derby gate.
The Risen Star is open to horses age three, and is run at 1 1/8 miles on the Fair Grounds dirt track. The race has drawn a full field of 12, with half that could be considered legitimate contenders, and none lower than 7-2 in the ML odds.
Odds listed her are provided by the Fair Grounds track oddsmaker.
2024 Risen Star Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Track Phantom Race Odds: 7-2
The lukewarm morning line favourite, the speedy Track Phantom last out took the (G3) Lecomte Stakes, which is the local prep for this race. He took that field wire-to-wire and won by more than two lengths, for his third win in a row.
It was also his second stakes win, as two back he took the Gun Runner Stakes also at Fair Grounds, and hit a 100 Equibase speed figure, the top figure in this field. He drew a tough outside post, but expect him to be going for the lead right out of the gate.
2024 Risen Star Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping: Sierra Leone Race Odds: 4-1
Last out in the (G2) Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct, Sierra Leone broke last of 10 and trailed early before circling the entire field to grab the lead in mid-stretch, only to nipped at the wire by the very good Dornoch. That race was at this same 1 1/8 miles distance.
Prior to that he was a debut winner at Aqueduct while stalking closer to the pace going one mile. In both events he finished ahead of a horse that came back to win its next start.
Catching Freedom Race Odds: 5-1
Another last-out stakes winner, Catching Freedom was victorious after putting in a late run from the back and getting up in time in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
That was his second win in three lifetime starts, with one off-the-board finish, albeit just 2 1/2 lengths back of the winner. He has been the race favourite in all three lifetime starts so far.
Honor Marie Race Odds: 6-1
The late running Honor Marie has shown steady improvement speed-wise as the distance have increased, and powered through the stretch to win the (G2) Kentucky Jockey Club Gold Cup at Churchill Downs by two lengths late November.
That ran his record to two wins and a second in three lifetime starts. He has been off since then, but has been putting in some solid regular works at Fair Grounds to prepare for this.
Here’s My 2024 Risen Star Stakes Free Pick.
Of the top contenders entered here, only Track Phantom has shown lots of early speed, and it will be interesting to see when they break from the gate if he is able to get to an easy lead or if he’ll have company up front from one of the longer shots.
If he gets away easy, the race could be over. On the other hand, if he can’t make the lead from the #11 post, he has yet to have to pass more than one horse in a race, so we don’t know how he would handle such a scenario.
That being said, I think Sierra Leone offers good value for the win. Two back in his debut he won from stalking close to the pace, and I don’t think he’ll have to pass the entire field again as he did in the Remsen. Dornoch is a very good horse – he’s won two and been second twice in four starts, and would be the clear favourite if entered here – and the fact he was all out to get by Sierra Leone in that race is a good indicator of the talent this one has.
Honor Marie has shown an exceptional late turn of foot in all his starts and should love the stretch out in distance here. I’ll use him in the exacta.
Full Field: 2024 Risen Star Stakes Odds
By post position
- #1 – Tizzy Indy 50-1
- #2 – Awesome Ruta 30-1
- #3 – Honor Marie 6-1
- #4 – Sierra Leone 4-1
- #5 – Moonlight 12-1
- #6 – Real Men Violin 8-1
- #7 – Hall Of Fame 6-1
- #8 – Catching Freedom 5-1
- #9 – Cardinale 12-1
- #10 – Resilience 12-1
- #11 – Track Phantom 7-2
- #12 – Bee Dancer 20-1
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