'Star' Power

Curlin, the game's brightest star and recent Horse of the Year honoree, was close to making his highly-anticipated 4-year-old debut Saturday at Fair Grounds.

That won't happen.

Multiple Grade 1 winner and top turf horse Showing Up was supposed to make his long-awaited first start in nearly 10 months on the same day at the New Orleans track.

Not anymore.

The day known as "Louisiana Derby Preview Day" - the second biggest day of the meet at historic Fair Grounds Race Course featuring six stakes (four graded) worth a total of $1 million in purses – lost out late on that pair of superstars to perform in some of the big races on the program. But as big as it would have been to have those two racing giants perform on the special card, Curlin and Showing Up would have just been icing on the cake.

After all, this day is about the 3-year-olds – hence the event name – and that proverbial cake could not be any bigger or sweeter.

The $300,000 Risen Star Stakes (G3) - the final prep for the $600,000 Louisiana Derby (G2), the pinnacle of the race meet to be run next month – is the race that is supposed to draw all of the spotlight Saturday and it has turned up a dandy, as top contenders from all regions of the country have gathered and the result is a deep and highly-competitive field of 12, possibly the best Grade 3 Kentucky Derby prep in recent memory.

The marquee name in the 1 1/16-mile event is Pyro, who will make his first start since an impressive runner-up effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile behind champion War Pass. Pyro, a son of Pulpit, has been training locally with the aforementioned Curlin for his seasonal debut and first step toward Derby 134 for trainer Steve Asmussen.

It is certainly hard to deny his class and he'll inevitably make his presence felt late with his big closing kick. But Pyro is very vulnerable in what has turned up as an extremely dangerous comeback spot for him to try and make the winner's circle – a place he's only visited once before. On top of that, Asmussen will not have him cranked up for this race, as he'll be managed very deliberately to be sitting on his best three months from now on the first Saturday in May.

But the top trainer is not just conceding the Risen Star, as Pyro's stablemate - Z Fortune - could very well be the horse to beat in the race and needs the graded earnings the most. Z Fortune, a New York-bred son of Siphon, enters as the "now horse" following his impressive win in the LeComte (G3) at Fair Grounds last month. The gray colt is perfect in three starts, winning by an average margin of more than 4 ½ lengths, and he figures to be sitting on another top effort following his easy LeComte score where he appeared to finish with something left.

Jockey Garrett Gomez is in from California to ride Z Fortune, as Shaun Bridgmohan, who rode Z Fortune to victory last out, jumps over to the barn's current No. 1 Derby colt – Pyro.

Expect Z Fortune to also have a tactical advantage on the late-running Pyro in the Risen Star, as well as most of the field. He figures to sit an outside stalking trip through what should be a modest pace with the field lacking in true front runners, and with the great finishing ability of his rider Gomez down that long Fair Grounds stretch, Z Fortune seems primed to make it two in a row.

The Risen Star will apparently take a little hit with the probable late scratch of top challenger Check It Twice, who was set to ship from south Florida for trainer Todd Pletcher before reportedly incurring a minor setback that will likely postpone his 3-year-old debut. Check It Twice is now thought to be pointed for next week's Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

But there is still loads of quality and potential to go around. The locally-based Blackberry Road is back off his runner-up to Z Fortune in the LeComte, and his connections believe the added ground Saturday will be a benefit. Blackberry Road, a regally bred son of Gone West and half to champion Vindication, enters with a bullet work and a race over the track for trainer David Carroll, making him dangerous with regular rider Calvin Borel coming in to ride.

The Risen Star also fashions three up-and-coming allowance winners making their stakes debuts, including Florida shipper Visionaire from the Michael Matz barn, California invader Signature Move for trainer Eric Guillot and locally-based Unbridled Vicar.

Visionaire, a $220,000 2-year-old purchase by Grand Slam, has been unchallenged in a pair of starts since stretching out, which includes a dominant 5 ½-length win in a Gulfstream Park allowance race last month. Jockey Jose Lezcano, who was aboard for that win, follows Visionaire to Louisiana for his first acid test to see if the chestnut colt belongs on the Derby trail.

Signature Move is a very interesting horse and could be the X-factor in this year's renewal of the Risen Star. He is a grand-looking $625,000 yearling from the first crop of Vindication and seems to be a colt that will continue to improve with racing experience. His current form is all on synthetic track and that leaves some questions marks on how he's going to handle real dirt. I believe Signature Move will handle real dirt better than he has the synthetic tracks in California that have produced him back-to-back wins in maiden and entry-level allowance company, as he has a strong dirt pedigree and has been the only runner by his sire to have success over the synthetic surface.

He is another one that should have a tactical advantage by being somewhat forwardly placed Saturday, and if he does move forward on the dirt then he could be right there in the thick of it late at a healthy price.

Unbridled Vicar is another colt on the improve that has a license to make his presence felt late in the Risen Star. The son of Vicar has had some tough luck. He never quite gets the job done but has never been off the board racing against top maiden and allowance company at major racetracks, only beaten by less than four lengths combined in his five losses.

Trained by Greg Geier, Unbridled Vicar probably needs a faster pace than he'll likely get to beat this bunch on the class hike, but he is too honest not to close in for a minor piece at what will be big odds on the tote board.

Adding further depth, top Canadian conditioner Mark Casse ships in Woodbine allowance winner Bonanza, and owner Greg Norman - of Papi Chullo, Miss Norman and The Daddy fame – brings his latest top 3-year-old, Rich Young Ruler in off a third-place finish in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Jan. 21.

Top local trainer and native New Orleanian Tom Amoss has a pair of young guns for the Risen Star: the undefeated Prince Cortez and Peteadoris. Prince Cortez, by the sensational freshman sire Repent, moved to the Amoss barn in late December before winning the Triple Sec Stakes at Delta Downs on Jan. 18 in his stakes and two-turn debut. He joins Z Fortune with a perfect record in three starts with all wins coming by open lengths.

Peteadoris, a Louisiana-bred son of reigning leading sire Smart Strike, enters with a two-race win streak but both victories have come at the hands of state-bred company. He'll need to take a giant step forward to contend.

The pacesetter appears to be The Darp, who also had that role in the LeComte. Trained by Ronnie Werner, The Darp faded to fifth beaten 4 ½ lengths last out by Z Fortune through a modest pace, so he'll need to improve to take this field gate-to-wire in the Risen Star. Nobody knows Fair Grounds better than jockey Robby Albarado and he'll need to really back up the field early for The Darp to have a shot at stealing this.

Top to bottom it's the best renewal of the Risen Star in recent memory, and it will undoubtedly produce its share of Kentucky Derby runners.

If you take Check It Twice out of the race, I see Z Fortune and Signature Move sitting ideal stalking trips and benefiting from what should be a very average pace at best. That tactical advantage makes them the two to catch in midstretch, with Pyro, Blackberry Road and Unbridled Vicar all making late runs.

The edge goes to Z Fortune.