Weekend Winners Club

Counting 4 graded stakes on the card at Fairgrounds this weekend, headlined by the Risen Star G2 for Kentucky Derby hopefuls. Also on the card: Mineshaft G3, Rachel Alexandra G3 for 3yo fillies, and the FG Handicap G3 on turf.

Download Risen Star Grid Here Free – Corrected Grid posted 10:30 PM ET Feb.22. Scratches and off turf added 210pm ET Feb.23

Analysis:

Let’s start with the Risen Star since there’s a nice full field of 15 including an alternate. Certainly someone will scratch by race time since it is raining there all day and the track will certainly be wet tomorrow.

Leading the field is favored Normandy Invasion by Tapit, who hasn’t raced since November for Chad Brown. He closed mightily on a slow pace in the Remsen G2, only to come up a nose short to Overanalyze, who hasn’t run this year either and apparently won’t until March’s Gotham.

Just outside of the favorite will be Oxbow by Awesome Again at post 10, who ran away from the field by 11 on a slow pace in the Lecomte G3 at the same track in Jan for Wayne Lukas. In his 3 races where he lost the lead, he got beat by an average of 10 lengths.

At the 2 post is Code West by Lemon Drop Kid, who was no match for stable mate Super Ninety Nine in his last outing. Super 99 had the Southwest G3 field waving white flags as he romped in the slop last weekend.

Next I like Palace Malice by Curlin, who couldn’t catch Majestic Hussar, who’s running in the Fountain of Youth tomorrow, in a 7f sloppy OC75 at Gulfstream last month. Todd Pletcher will send him at route distance for the first time.

Coming off impressive optional claiming wins are Proud Strike, My Lute, and the alternate Sunbean, who also has the top EP rating according to the Grid.

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