Risen Star, Rachel Alexandra top preview day

Risen Star, Rachel Alexandra top preview day

Saturday's Louisiana Derby Preview Day at Fair Grounds will live up to its

billing with six stakes, four which are graded and serve as the final preps for

the meet highlights on the March 26 Louisiana Derby Day program. The $300,000

Risen Star

S. (G2) is the main attraction on Preview Day and there is no shortage of

intrigue among the 10 three-year-old colts entered for the 1 1/16-mile test.

Despite not having made an appearance in a stakes, a lot of the attention in

the Risen Star will be focused on the Neil Howard-trained MACHEN (Distorted

Humor), who's taken both career starts by at least five lengths. Howard had also

considered running Lecomte S. (G3) winner Wilkinson (Lemon Drop Kid), but his

name was not among the entries and that one will presumably wait for the

Louisiana Derby (G2).

Machen did not make his debut until January 2 but there was enough early buzz

to make the chestnut a 3-1 favorite in that six-furlong maiden test. After

winning by 5 1/2 lengths, leaving two next-out winners in the dust, the

Courtlandt Farms homebred was a rare 1-20 standout in a January 30 first-level

allowance test. Despite breaking slowly for a second time and tracking a tepid

pace, Machen left no doubts about his ability to go two turns when

driving home a five-length victor under Jamie Theriot, who retains the mount for

the Risen Star.

Rogue Romance will make his first start since running third to Uncle Mo in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (Keeneland/Coady Photography) Making their seasonal debuts in the Risen Star are a pair of graded winners from last fall, SANTIVA (Giant's Causeway) and ROGUE ROMANCE (Smarty Jones). Santiva, who had raced on dirt and turf before a second-place finish on Polytrack in the Breeders' Futurity (G1), finally earned his first trip to the winner's circle with a half-length score in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) at Churchill Downs in November. Though that 1 1/16-mile fixture was used as a vehicle by Super Saver the previous year en route to a victory in the Kentucky Derby (G1), Santiva has something to prove as his KJC score was achieved in a slower time than fillies ran in the Golden Rod S. (G2) on the same program. Rogue Romance raced exclusively on turf in his first three starts, culminating in a 2 1/2-length triumph in the Bourbon S. (G3) at Keeneland. However, trainer Kenny McPeek took a shot with the colt in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) on dirt and the chestnut fared okay with a third-place effort, 10 1/4 lengths behind generation leader Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie).

Adding fuel to a race already overloaded with speed on paper are Florida

invaders DECISIVE MOMENT (With Distinction) and MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno).

This marks the third trip to Louisiana but the first to New Orleans for Decisive

Moment, who ran second in the Delta Downs Jackpot S. (G3) in November before

returning to Delta Downs last month to take the Jean Lafitte S. by 3 1/2

lengths.

Mucho Macho Man, a solid second to the talented To Honor and Serve (Bernardini) in

both the Remsen S. (G2) and Nashua S. (G2), found himself on the lead as the

slight favorite in the January 30 Holy Bull S. (G3) at Gulfstream, but was

hounded the entire way and wilted in the final furlong to finish 4 1/2 lengths

behind Dialed In (Mineshaft). A return to two turns might help the bay, who will

run without blinkers for the first time in his career on Saturday.

Though Wilkinson did not make the party, three of his four Lecomte rivals are

back for the Risen Star. PANTS ON FIRE (Jump Start) was nipped by Wilkinson's

head at the finish after leading nearly all the way. ACTION READY (More Than

Ready), who was five lengths back in third, and JUSTIN PHILLIP (First Samurai),

who endured an unnecessarily wide trip around both turns before trailing the

quintet, each have form to find to make amends. In a significant equipment

change, Justin Phillip's one-race experiment with blinkers has ended, and he

takes the headgear off Saturday.

The Risen Star field is completed by two outsiders, the Louisiana-bred maiden

winner LIONDRIVE (Lion Tamer) and recent Sam Houston graduate SORGHO (Storm

Cat).

Kathmanblu is taking a unique route back to Churchill for the Kentucky Oaks (Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography) Seven three-year-old fillies will do battle in the $150,000 Rachel Alexandra S. (G3) at 1 1/16 miles, a tune-up for next month's Fair Grounds Oaks (G2). Renamed this season from the Silverbulletday to honor the 2009 Horse of the Year, the race is lead by Grade 2 vixen KATHMANBLU (Bluegrass Cat), who stole some of Santiva's thunder at Churchill on November 27 with an 8 1/2-length romp in the Golden Rod. She completed 1 1/16 miles that day in 1:44 2/5, four-fifths of a second faster than Santiva's clocking roughly an hour later. Having already demonstrated a fondness for the Churchill strip, Kathmanblu's pre-Kentucky Oaks (G1) schedule is expected to remain relatively unconventional. Having established her early credentials on grass last fall, winning the Jessamine S. and running third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G2), McPeek had no qualms about starting Kathmanblu's season off in the grassy Sweetest Chant S. on January 22, a race she won with ease under hand encouragement. If successful in the Rachel Alexandra, Kathmnablu might make her final Oaks prep on Polytrack in Keeneland's Ashland S. (G1).

Standing in Kathmanblu's way here is BOUQUET BOOTH (Flower Alley), who's

reeled off three straight including the Delta Downs Princess S. (G3) and the

re-named Silverbulletday S., the latter by a neck over this track four weeks

ago. Taking another shot at Kathmanblu is GRAN LIONESS (Lion Heart), who enters

off a 3 1/4-length tally in the My Trusty Cat S. at Delta Downs, which followed

a discouraging fifth-place effort in the Golden Rod where she was defeated by 14

lengths.

Moving from synthetic to dirt are INGLORIOUS (Hennessy), whose two victories

last season came in the Fanfreluche S. and Ontario Lassie S. at Woodbine, and

recent California Oaks heroine LILACS AND LACE (Flower Alley). The field is

completed by last-out allowance winner CHLOE KATE (Afleet Alex) from the Howard

barn and the Churchill maiden winner TAPIT DANCER (Tapit).