Star’ Faces Eight in Louisiana Derby
Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus) seeks his third-straight victory and looks to enter the GI Kentucky Derby the right way in Saturday’s $750,000 GII Louisiana Derby. The versatile Mike Maker pupil was second in Saratoga’s grassy GII With Anticipation S. last August, and annexed the GIII Grey S. on Woodbine Polytrack in October. He was a close ninth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at the end of that month, and fourth behind ‘TDN Rising Star’ El Kabeir (Scat Daddy) in Churchill’s GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 29. The bay reemerged here with a ground-saving tally in the Jan. 17 GIII Lecomte S., and turned in a nearly identical performance despite a wide draw in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 21. He’ll break from the outside gate again here, but it might not matter.
A debut winner for trainer Ron Moquett and Harry Rosenblum at Churchill Nov. 1, War Story (Northern Afleet) was purchased privately by Loooch Racing Stables and Chris Dunn and turned over to Tom Amoss for a local optional claiming score over subsequent stakes winner A Day in Paradise (Yes It’s True) Dec. 28. He was second to International Star in both the Lecomte and Risen Star, but broke slowly in both of those outings before covering more ground than the winner.
Donegal Racing’s late-running Keen Ice (Curlin) was third in the Risen Star and figures to get more pace here with a number of speed types joining St. Joe Bay (Saint Anddan), who was fourth in the Risen Star.
Zayat Stables’s Mr. Z (Malibu Moon) has earned more than $544,000 despite just one win from 10 previous starts. On the board in seven stakes races, including two Grade I’s, the D. Wayne Lukas representative sheds the hood off a close third as the chalk in Oaklawn’s GIII Southwest S. The Coolmore contingent and Stonestreet Stables’s Stanford (Malibu Moon) made his sophomore debut a winning one in a Gulfstream sprint Feb. 8, and checked in second behind ‘TDN Rising Star’-earning stablemate and GI Florida Derby contender Materiality (Afleet Alex) in that venue’s nine-panel Islamorada H. Mar. 6 before being disqualified to last for interference.
West Point Thoroughbreds and Dallas Stewart finished third in this event 12 months ago with subsequent GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Commanding Curve (Master Command), and will be represented this time around by Defondo (El Corredor). The bay gelding broke his maiden sprinting here two back Jan. 30, and was second after striking the front a bit early in a Feb. 26 optional claimer. “It’s a mile and an eighth race and there will be some speed and we’ll be able to lay back,” Stewart said after his charge drew post three. “We’re taking a shot and stepping way up in class, you just have to give these 3-year-olds opportunities to prove themselves and see where we’re at.”