The Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds features a competitive field of eight 3-year-olds vying for 50 qualifying points toward the 2026 Kentucky Derby. Undefeated horses Golden Tempo and Paladin stand out as top contenders among winners of recent prep races. The $500,000 race is set for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EST.
The Risen Star Stakes marks the third of four prep races on the Fair Grounds road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby, offering 105 points total to the top five finishers: 50 for first, 25 for second, 15 for third, 10 for fourth, and 5 for fifth. This 1 1/8-mile event drew one of the strongest fields yet on the Derby trail, with seven horses collectively earning 69 points from prior races. The lineup includes winners of the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct, the Gun Runner at Fair Grounds, and the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds.
Key entrants include Golden Tempo (2-1 odds), trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Jose Ortiz, who remains undefeated after winning the Lecomte with a late rally from last in a field of 10. The homebred, owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, earned 20 points from that victory following his maiden win at Fair Grounds in December. Paladin (8-5), under trainer Chad Brown and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, also enters unbeaten in two starts, having won the Remsen by two lengths against 11 rivals. He notably defeated Renegade, who later won the Sam F. Davis Stakes.
Other notable horses are Universe (12-1), making his fifth Derby trail start with 13 points and blinkers added for trainer Ken McPeek; Chip Honcho (8-1), winner of the Gun Runner with 14 points, removing blinkers for Steve Asmussen; and Carson Street (8-1), third in the Lecomte. Longer shots include Courting (6-1), debuting after a layoff for Todd Pletcher; Quality Mischief (12-1) for Brad Cox; and Colt Forty Seven (20-1), the only non-Derby trail horse.
Analyst Brian Zipse highlights Golden Tempo and Paladin as difficult to separate, noting Golden Tempo's affinity for the New Orleans track and Ortiz's 29% win rate there. Zipse picks Golden Tempo to claim the 50 points and secure a Derby spot. Trainers like Asmussen (four Risen Star wins) and Brown (2024 winner Sierra Leone) bring strong histories to the race.
