2025 Risen Star Stakes (GII) Full Race Replay – Magnitude

2025 Risen Star Stakes (GII) Full Race Replay – Magnitude

💣’ Bomb’s away in the G2 Risen Star!
Magnitude goes gate-to-wire and dominates the competition at 43/1 under Ben Curtis for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen!

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Magnitude overcame long odds and a far outside post to wire a field of 12 3-year-olds and set a new record in the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, the first race in the Championship Series of the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Ben Curtis, Magnitude covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.85, the fastest Risen Star final time since the race was extended to 9 panels in 2020. The previous record was held by Epicenter, who later ran second in Kentucky Derby 148 for the same connections as Magnitude.

Wasting no time, Curtis urged the 43-1 Magnitude from the gates, crossing over and clearing East Avenue by two lengths heading into the first turn. With post-time favorite East Avenue stalking to his outside, Magnitude clocked in opening fractions of :23.42 and :46.92. Setting up shop behind East Avenue, both Built and Vassimo bided their time, while behind them Chunk of Gold overcame early trouble to settle in 8th along the rail. As East Avenue failed to respond in the far turn and began backpedaling, Built made a strong move forward and set his sights on Magnitude. By the eighth pole, Magnitude had repelled his challenger and began pulling away from the field. Rallying up the rail, Chunk of Gold caught Built at the wire for second place. After dropping back in the far turn, Vassimo surged late to steal fourth from a fading American Promise.

On the local road to the 151st Kentucky Derby every stop thus far, Magnitude previously ran a troubled 6th in the Lecomte and 2nd in the Gun Runner, for which he earned 5 qualifying points. Together with the 50 he earned in the Risen Star, the Not This Time colt now ranks second behind Citizen Bull with 55 points.

The Ethan West trainee Chunk of Gold grabbed 25 points in his first Derby prep. Built added 15 points to the 20 he earned winning the Gun Runner and placing in the Lecomte, totaling 35 points for trainer Wayne Catalano. Vassimo scored his first 10 points; likewise for American Promise with 5.

Magnitude returned $88.40, $33, and $14.80. Chunk of Gold paid $32.20 and $12.80. Built returned $4 to show.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Steve Asmussen have now teamed up for a record 4 Risen Star victories, including Epicenter (2022), Gun Runner (2016), and Pyro (2008).

A son of Not This Time out of the Bernardini mare Rockadelic, Magnitude improved his record to a 7-3-1-0, boosting his earnings to $446,165.

The Fasig-Tipton Risen Star serves as the local steppingstone to the $1 million Twinspirses.com Louisiana Derby (G2) on Saturday, March 22.

The 3YO colt picked up 50 points towards the Kentucky Derby! 🌹