Trainer Steve Asmussen’s long shot horse, Magnitude, won the Grade 2, $500,000 Risen Star Stakes by going gate-to-wire and dominating the competition, clinching his place in the Kentucky Derby 2025. Despite starting from post 12 of 12, jockey Ben Curtis executed the plan perfectly by getting to the front and to the rail, taking advantage of the track bias.
Magnitude set a stakes record with a final time of 1:48.35 for the 1 1/8 miles, making him the first 3-year-old to break the 1:49 barrier at Fair Grounds since at least 1991. The colt’s next race will be the Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 22 as his final Kentucky Derby prep, with Asmussen confident in the horse’s abilities and performance.
In a surprising upset, Chunk of Gold, a $2,500 purchase, made a strong rally down the rail to finish second in the Risen Star Stakes, creating a huge exacta worth $2,629.40. The race was worth 50-25-15-10-5 Derby qualifying points for the top five finishers, with Magnitude paying $88.40 for the win.
