Magnitude rocks Risen Star at 43-1

The 43-1 longshot Magnitude shook up the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a front-running upset of Saturday’s $500,000 Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds. East Avenue, the 4-5 favorite, stalked early but faded out of contention turning for home and wound up dead-heating for 10th.

Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen, Magnitude is a son of Not This Time who had competed in the first two scoring races at Fair Grounds. That profile might ring a bell, since it would have described 2022 Risen Star hero and eventual divisional champion Epicenter, representing the same owner/trainer/sire tandem.

The difference, however, was that Epicenter had performed with greater distinction at the same stage on the trail. After romping in the Gun Runner S. and missing by a head in the Lecomte (G3), he went off as a 7-2 chance in the Risen Star.

Magnitude had yet to make such an impact. A distant second in the Dec. 21 Gun Runner, the bay was sixth in the Jan. 18 Lecomte, and accordingly was overlooked on Saturday.

Drawing the far outside post in the Risen Star was another presumed liability. But new rider Ben Curtis neutralized it by asking Magnitude for speed out of the gate, and his response was effective.

Magnitude dashed straight to the lead, cleared the field, and bagged the advantageous rail. He carved out legitimate splits of :23.42, :46.92, 1:10.95 and drew away with authority down the lane.

Crossing the wire 9 3/4 lengths clear, Magnitude set a new stakes record of 1:48.85 for 1 1/8 miles. The previous record-holder was none other than Epicenter, whose 1:49.03 had been the only sub-1:50 time since the Risen Star was lengthened to 1 1/8 miles in 2020.

Magnitude sparked an $88.40 win payout while collecting 50 points toward the Kentucky Derby (G1). He now has 55 in all, placing him second to champion Citizen Bull on the leaderboard.

Fellow 43-1 shot Chunk of Gold closed to head Built for runner-up honors, rounding out a $1,314.70 exacta ($1). Chunk of Gold earned 25 points for his encouraging dirt debut.

Built, the Gun Runner winner and Lecomte runner-up, turned in another solid effort. In a stalking mode early, Built was Magnitude’s nearest pursuer for most of the stretch before just getting mugged late. He added 15 points to increase his tally to 35.

Vassimo, in a good spot initially, lost position but re-engaged for fourth (10 points). Inexperience arguably told on the previously unbeaten colt who can learn from this. American Promise didn’t leverage his rail post and checked in fifth (five points).

Next came Septarian, Jolly Samurai, Render Judgment, Vamos Carlitos, the dead-heaters East Avenue and Seattle Road, and the trailing Giocoso. Jonathan’s Way was scratched.

East Avenue’s rider, Tyler Gaffalione, thought he was sitting pretty before the colt surprisingly gave way.

“I felt like a winner every step until we got to the far turn,” Gaffalione said. “He switched leads and just kind of emptied out on me. I don't have an answer for it. Hopefully he comes back good and we’ll see what happens.

“It’s hard to tell (if he has the heart to pass other horses). He is still lightly raced, only four starts, so we still have some figuring out to do. (Trainer) Brendan (Walsh) does such a good job with his horses – he’ll figure it out.”

Asmussen and his assistant Scott Blasi certainly figured Magnitude out, setting the stage for a record fourth Risen Star trophy for his connections. Their first came courtesy of Pyro (2008), followed by Hall of Famer Gun Runner (2016).

“(Curtis) needed to make the decision to get over,” Asmussen said of the winning tactics. “He took the initiative and was very positive with what he wanted to do, and the horse responded for him.

“I think the foundation (of the Road to the Derby at Fair Grounds), the races, being here staying in the system and what you can develop – it’s why we’re here.  The horse has not missed a single day, a single oat.

“Scott has done a tremendous job with him. We always thought he was capable of more. We put him where he needed to be, played the bias of the racetrack, and he took advantage of it.”

Curtis also commented about how the track was playing.

“The rail has shown a bias throughout the day,” the winning rider told TwinSpires.com’s James Scully, “and my instructions were fairly simple. You know, kick out the gate, get as forward as possible, and the rail is the ideal place to be.

“It was impressive of the horse because I had to use him early. He came back to me around the top turn, and he relaxed again, and I was able to really pick up the tempo from kind of the three-eighths pole all the way into the stretch. I didn’t hear anything behind me, so It was a pretty enjoyable feeling, going up the Fair Grounds stretch without someone coming at me!”

Magnitude’s scorecard now stands at 7-3-1-0, $446,165. His three wins have all come with aggressive tactics, including an Ellis Park maiden in wire-to-wire fashion last July and a pace-pressing Churchill Downs allowance on Nov. 17. Magnitude was second at every call in the Gun Runner, but never got close to the action in the Lecomte.

Bred by Ron Stolich in Kentucky, Magnitude sold for $450,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. His dam, Rockadelic, is a daughter of Bernardini and multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Octave.