Intense Holiday Takes Risen Star

For more than half of the of the 1 1/16 miles Risen Star Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, there was little to indicate 5-1 Intense Holiday was going to emerge the winner of the $400,000 Grade II race. Under first-time rider Mike Smith, the Harlan’s Holiday colt was sitting seventh in the 15-horse field throughout the first part of the race, and as the leaders entered the final turn, he looked for a moment like he was going to be shuffled even further back.

Winner needed every bit of the distance

But as they came into the stretch, Smith took Intense Holiday three wide, and from there he was able to get past favored Vicar’s In Trouble (5-2), and then wear down a game pacesetter in the form of Albano (14-1), using ever bit of the distance to get up at the wire and take the photo by a nose, with Vicar’s in Trouble just holding on for third. Making his fifth straight graded-stakes start, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt picked up his first win since breaking his maiden last June.

A Kentucky Derby spot possibly locked up

Perhaps more important, the victory was worth 50 points in the series to determine the starters for the 2014 Kentucky Derby, and almost guarantees Intense Holiday will have a place in the gate. He currently sits in first place in the points’ table, although there are still 14 races to go in the series. Vicar’s In Trouble was awarded 10 points to go with the 10 he earned with a win in the Lecomte Stakes last month, putting him in a tie for fifth overall. The next race in the series is the Gotham Stakes, March 1 at Aqueduct.