TONIGHT’s Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star Stakes is the next prep race on the Kentucky Derby trail. It is the first 105-point qualifying race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and the winner gets 50 points, usually enough to earn a Derby berth.

It’s a full field of 12 and sees the reappearance of one of the top two-year-olds of 2024 in the Godolphin-owned East Avenue.

The Brendan Walsh-trained son of Medaglia d’Oro was an impressive winner of his maiden and the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland before putting up a disappointing effort when favourite at the Breeders’ Cup when only ninth of 10, although he had stumbled at the start.

Next in the betting is the Philip Bauer-trained Jonathan’s Way. He was a Churchill Downs Grade 3 winner and then seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, before finishing second in a Grade 2 again at Churchill Downs in December.

Built is a Hard Spun colt trained by Wayne Catalano and was beaten only a neck by Disco Time in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes, the Risen Star prep.

In the fillies’ trial, Good Cheer trained by Brad Cox also for Godolphin, is the short priced favourite as she makes her season bow in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes.

Good Cheer has won her four career outings by a combined 32 and a half lengths.

The Rachel Alexandra has proven to be a key prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks in recent years, producing three Kentucky Oaks winners over the last seven years in Monomoy Girl (2018), Serengeti Empress (2019), and Pretty Mischievous (2023).

Qatar today

The much-travelled Rebel’s Romance sets off on another season as a seven-year-old as Charlie Appleby’s veteran bids for his second win in the Group 3 HH The Amir Trophy (1.15pm) at Doha today.

William Buick takes the ride as he faces seven rivals including three more from Britain, Alflaila (Owen Burrows/Jim Crowley), fourth to Spirit Dancer in the Bahrain International Trophy in November, US The Foxes (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) who was fourth to Romantic Warrior last time in a Hong Kong Group 1, and King’s Gambit (Harry Charlton/Mickael Barzalona).