Paladin Surges Late to Win Risen Star, Takes Derby Points Lead

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Paladin gets up; Hodges Photography
Paladin Surges Late to Win Risen Star, Takes Derby Points Lead

NEW ORLEANS (Feb. 14, 2026) — Remsen winner Paladin added another Derby prep title to his resume, surging in the final strides to narrowly beat Chip Honcho in the Grade 2 $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. With the victory, he earned 50 points on the Road to Kentucky Derby 152 and now leads the standings with 60 points.

Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, Brook Smith and Summer Wind Equine, Paladin is trained by Chad Brown and was piloted by Tyler Gaffalione. Paladin covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.14, beating Chip Honcho by a half-length.

Gaffalione capped a Rachel Alexandra–Risen Star sweep, riding Bella Ballerina to victory in the Rachel Alexandra.

Over a track that favored horses on or near the lead, Paladin broke sharply and tracked race leader Chip Honcho, who was hustled to the front after breaking a touch slow. Chip Honcho set an opening fraction of :23.81 before posting a half-mile in :47.49. Paladin advanced to second midway down the backstretch and continued to pressure the leader in the far turn. Chip Honcho dug in and led deep into the stretch, but as he began to tire, Paladin surged past in the final strides for the victory.

“I’m very thankful for the entire ownership team and Chad Brown for giving me the opportunity to ride such a nice horse. He really fought hard today to get the win. The more I asked of him, the more he was able to dig in to get by (Chip Honcho).”

Dropping far back in seventh of eight, Golden Tempo swung wide out of the turn and rallied for third, earning 15 Derby points for a total of 35. Universe made one run for fourth, adding 10 points for a new total of 23. After breaking on top, Carson Street stalked from the pocket but faded in the stretch, holding fifth to add 5 points for a total of 11.

“It was an incredible performance today,” co-owner Brook Smith said. “He dug in late to get by (Chip Honcho). He’s an incredibly talented horse. Hopefully, we’ll have him back in Kentucky in April then onto the Derby a month later.”

Almost the same ownership group, along with Brown and Gaffalione, won the 2024 Risen Star with Sierra Leone on his way to a second-place finish in Kentucky Derby 150.

Sent off as the odds-on favorite, Paladin paid $3.40, $2.80 and $2.10.

Perfect in three starts, the chestnut son of Gun Runner has now earned $484,250.

The last stop on Fair Grounds’ Road to the Derby is the Grade 2 $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby, to be contested Saturday, March 2. Kentucky Derby qualifying points will be awarded on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale for the 1 3/16-mile contest.

Dark on Sunday, Feb. 15, live racing at Fair Grounds resumes for the traditional Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras programs.

Additional Quotes:

Luis Saez, jockey of second-place finisher Chip Honcho

“He went fast to get to the front, but I had him on the lead where I wanted. He just got a little tired late. I feel like he’s going to be a really nice horse.”

Jose Ortiz, jockey of third-place finisher Golden Tempo

“He made a pretty good run out of the turn. The track played to the speed today but those top two are very nice horses. My horse ran about the same (as in the Lecomte), but still, it was a solid effort.”

Chris Elliot, jockey of fourth-place finisher Universe

“He’s a very nice horse. He’s still figuring things out a little bit but I was happy with his effort. My plan was to make one good one run and he gave me what he had.”

Ben Curtis, jockey of fifth-place finisher Carson Street

“He ran great. I had a lovely spot in the race. He traveled around beautifully. He was going to be a very solid third at the 1/16th pole but his stamina ran out. He’s going to be a very solid horse going forward – he loves his job – you can’t buy that at the sales.”

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 13 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 154th Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 113th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 20, 2025 through March 22, 2026. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.