If you’re playing the All-Stakes Pick 4 Saturday at Fair Grounds (Races 10 - 13), hopefully you’re in the mood for the Risen Star Stakes, because you get two of them due to the race attracting 23 entrants and splitting into two divisions that will run as Races 12 and 13 on the card.

The Risen Star always lures some of the best 3-year-olds and is a stepping stone to the Louisiana Derby and success in those two races usually earns a horse a ticket to Kentucky. The splitting of the race makes each a strong handicapping challenge.

Four horses made the cut for the 1st division on my suggested $72 Pick 4 ticket – Silver State, Enforceable, Mr. Monomoy and Scabbard.

Three more runners - Liam’s Lucky Charm, Anneau d’Or and Finnick the Fierce - are on my ticket from the 2nd division.

Enforceable is the lukewarm 7-2 favorite in the 1st division, while Anneau d’Or is lined at 9-5 in the 2nd division.

Enforceable took to the Fair Grounds track in fine fashion as he rallied strongly for a win in the G3 Lecomte. Silver State and Mr Monomoy were 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The Lecomte marked the 1st time he was ridden by Julien Leparoux, who is up for the return engagement.

Silver State has raced only three times but has shown a lot of talent in each. After a easy maiden score and a second by a nose in an allowance at Churchill, he moved to New Orleans and was moving extremely well at the end of the Lecomte. The additional distance could play to him nicely.

Mr. Monomoy was just behind Silver State in the Lecomte and improved from a second in an allowance over the main track. Scabbard ran an even 5th in the Lecomte but has several good performances on his form. He probably needed the start in the Lecomte and he looks ready for the added ground.

Anneau d’Or is the deserving favorite in the nightcap, mainly because he was second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Futurity and 2nd in the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity. Joel Rosario takes over the riding assignment.

Like several others, the 1 1-8th miles could be a challenge for Anneau d’Or, but he does have a distance pedigree in his favor (by Medaglia d’Oro).

Liam’s Lucky Charm comes in off an effort as sharp as any recent performance by any in the field as he really uncorked an eye opener at Tampa Bay Downs, where he won the Pasco Stakes by 5.5 lengths in a sizzling 1:21 3-5 for seven furlongs – just four-fifths of season of the track record set last year by Win Win Win. He was 3rd in his only two-turn effort (at Gulfstream) and could try to control this one from the outset.

Finnick the Fierce was 4th in the Lecomte and could benefit greatly from a fast pace. He closed for 2nd in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last year and the distance of the Risen Star should be to his liking.

My Ticket

Race 10) #2 Synchrony, #5 Dontblamerocket, #8 Tone Broke, #9 Captivating Moon, #10 Space Mountain, #12 Midnight Tea Time.

Race 11) #6 British Idiom, #7 Finite.

Race 12) #2 Silver State, #8 Enforceable, #9 Mr. Monomoy, #11 Scabbard.

Race 13) #5 Liam’s Lucky Charm, #8 Anneau d’Or, #10 Finnick the Fierce

Total Ticket Cost) 2-5-8-9-10-12/6-7/2-8-9-11/5-8-10 = $72 for $0.50.