By Brian DiDonato
Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Take These Chains (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) gets tested for class against a solid group in Belmont's Thursday co-feature, the GIII Intercontinental S. The bay opened her account with fast-finishing tallies at Gulfstream last March and here some 50 weeks ago, and resurfaced over course and distance Apr. 28 to clear her next condition by the easiest of 3 1/2-length margins. The Gunther homebred is trained by none other than Chad Brown, who will also saddle Conquest Babayaga (Uncle Mo), a $210,000 pick-up out of the Conquest Stables dispersal at KEEENOV '16 who is now two-for-two for Louis Lazzinnaro.
Portmagee (Hard Spun) outran 7-1 odds to steal the local License Fee S. Apr. 30 and increase her record in turf sprints to three-for-four. Fourth as the favorite that day was Fair Point (Smart Strike), who had previously been seen annexing the GIII Senator Ken Maddy S. down the hill at Santa Anita on Breeders' Cup weekend Nov. 5.
“She's doing good,” Fair Point's Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey told the NYRA notes team. “We knocked the dust off her last time and I thought she came out of it well. I think she's been training well since then.”
Mark Casse sends out Mississippi Delta (Giant's Causeway), who was sixth last year behind the Brown-trained Zindaya (More Than Ready). The 5-year-old subsequently annexed the Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint S. at a similar distance in September over Rapid Rhythm (Successful Appeal). A three-time runner-up at the graded level, she was most recently fourth behind yet another Chad Brown pupil in the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. May 6.
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