Brandi’ Looks to Bounce Back

Willis Horton’s “TDN Rising Star” Take Charge Brandi (Giant’s Causeway) will look to bounce back from a disappointing effort last time and earn an automatic berth into the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in today’s GII Pocahontas S. The $435,000 KEESEP yearling took her 4 1/2-furlong unveiling with uncommon ease June 22, and dueled through quick splits in Saratoga’s GIII Schuylerville S. before settling for second to fellow ‘Rising Star’ Fashion Alert (Old Fashioned) July 18. She was a well-beaten fifth last time in the Aug. 10 GII Adirondack S., but returned to this strip to fire a four-panel warning shot in :47 flat, earning the best-of-67 bullet along with stablemate and GIII Iroquois S. entrant Mr. Z (Malibu Moon) Sept. 1. “We’re confident that she can go the distance and the ‘Win and You’re In’ for the Juvenile Fillies is significant,” said Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Shortleaf Stable’s Pangburn (Congrats) was last seen making a successful debut in a grassy one-mile heat at Ellis July 12 that has been subsequently flattered by the also-rans. Both the second and third-place finishers in that five-horse affair returned to score. Conditioner Ken McPeek ran third here last year with Rosalind (Broken Vow), who would go on to earn a pair of Grade I placings that season before dead-heating for the win in April’s GI Ashland S. Tom Amoss saddles Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc.’s True to You (Scat Daddy) as she looks to go two-for-two. The $115,000 OBS June buy was a three-length winner at first asking sprinting on the Indiana grass Aug. 20. GSN Racing LLC’s Cristina’s Journey (Any Given Saturday) is another who is stretching out off a debut success, having donned cap and gown by 4 1/2 lengths at Ellis in front-running fashion July 27. The bay is conditioned by Dale Romans, who has a strong record in graded stakes in Louisville. “She’s a ratable horse,” Romans said. “I don’t see her having any trouble going a little further either. Everybody that’s been on her says she’ll do what she wants. If she’s fast and can rate then I’d say she’ll be competitive.”