Rising Star' Tops Jerome Field

'TDN Rising Star' El Kabeir (Scat Daddy) closed out his juvenile campaign with a victory in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 29 and he looks to start his sophomore season the same way as the morning-line favorite in Aqueduct's 
GIII Jerome S. The Zayat Stables colorbearer was tabbed a “Rising Star” after his ultra-impressive 10 3/4-length graduation at Saratoga Aug. 30. A well-beaten fourth in a sloppy renewal of Belmont's GI Champagne S. Oct. 4, the gray skipped the Breeders' Cup in favor of the one-mile GII Nashua S. here Nov. 2 where he was runner-up to the undefeated Blofeld (Quality Road) over a muddy main track. Overlooked at 7-1 when shipped to Louisville for his two-turn debut in the 1 1/6-mile Kentucky Jockey Club S., the John Terranova pupil held off a late run from GIII Pilgrim S. hero Imperia (Medaglia d'Oro) to secure a narrow wire-to-wire victory under jockey Calvin Borel. The Hall of Famer makes the trip to New York to pilot El Kabeir, who will break from the outside post in this nine-horse affair. Todd Pletcher will be represented by a pair of newly-minted sophomores in Eric Fein and Christopher McKenna's Ostrolenka (Musket Man) and Starlight Racing's Royal Burgh (Street Sense). A non-factor seventh in his six-panel debut against fellow New York-breds over a sloppy main track at Saratoga Aug. 31, Ostrolenka returned with a vengeance to wire a field of state-breds by 14 1/2 lengths going a mile over a fast track at Belmont Sept. 28. Scoring again next out at that track and trip in the state-bred Sleepy Hollow S. Oct. 18, the bay drew the 11-hole last time in the 1 1/8-mile GII Remsen S. Nov. 29 and failed to fire when finishing last of 13 over a speedy favoring outer track here. His less experienced stablemate Royal Burgh finished 4 1/2 lengths clear of Ostrolenka in 12th last time in the Remsen, but earned his diploma with a gritty neck victory in his 1 1/6-mile debut at Keeneland Oct. 22. Rudy Rodriguez won the 2013 renewal of this test with last term's GII Kelso H. winner Vyjack (Into Mischief) and sends out a live one this year in Ackeret (Mach Ride). The Pick Six Racing and Silver Streak Stables colorbearer was a debut winner against $65,000 maiden claimers at Belmont Oct. 9, but could do no better than fifth behind Cinco Charlie (Indian Charlie) in Laurel's James F. Lewis III S. Nov. 15. Returning to the winner's circle last time with a 5 3/4-length victory in a six-panel Parx allowance, the dark bay takes a step up in class and tries two turns for the first time here. Second on debut going five-panels against state-breds at Parx Sept. 6, Someday Farm's Nasa (Smarty Jones) romped by 9 1/4 lengths while facing open company in a seven-panel test at Laurel Sept. 27. Heavily favored next out in the restricted Christopher Elser Memorial S. at Parx Nov. 16, the bay did not disgrace himself when he closed determinedly from a bit farther out of it then he had been in the past to be a respectable third. The John Servis trainee was victorious once again last time Dec. 6 in a sloppy renewal of the seven-panel state-bred Pennsylvania Nursey S. at Parx, which was the first black-type win of his famous sire's illustrious career for these same connections. Nasa continues to follow in his sire's hoofprints by making his two-turn debut here, which Smarty Jones also did in the track-and-trip Count Fleet S. exactly 10 years ago today.