By Alan Carasso
The form of the Mar. 7 maiden won by 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Crude Velocity (Beau Liam) continues to read extremely strong, as Great Friends Stables and Mark Davis's Decisive Win (c, 3, Nyquist–Weekend Away, by Malibu Moon) made light work of five rivals when graduating by the better part of a half-dozen lengths en route to his own 'Rising Star' Friday at Santa Anita.
Beaten seven lengths into fourth on that occasion–an effort still strong enough to grade out at a 75 Beyer Speed Figure–the $200,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $600,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic breezer was crunched into 1-2 favoritism for the stretchout and made no mistakes.
Kicked straight into the lead by Antonio Fresu from gate five in this first two-turn journey, Decisive Win made the running from just off the inside of the track and took the field into the backstretch after an opening quarter in a relatively comfortable :23.26. Kept in the two path for the run down the back, the chestnut colt was always going nicely in hand and Fresu began to up the tempo ever so slightly from three-eighths out.
Firmly in front as they hit the stretch, Decisive Win lengthened his stride nicely, his head cocked slightly to the right here and there, but he flashed home a facile winner in the sharp time of 1:35.83 for the mile.
Crude Velocity recently made the GII Pat Day Mile Stakes his third win in as many career appearances, while the second home in the Mar. 7 maiden, the O'Neill-trained Civil Liberty (Constitution), earned a 98 Beyer when breaking his maiden by three lengths at Keeneland when last seen Apr. 12. Only seventh on debut, Memory (Uncle Mo) was given a 93 Beyer when prevailing by 3/4 of a length going a mile here in his next start in April and he was most recently a close sixth in a competitive Churchill allowance on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 2.
A fourth 'Rising Star' for his sire, also trained by O'Neill, Decisive Win is the second winner from three to the races out of a daughter of the stakes-winning Private Gift (Unbridled), also the dam of treble graded winner Private Mission (Into Mischief) and MSW/GSP Secret Someone (A.P. Indy). Another of Private Gift's offspring, Gift List (Bernardini), produced 2019 GI Alabama Stakes heroine Dunbar Road (Quality Road).
There is further black-type in the stakes-winning and Grade I-placed third dam Private Status, whose daughter Secret Status (A.P. Indy) carried the Lane's End colors to victory in the 2000 GI Kentucky Oaks and went on to foal 2009 GI Belmont Stakes and GI Florida Derby runner-up Dunkirk (Unbridled's Song). Secret Status was a full-sister to the Keeneland-loving MGSW Alumni Hall.
Weekend Away is also responsible for the juvenile colt Winchester Road (Quality Road) and was bought back on a bid of $235,000 at Keeneland January in 2025. Sadly, her foal by Elite Power died that year, but the mare produced a colt by another Uncle Mo stallion–Yaupon–on Mar. 17 of this season.
DECISIVE WIN ($3.00) and @Antonio1Fresu sail home in Race 4 to break his maiden at @SantaAnitaPark for trainer @DougONeill1 and owners Mark Davis and @GreatStable. Another winner by @DarleyAmerica's Nyquist. pic.twitter.com/JYMqDkjiEd
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) May 22, 2026
4th-Santa Anita, $65,500, Msw, 5-22, 3, 4,/5yo, 1m, 1:35.83, ft, 5 1/2 lengths.
DECISIVE WIN, c, 3, Nyquist
1st Dam: Weekend Away, by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Private Gift, by Unbridled
3rd Dam: Private Status, by Alydar
Sales History: $200,000 Wlg '23 KEENOV; $600,000 2yo '25 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $43,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Great Friends Stables and Mark D. Davis; B-RTA Family Trust, George E. Saufley (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill.
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