Three-year-old 'TDN Rising Star' Takaful took Saturday's GI Vosburgh S. right to favored El Deal and tenaciously fought on after disputing a fast pace to win the 'Win and You're In' prep for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar Nov. 4. No horse has won the Vosburgh and Breeders' Cup in the same year since Artax in 1999.
No better than the fourth betting choice off a solid runner-up effort behind Practical Joke (Into Mischief) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at Saratoga Aug. 26, the homebred dark bay hit the ground running, but so too did El Deal, last-out romper (Beyer 112) in the July 29 GI A. G. Vanderbilt H. and the duel was on through an opening quarter-mile in :22.31. The battle continued into and around the turn as El Deal clung to a narrow advantage and Takaful was breathing down his neck after four furlongs in a testing :44.76. The chalk was giving all he had inside and still led into the final furlong, but Takaful would simply not go away, as he finally grabbed the pacesetter with 40 yards to go and went on to a hard-fought success. Stallwalkin' Dude came with a decent run from the back of the pack and had every chance in the final sixteenth of a mile, but couldn't catch the top two.
“He's a special horse and I'm so happy to win a Grade 1 for Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the owner, and Rick Nichols and all of Shadwell,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, whose previous win in the race came courtesy of 3-year-old Henny Hughes (Hennessy) in 2006. “They've been patient. We tried to go the [GI Kentucky] Derby route and it didn't work, and they let us just get him right. [Assistant] Joe Lee and his team here at Belmont have done a great job. He's a difficult horse in the mornings but a fun horse too when you end up in the winner's circle. Jose rode a great race. It gives us confidence that he was successfully able to stalk.”
Named a Rising Star off a spectacular eight-length debut success last October, Takaful failed to sparkle in three starts around two turns and a well-beaten eighth to Gunnevera (Dialed In) in the GII Xpressbet Foutain of Youth S. Mar. 4 earned him a trip to the bench. Cut back to three-quarters of a mile for a July 21 Saratoga allowance, Takaful streaked home to score by 5 1/4 lengths and most recently set the early pace in the Jerkens, only to be run down late by the race favorite. Sablah was most recently bred back to Bernardini.
Pedigree Notes:
The 14th Grade I/Group 1 winner for his sire, Takaful is the first produced from an unraced half-sister to SW & GSP Ghaamer (Hard Spun). Third dam Shadayid was Europe's champion 2-year-old filly of 1990 and was responsible for GSW & MG1SP Bint Shadayid (Nashwan), SW Imtiyaz (Woodman) and SW & GSP Al Shadiyah (Danzig). The latter is the dam of SW & MGSP Haatheq (Seeking the Gold) and GSW & GISP Farhaan (Jazil). Sablah is the dam of 2-year-old colt Asdaaf (Medaglia d'Oro), a yearling colt by Daaher and a weanling daughter of Hard Spun. Takaful is the 11th Grade I winner produced by a daughter of Distorted Humor and the fifth this year.
Saturday, Belmont Park
VOSBURGH S.-GI, $350,000, BEL, 9-30, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:09.69, gd.
1–#@&TAKAFUL, 122, c, 3, by Bernardini
1st Dam: Sablah, by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Teeba, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Shadayid, by Shadeed
'TDN Rising Star' O-Shadwell Stable; B-Shadwell Farm (KY);
T-Kiaran P. McLaughlin; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $210,000. Lifetime
Record: 7-3-1-1, $441,500. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]2–El Deal, 124, h, 5, Munnings–Spirit of Wailea, by Out of Place.
($57,000 Wlg '12 KEENOV). O-Al & Michelle Crawford Racing;
B-Martha Buckner (KY); T-Jorge Navarro. $70,000.[bullet ad=”clarkland-foaledraisedsold”]3–Stallwalkin' Dude, 124, g, 7, City Place–Chelle Spendabuck,
by Dare and Go. O-David Jacobson & Head of Plains Partners
LLC; B-Mary M. Haire (FL); T-David Jacobson. $35,000.[bullet ad=”106322″]Margins: 1, HF, 9 1/4. Odds: 4.90, 1.30, 4.40.
Also Ran: Celtic Chaos, Weekend Hideaway, Mr. Crow, Green Gratto. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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