'TDN Rising Star' Zulu, who went missing after a 12th-place finish in the GI Blue Grass S. at Keeneland this April, resurfaced off an eight-month plus layoff to land the restricted Tamarac S. at Gulfstream Park Sunday. Training forwardly at Palm Beach Downs, including a pair of five-panel bullets Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, respectively, the 1-2 crowd's pick and newly blinkerless bay hopped a bit at the start and tracked from a midfield perch behind a :22.17 opening quarter. Javier Castellano had the 3-year-old creeping ominously closer three deep in third through a :44.39, before he charged up to even terms on the far turn. Taking over in upper stretch, Zulu stayed on well to best the closing Yellow Chips (Majesticperfection) by daylight at the wire.
“He has natural speed, but he's not super quick either,” commented winning trainer Todd Pletcher, who was winning his seventh stake during the Championship Meet. “The benefit of drawing outside is you get a little opportunity to let things unfold and let him get his legs up underneath him. I though when Javier [Castellano] asked him he responded well. He hadn't run in eight months, so anytime you haven't been out in a while, you hope you have them tight enough and fit enough. I think the key is to see how he comes out of the race and how soon we want to run him back. Just off the top of my head, it seems like the [GIII] Hal's Hope [S. at Gulfstream Park Jan. 14] might be a nice fit for him, but it's four weeks, so we'll see how he bounced out of it and take it from there.”
Off the mark at first asking sprinting six furlongs over the local dirt last December, the $900,000 FTFMAR 2yo earned his 'Rising Star' moniker with a 7 1/4-length romp in an optional claimer there trying the slop Jan. 15. Zulu ran second to Mohaymen (Tapit) in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Feb. 27, one start prior to the Blue Grass. Temporada, out of MGSW Lemhi Go (Lemhi Gold), has a colt of 2014, Trenchard (Elusive Quality), a weanling colt by Animal Kingdom, and she was covered by Liam's Map later this term. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
TAMARAC S., (NB) $60,000, GP, 12-18, (C), (NW1SL), 3yo, 7f, 1:22.12, ft.
1–ZULU, 118, c, 3, Bernardini–Temporada, by Summer Squall.
($400,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP; $900,000 2yo '15 FTFMAR).
O-Stonestreet Stables LLC, Susan Magnier, Michael B. Tabor &
Derrick Smith; B-Ron Magers & Robert Marcocchio (KY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Javier Castellano. $36,456. Lifetime
Record: GSP, 5-3-1-0, $164,678. *1/2 to Third Chance (Kafwain),
MSW & GSP, $481,464; and Banner Bill (Rockport Harbor),
MSW, $461,467.
2–Yellow Chips, 118, c, 3, Majesticperfection–Acajou, by Horse
Chestnut (Saf). ($130,000 Ylg '14 FTSAUG; $100,000 2yo '15
OBSAPR). O-Morris Bailey; B-H. Allen Poindexter (KY);
T-Edward Plesa, Jr. $11,760.[bullet ad=”selectsales-shell”][bullet ad=”bradley-pinhook”][bullet ad=”berkelhammer-shell”]3–Fearless Dragon, 116, c, 3, Speightstown–Trippi Street, by
Trippi. ($160,000 Ylg '14 KEEJAN; $190,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP).
O-Southern Equine Stable LLC & Robert G. Li; B-Mark Stansell
& Speightstown Syndicate (KY); T-Eric J. Guillot. $5,880.
Margins: 2 3/4, 2HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.50, 5.80, 16.70.[bullet ad=”woodsedgefarm-grad”]Also Ran: Seventh Sense (Tur), Icatiro, Extravagant Kid, Wave Warrior.
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