Curlin 'Rising Star' Looks Tough in Mazarine

Live Oak Plantation's Souper Sensational (Curlin), a 'TDN Rising Star' and dominant last-out stakes winner, will take some beating as a likely prohibitive favorite making her graded stakes bow in Sunday's GIII Mazarine S. at Woodbine.

Unveiled as a 6-5 favorite traveling seven furlongs here Sept. 26, the $725,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase notched a handy 2 1/4-length success over a runner-up who was another 9 3/4 lengths clear of third. Hammered down to 3-5 stepping up into stakes company in the Glorious Song S. Oct. 17, the chestnut did not disappoint, racing up on a swift pace and running away to a four-length score.

While the chalk looks probable to benefit from an advantageous pace scenario in her two-turn bow, two contenders who could pick up the pieces if things get hot up front are Batyah (Pioneerof the Nile) and Designer Ready (Tapit). Rallying from well back to graduate going away by 2 1/4 lengths when opening her account over a grassy mile Sept. 19 at Belmont, $150,000 Keeneland September buy Batyah closed some ground to be fifth behind next-out GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the GII JPMorgan Chase Jessamine S. Oct. 7 at Keeneland. Bruce Lunsford's Designer Ready broke slowly debuting over 1 1/16 miles on the local grass Oct. 3 before going from last to first to triumph by 2 1/2 lengths in a race that's featured three next-out winners.