Into the ‘Brea’-ch
Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s TDN Rising Star Taris (Flatter) made headlines when storming away from overmatched rivals to take Keeneland’s GII Lexus Raven Run S. by a pole Oct. 18 and then again 16 days later when selling for $2.35 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. She’ll try to generate more bold type in Friday’s GI La Brea S. at Santa Anita, but was done no favors by Sunday’s post position draw.
“I would have preferred another spot,” said Simon Callaghan, who takes over the training duties from Todd Beattie. “But she’s got enough speed to get out of there and get a position, so we’ll see what happens.”
When on her game, Taris is among the fastest females in training and has trailed only once at the any call in her four races around one turn. Since finishing sixth as the favorite in Oaklawn’s GIII Honeybee S. in her lone try at a route of ground in March, the bay, formerly owned by Commonwealth New Era Racing, has won her two subsequent appearances by nearly 17 lengths, including her nine-length tour-de-force at a fat $16 mutuel in the Raven Run, defeating Thank You Marylou (Birdstone) into third. Taris’s work coming into her Grade I debut has been spectacular, including a five-furlong move in :58 flat Dec. 14 which was the fastest of 132 at the distance.
Thank You Marylou is one of four other graded winners in Friday’s 10-horse affair, having rolled to a 6 1/2-length victory in the Sept. 20 GIII Dogwood S. going this distance at Churchill Downs ahead of her defeat at the hands of Taris in the Raven Run. While the previous connections of Taris decided to take a pass on a quick return in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint two weeks later, the Ramseys and trainer Mike Maker pressed on and the filly did them proud with a third-place effort to Judy the Beauty (Ghostzapper), a length clear of Stonetastic (Mizzen Mast) in fourth.
The latter, a 2-year-old of some promise in 2013, has improved to become a significant female sprinter this term. The gray filly ran her rivals off their feet in the GII Prioress S. at Saratoga Aug. 30, but faltered to be third after setting a searching pace in the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. at Keeneland Oct. 4 and was a well-bet 3-1 in the seven-furlong Filly/Mare Sprint based on the projected race shape. Sent off the narrow second choice to the Wesley Ward runner, Stonetastic cut the opening half-mile in a reasonable :44.87, but couldn’t see out the trip and was 4 1/2 lengths in arrears at the wire. She is perhaps best seen as a potential fly in Taris’s ointment.
Trainer Bob Baffert has won this race on seven occasions since 1992 and sends out the field’s other two graded winners to increase that number. Zayat Stable & WinStar Farm’s Jojo Warrior (Pioneerofthe Nile), the fourth and most recentTDN Rising Star produced by Carson Jen (Carson City), has done her best work going two turns, including a front-running victory in the GII Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita June 21, following which an interest in the filly was purchased by WinStar. She tacked on a coast-to-coast score in Del Mar’s GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 31 and was last seen finishing a creditable pacesetting third over a speed-favoring surface behind Untapable (Tapit) in the GI Cotillion S. at Parx Sept. 20.
Awesome Baby (Awesome Again) looks to become the third TDN Rising Star owned by Kaleem Shah to achieve Grade I glory in 2014, joining Bayern (Offlee Wild) and Dortmund (Big Brown). The dark bay won this track’s GII Santa Ynez S. in January before stretching out to annex the GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 1 and the Sunland Park Oaks Mar. 23. She’ll need to have her running shoes on in her first start since.