By Christie DeBernardis
Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton's Copper Bullet (More Than Ready) is one of three “TDN Rising Stars” stepping up off impressive graduations in Friday night's GIII Bashford Manor S. at Churchill Downs. Runner-up on debut at Keeneland Apr. 26, the $200,000 KEESEP buy earned his “TDN Rising Star” nod with a front-running tour de force over this strip May 25, galloping home under a hand ride to score by an ultra-impressive eight lengths.
Mark Casse saddles the $450,000 topper from last term's Fasig-Tipton New York-bred sale Mo Diddley (Uncle Mo). The bay overcame a bad break and wide trip to earn the “TDN Rising Star” moniker in his Churchill unveiling May 18.
Ken McPeek sends out the third “TDN Rising Star” in Ten City (Run Away and Hide), who dominated by seven lengths in his career bow at Keeneland Apr. 19. The dark bay, who enters off a bullet five-furlong breeze in Lexington in :59 1/5 June 23, will receive Lasix for the first time in Friday's test.
Rounding out the six-horse affair are a pair of runners from the Wayne Rice barn, I'm Corfu (Corfu) and Fig Jelly (Forestry), who both broke their maidens over the Presque Isle synthetic; and Hardworkcleanlivin (Colonel John), a first-out winner at Lone Star May 5.
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