If you want a fast and precocious winning juvenile to add to the stable, a son or daughter of Early Voting seems to be the most expedient method to get one this year.
In the stretch of less than a month, the stallion has had five starters, three winners, one runner-up, and a third-place finisher. And now he tallies his second 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', this time in the form of sensational maiden winner Early Encore at Santa Anita Park.
A week removed from He Is No Lie's 'Rising Star' debut where he sailed home by eight lengths and posted a final time of :51.88 against open maiden company, a second son of the Preakness 147 hero was all the buzz on a Sunday afternoon at the Great Race Place. In the barn of John Sadler since mid-March, he had posted three bullets from seven public works and the betting public was all over him at 1-2 favoritism.
There was a brief moment in the paddock when Early Encore seemed to spook at something, knocking over his groom, but by the time he arrived at the track, he was all business.
Rocketing out of the gate and immediately out to control the pace, the race was more or less over from the jump as the field never seriously threatened him. Sailing through an opening quarter of :22.11 as easily as he pleased, Early Encore came into the lane under a hand ride and the question from there was how big the margin would be…with 6 3/4 lengths being the answer. He stopped the clock in a brisk final time of :51.76 with his ears pricked and hardly breaking a sweat. Scam Alert (Mo Forza) rallied well to claim second in a photo by a nose.
The victor is Early Voting's second 'Rising Star' in the last two weeks to debut at Santa Anita Park and is the stallion's third winner overall. He was one of two Early Voting yearlings to go through the ring during last year's Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings sale, bringing $90,000 from John Sadler as agent.
Early Encore is the first foal for Lute Player, an unplaced daughter of Into Mischief. The mare, whose most recent offspring is a yearling filly by Shaaz, hails from the female line of Group 1 winner Sleepytime (Ire) (Royal Academy). That dam was herself a full and half-sister to a pair of Group 1 winners, and went on in her broodcareer to produce a fleet of accomplished racehorses, including the third dam, Listed winner Dame Ellen (Elusive Quality). The aforementioned mare's half-siblings include track record-setter SW Ry's the Guy (Distorted Humor) and group winners Gentleman's Deal (Ire) (Danehill) and Hathal (Speightstown).
4th-Santa Anita, $66,500, (S), Msw, 5-24, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :51.76, ft, 6 3/4 lengths.
EARLY ENCORE, c, 2, by Early Voting
1st Dam: Lute Player, by Into Mischief
2nd Dam: Jazz Flute, by Unbridled's Song
3rd Dam: Dame Ellen, by Elusive Quality
Sales history: $90,000 Ylg '25 FTCAYR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $39,000. O-Desert Sun Stables, Saints or Sinners, Tier Racing LLC, U Racing Stables LLC, Edwin S. Barker, John Haines, Christopher & Monica Kostoff, and Jeffrey Levinson; B-Richard Barton Enterprises (CA); T-John W. Sadler.
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