Gilded Bandit

Saturday's Belmont Stakes is the last of nine top-level events on the weekend and the final of the six highly anticipated Grade I contests scheduled for a bumper card at Saratoga, short, medium and long on both the turf and the main track. A top-quality field of seven is set to face the starter in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap, for which 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Nysos (Nyquist) is the 9-5 morning-line favorite and 126-pound topweight in the 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders'...

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Golden Tempo (Curlin) was not the only marquee name on the worktab over the last 48 hours, as horses prepping for next week's Belmont Stakes Racing Festival--as well as some household names not heading to upstate New York--turned in breezes at racetracks from coast-to-coast, from Saratoga, Laurel and Fair Hill to Santa Anita. To follow are works in alphabetical order at the various venues with parenthetical mention of intended targets or races to which the horses have been nominated. Saratoga (Oklahoma unless othewise indicated)...

The trio of 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Emerging Market (Candy Ride {Arg}), Ottinho (Quality Road)and Growth Equity (Nyquist) trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown and the 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', Chief Wallabee (Constitution) for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott worked Saturday across Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park in preparation for the GI Belmont Stakes at the Spa June 6, the NYRA press office said in a Saturday release. The pair of Ottinho and Growth Equity worked in company over the Belmont Park dirt...

The 3-year-old sprint division just keeps getting better. Deep Flame (c, 3, Into Mischief--Barbadia, by Speightstown) looks like another major player in the stacked division following a head-turning, seven-length maiden victory over older horses at third asking at Churchill Downs May 17. The Juddmonte homebred sat a press-and-pounce trip beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. and stopped the timer for six furlongs in a sharp 1:08.96. He earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure. He was previously a well-beaten second behind next-out Lafayette S. winner Trouble Calling (Dialed In) on debut for Brad...

13th-CD, $127k, Alw/OC ($125k), 3yo, 6 1/2f, 8:00 p.m. ET About an hour after the Derby goes official, a strong group of 3-year-olds are set to slug it out over 6 1/2 furlongs. Pin Oak Stud will be represented in the Run for the Roses by Albus (Yaupon) and Incredibolt (Bolt d'Oro) and the famed farm colors will be carried aboard GILDED BANDIT (Charlatan) in the evening's penultimate raced. A slow-starting fourth on Gulfstream debut Feb. 28, the $550,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad added blinkers and got just the better of...

Triple Crown-nominated Gilded Bandit (Charlatan) out-dueled fellow second-time starter Deep Flame (Into Mischief) to a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'-worthy win at Keeneland Saturday for Pin Oak Stud and trainer Bill Mott. Racing with the blinkers added off a 'better than it looked' fourth-place run at Gulfstream Feb. 28 (highlighted here by the TDN's Steve Sherack in his 'Second Chances' series), the 3-1 shot had to sit towards the back of the field while main rival, 6-5 favorite Deep Flame was up on a battle for the lead through...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Gilded Bandit (c, 3, Charlatan--Diamond Ore, by Tapit) had plenty of steam behind him ahead of his debut on the stacked Coolmore Fountain of Youth program at Gulfstream Park Feb. 28. He fired back-to-back bullet drills at Bill Mott's Payson Park base, including a four-furlong move in :48 (1/53) Feb. 20, and was well-supported as the 3-1 second-choice off a 10-1 morning-line quote in a deep six-furlong...