TDN Rising Star

Spendthrift Farm and Repole Stable's Accelerize (c, 4, Omaha Beach--Motion Emotion, by Take Charge Indy) tackled a seasoned field in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile GIII Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds in just his fourth career start and prevailed in a hard-fought stretch battle. The 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' was making his stakes debut. Just a Touch (Justify), the 3-5 favorite after returning from six months on the sidelines and multiple Grade I placings, hopped awkwardly out of the Louisiana gate. Meanwhile, Accelerize had left the stalls sharply and went...

He won at first-asking, but proved that the increase in real estate was no problem for him, and Jackson Hole (Nyquist) strolled home on seasonal bow at Fair Grounds to become the latest 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' for his sire. A length winner against maidens Dec 13 at Gulfstream Park, the son of GI Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist was strongly supported at the windows to the tune of 4-5 favoritism here, and never gave them a scare. Loping along from the rail, he set a controlled pace in...

MGISW, 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' and Eclipse Award-finalist Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) had his first work on the year when he breezed three furlongs in :37.01 Friday morning at Palm Beach Downs. "It went super," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "Everything went great. He did it well in hand with good enthusiasm. It seems like he's maintained his fitness level fairly well, so we're very pleased. He's put on some weight and filled out, but he was a pretty mature 2-year-old, physically. He was a good-sized colt to begin...

WinStar Farm's Heartland, a 'TDN Rising Star' son of Justify out of the Cat Thief mare Sambuca Classica and a half-brother to Classic Empire, sired his first reported foal on Friday, Jan. 16, when a colt out of I Love Nola (Champali) was born at Katierich Farm in Midway, Ky, the farm announced Friday. The colt, whose dam is a half-sister to stakes-placed Love Boot (Storm Boot), the dam of stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Made to Love Her (Steve Wonderboy), and hails from the family of multiple stakes winner...

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Senza Parole (Gun Runner) made light work of six overmatched rivals in what was most assuredly a prep for a return to stakes competition over the coming weeks. The 4-5 favorite was off alertly from the two hole and was allowed to find her footing before creeping closer midway up the backstretch. Kept well out into the track while clocking the pacesetters, Senza Parole went from the fence into the three path in the blink of an eye at the five-sixteenths and the race...

So Happy (Runhappy) took the lead in midstretch, and refused to come back, keeping his perfect record with a strong win in the GII San Vicente Stakes. The Mark Glatt-trainee entered this contest with only one prior jump to his name. In it, he was last seen breaking his maiden at Del Mar Nov. 22 by three quarters of a length over a field which included two next out winners and GSP Blacksmith (Liam's Map) at 38-1 long odds. There was a scramble coming out of the gate as rivals...

'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard' Explora (Blame), last seen running second as the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, returned to the track Saturday for her 3-year-old debut in the listed Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita. Favored in each of her previous four starts and a winner in two of them, the daughter of Blame has been denied in each of her Grade I tries, suffering a loss earlier in the season to stablemate Bottle of Rogue (Vino Rosso) in the GI Del Mar Debutante. With...

A very live 5-2 chance from a 9-2 morning line, Mike and Katherine Ball homebred Chief Wallabee (c, 3, Constitution--A La Lucie, by Medaglia d'Oro) traveled into the race strongly approaching the stretch and pounced on favored The Puma (Essential Quality) with just under a furlong to travel and proved a very impressive winner of what appeared to be a very hot Gulfstream maiden Saturday afternoon. The effort makes him the newest 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard. Having hinted at considerable ability in his morning trials, including a bullet...

The champion freshman and general sire Distorted Humor was euthanized Saturday morning at the age of 33 due to the infirmities of old age, WinStar Farm announced via press release. A 1993 son of champion Forty Niner out of Danzig's Beauty, by Danzig, Distorted Humor was an accomplished racehorse. Bred in Kentucky by Charles Nuckols Jr. and Sons and owned by R.L. Reineman and Prestonwood Farms and trained by Walden, Distorted Humor won the 1998 GII Commonwealth Breeders' Cup Stakes at Keeneland. He set a track record in the race,...

Grade I winner Tappan Street (Into Mischief) worked Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park in his continued preparation for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Working four furlongs alone at Payson Park, the Brad Cox trainee was clocked in :49.60 (15/48) in his first move since his successful return to the races Dec. 19 against allowance optional claiming company at Gulfstream Park. "It was a really good move, by himself, :49.2 and 1:02.2," said Cox. "I thought the track was much deeper after the break up there [at Payson Park]." Disco Time...

Beholder's Grade I-winning daughter Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) has been retired to Spendthrift Farm following an injury that occurred after training Saturday. The news, first reported by the Daily Racing Form, comes as the latest blow for the soon to be 5-year-old whose career has been a progression of starts and stops dating back through her 2-year-old campaign. Trainer Richard Mandella told the DRF's Steve Anderson that Tamara's post-workout X-rays were "clean, but she is off a little in her right front. They're planning to retire her, and I'm all for...

Bob Baffert came out swinging on Santa Anita's opening day card on Sunday, with Nysos (Nyquist), Goal Oriented (Not This Time)--both TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard, and Usha (Tiz the Law), coming home winners in the GII Laffit Pincay Jr., GI Malibu and GI La Brea, respectively. According to the Hall of Famer, the trio were "doing well" on Monday morning. Baffert also indicated that Nysos and Nevada Beach (Omaha Beach), runner up in the Laffit Pincay Jr., are among potential candidates for the G1 Saudi Cup in Riyadh...