TDN Rising Star

Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Peter Deutsch's well-traveled multiple Grade I winner Spiced Perfection (Smiling Tiger) will make her first start at Gulfstream Park as a likely favorite and the class of Saturday's seven-furlong GII Inside Information S. Capturing the GI La Brea S. for Brian Koriner at the end of her 3-year-old campaign, the bay was subsequently moved to Peter Miller's barn and finished a close second in Laurel's GIII Barbara Fritchie S. before scoring a hard-fought victory in the GI Madison S. Apr. 6 at Keeneland. Fourth in...

George Bolton, Arthur Hoyeau, Barry Lipman and Mark Mathiesen's Nadal (Blame) broke slowly as the 6-5 favorite in his Santa Anita unveiling Sunday, but he had no trouble giving his foes a head start, and ultimately proved too much for them to handle en route to being named a 'TDN Rising Star'. A $65,000 KEESEP yearling turned $700,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream grad after a :10 flat breeze, the Bob Baffert pupil had been buzzed about for some time despite a setback over the summer, and finally showed what all the fuss...

Kahlid Abdul Rahim's Bitcoin Passion (Ire) (American Pharoah) was backed down to 2-1 favoritism amongst a well-bred field at Tampa Sunday off a series of five-panel drills at Payson Park, and the money proved prescient as he overcame some greenness in a powerhouse performance worthy of 'TDN Rising Star'-dom. Hopping up at the start, the chestnut found a midpack spot along the rail early behind splits of :23.71 and :48.45. He came off the inside heading into the second bend, but leading local rider Antonio Gallardo hadn't yet given him...

Sent off the lesser-preferred half of an uncoupled Steve Asmussen-trained entry at 13-1, Echo Town (Speightstown) was consigned to a three-wide, no-cover trip, but nonetheless went through his gears in a fast final quarter-mile to become the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star' in the Big Easy. Content to track from off the pace while monitoring the every move of his even-money stablemate Earner (Carpe Diem), a $425,000 Keeneland September graduate, Echo Town--himself a $100,000 purchase by the connections of GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee (Lookin At Lucky)--ranged up...

9th-GP, $51K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($35,000), 4yo/up, 6f, 4:38 p.m. ET There are select few horses who have the ability to win by 14 lengths in their career debut with a triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure, but that's what Juddmonte homebred HIDDEN SCROLL (Hard Spun) accomplished last January on the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. undercard at Gulfstream. Named a no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star' that day, the bay had the racing world buzzing about what was to come, but failed to find the mark in three subsequent tries, albeit with some...

Premier Star (c, 3, Tapiture-Letthetigerparty, by Hold That Tiger) drifted some down the lane, but ran on nicely to handle next out 'TDN Rising Star' Caracaro (Uncle Mo) going seven furlongs on debut at Gulfstream Dec. 8. The chestnut followed suit and earned a 'Rising Star' badge of his own by making it a perfect two-for-two in a first-level optional claimer in Hallandale Wednesday. Facing only five rivals, the 1-5 favorite quickly established control and was unchallenged while on the engine through fractions of :22.49 and :45.00. He let it...

The older filly and mare division could be sensational this year. Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lure) is coming off a stellar 4-year-old campaign and will be seen next battling the world's best horses in the Feb. 29 Saudi Cup. Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) is set to return to the races after a layoff of more than a year and will try to duplicate her 2018 form, when she was an Eclipse Award winner and the winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. And now you can add Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) to...

Spice Is Nice (Curlin) turned heads when hammering for $1.05 million at Keeneland September back in 2018, and turned many more Sunday at Gulfstream when running away to a double-digit debut graduation and 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Drilling steadily at Belmont until late November, the chestnut missed a few weeks of breezes, but got right back to task with a half-mile bullet in :48 4/5 (1/5) Dec. 20 at Palm Beach Downs before recording a sharp five-furlong move in 1:00 1/5 (3/22) there nine days later. Hammered early in the...

"Inside the Winner's Circle, Presented by Keeneland" is a series showcasing graduates of the Keeneland September sale who have gone on to achieve success on racing's biggest stages. 'TDN Rising Star' Valid Point (Scat Daddy) isn't exactly following the script his owners envisioned when they bought him as a $140,000 yearling at the 2017 Keeneland September sale. But the improvised rewrite this undefeated colt is orchestrating just might turn out better than the original story line, because the plot thickened considerably last Saturday when Valid Point roared home a length...

A pair of immaculately bred 2-year-old fillies by the late Deep Impact (Jpn) and produced by two mares of considerable importance in the U.S. broke their maidens about 30 minutes apart at Japan's Niigata Racecourse Sunday, Aug. 11. Sunday Racing Co. Ltd's Catulus Felis (Jpn), the first foal out of 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Stephanie's Kitten (Kitten's Joy), validated 3-10 favoritism to graduate over 1800 meters. Drawn gate 12 in the field of 14, the February foal was off a beat slowly then settled about...

Defying the rain-softened ground and a trio from Ballydoyle, Khalid Abdullah's Siskin (First Defence) kept his unbeaten record intact as he prevailed from TDN Rising Star Monarch of Egypt (American Pharoah) in Friday's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at The Curragh. Held up in fourth early by Colin Keane, the 10-11 favourite cruised into a challenging position on the far side heading to two out where battle was joined with Monarch of Egypt who he had beaten in the course-and-distance G2 Railway S. Looking to be losing out in that tussle...

Magic Dance (More Than Ready), the TDN Rising Star who stumbled at the start of the GII Adirondack S. at Saratoga Sunday, sustained a bone bruise in her left front leg in the incident and will be off for an undetermined amount of time, according to her trainer, Steve Asmussen. "It was a result of the stumble that she had in the Adirondack which broke the skin in the back of her left front ankle," said Asmussen from Saratoga Friday morning. "It was quite a significant stumble. She actually burned...