TDN Rising Star

Charting a course then declaring 'here be dragons' when she made land in the seaside oval winner's circle, Explora (Blame--Collections Choice, by Bernardini) set sail from the gate and never looked back in a maiden-breaking performance on Sunday which earned her a 'TDN Rising Star' flag for her top mast. The heavy favorite established her lead up the backstretch and tacked around the far turn like she had even pulled out her pocket handkerchiefs. With rider Juan Hernandez playing the role of bosun, Explora went easy en route to win...

Snow Face Princess (Midshipman--Crusin Alone, by Honor Code) timed her run in the Bolton Landing Stakes to perfection as she nailed 'TDN Rising Star' Cy Fair (Not This Time) right on the money. The eye-catching blaze-faced filly came into this race with a fourth-place effort on debut May 23 at the Belmont Big A meet, and a two-length graduation last out July 30 over this course when she tried turf for the first time. Off as a 6-1 shot here, Snow Face Princess broke inwardly but recovered well to chase...

Named a 'TDN Rising Star' when romping to a 12-length maiden victory over the adjacent Tapeta track back on July 13, Gold Square LLC's Two Out Hero (War Front) split horses decisively with push coming to shove in Saturday's Soaring Free Stakes at Woodbine and finished nicely to take his record to two wins from as many tries and cap a wildly successful afternoon from the King's Plate-winning barn of Kevin Attard. Off as the 6-5 chalk, the $240,000 Keeneland September purchase could have flaunted the same sort of speed...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In the category of "Can You Top This Story?" Elza Mitchum and his son, Alex, have a solid contender for the prize. Their aptly named colt 'TDN Rising Star' It's Our Time (Not This Time) produced the Mitchums' tale Saturday with a 17 3/4-length victory in the seventh race at Saratoga Race Course. Under Luis Saez, the Virginia-bred colt was the Mitchums' first career winner in their, yes, second start as owners. It's Our Time and Saez turned in their smoking performance in the $100,000 maiden...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Jockey Junior Alvarado, the race day partner of Sovereignty (Into Mischief), the leading 3-year-old in the country, knows how everyone feels now. That's because he saw up close just how powerful Sovereignty is. Sovereignty had his final work before next weekend's $1.25 million GI Travers Stakes Saturday morning at the Oklahoma Training Track. As usual, he was being ridden by Neil Poznansky, the assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Alvarado, helping the barn out, climbed aboard Fort Nelson (Bernardini), who was Sovereignty's workmate for...

4th-SAR, $100k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 2:20p.m. ET A homebred for St Elias Stable, Nonna Teresa (Gun Runner) will head out for conditioner Todd Pletcher on what could turn into a very quality-heavy afternoon for debuting runners at The Spa. From the female line of the great Personal Ensign through third dam MGISW My Flag (Easy Goer), the chestnut is out of MGSW Teresa Z (Smart Strike), herself a half-sister to the dams of GSW-UAE Queen Azteca (Sharp Azteca) and MGSP Colorful Mischief (Into Mischief). Her final prep for this...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is sending a strong contingent to Saratoga Race Course for Travers Day next Saturday. But he won't have a runner in the marquee event, the GI DraftKings Travers Stakes. Baffert said Wednesday that he is keeping 'TDN Rising Star' Goal Oriented (Not This Time) in California. He had originally been planning on shipping the lightly raced colt East but nixed that idea after Goal Oriented worked at Del Mar on Friday. He went seven furlongs in a 1:23.80 (1/2). "He...

'TDN Rising Star' Himika proved that her impressive first-out victory at Santa Anita in June was no fluke, followed up with an equally effortless victory when taking Del Mar's GIII Sorrento Stakes Sunday. Of a touch slow from her inside draw, the bay bullied her way through the tightly-knit pack heading through an honest :22.11 quarter. Edging past longshot My Kat (Gato Del Oro) approaching the home turn, she fired all boosters late, drawing off to score by a geared-down 4 1/4-length margin over Mo' Em Down, clear of Thank...

After running headlong into 'TDN Rising Star' Brant (Gun Runner) in their mutual unveiling July 26, Balboa (Not This Time--Tap of War, by War Front) had his time in the California rays in Sunday's opener at Del Mar and earned his own 'Rising Star' honors while he was at it. A distant third in the aforementioned debut as the $3-million OBSMAR grad rolled away from that field, his stablemate earned a gaudy 101 Beyer for that victory while Balboa was still given an 80 despite being almost 10 lengths behind....

'TDN Rising Star' Big Truzz was stout and fearless as he notched the first stakes win of his career when he took down the Ellis Park Derby on Sunday afternoon. Garnering the 'Rising Star' rosette on debut at Keeneland Apr. 12, he was tasked with taking on optional claiming company May 3 at Churchill Downs and ran a solid second to fellow 'Rising Star' Patch Adams (Into Mischief), who was most recently seen winning the GI Woody Stephens June 7 where Big Truzz ran third. On July 5 in the...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Competing much like he trained, Golden Tornado (McKinzie) showed Saturday that he is a 2-year-old colt to pay attention to. While his connections were confident of his ability level, Golden Tornado made it clear that he was indeed ready for the prime time of a $100,000 maiden special weight test at the Spa with a 3 1/4-length triumph. Under Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario, the bay colt owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Antony Beck's Gainesway Stable and Legendary Thoroughbreds, stalked pacesetter Oscar's Hope (Twirling Candy),...

Bregman Family Racing and Swinbank Stable LLC's Governor Sam (Improbable) is perfect in two previous efforts over Saratoga's Mellon turf course and he'll look to keep that record intact as a warm favorite in Sunday's newly upgraded GIII Mahony Stakes. A maiden winner when making his local debut just over a year ago, the bay rattled off three in a row in stakes company and made the majority of the pace in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint before clinging on gamely for third. Governor Sam dropped his first...