TDN Rising Star
7th-KEE, $120k, OC125k/NW1X, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 4:12 p.m. ET. 'TDN Rising Star' LION OF JUSTICE (Into Mischief), a $1.1-million KEESEP yearling purchase, stretches to two turns following a jaw-dropping, front-running debut score with a 92 Beyer Speed Figure going a one-turn mile at Colonial Mar. 15. His dam Ever So Clever (Medaglia d'Oro), a 'TDN Rising Star' herself, won the 2017 GIII Fantasy S. and has also produced GSW Everso Mischievous (Into Mischief). Lion of Justice is campaigned in partnership by St. Elias Stable, Talla Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and...
Christopher Head-trained 'TDN Rising Star' Maranoa Charlie (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) raced on turbo boost until running out of fuel in last term's G1 Criterium International, but bounced back in style with a pillar-to-post victory in Tuesday's G3 Prix Djebel at Deauville. The G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains entry backed up wide-margin victories here and at Saint-Cloud with an eighth-length tally back at the latter venue's G3 Prix Thomas Bryon in his penultimate start. In command and comfortable on the front end for the most of this straight seven-furlong test,...
It's exceedingly rare to see a Kentucky Derby point race run on a Tuesday, but thanks to a week of catastrophic weather in the Commonwealth, that's what is happening at Keeneland as a field of seven line up to contest the last of the major Derby preps--the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. On the rail, and fortuitously drawn to the inside of a closer, is 'TDN Rising Star' River Thames (Maclean's Music). With the small field, the speedster will likely encounter considerably less traffic trouble than that post position would...
Multiple Grade I-placed 'TDN Rising Star' Ferocious (Flatter) has succumbed to laminitis after being sidelined with a foreleg injury, the connections announced Monday afternoon on X. Twice a runner-up at the highest level in the GI Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga and the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in 2024, the son of Flatter emerged from his fourth place in the GIII Holy Bull Stakes Feb. 1 with a muscle tear. When first reported, the connections said it was a minor injury that just required time to heal, but also...
Saturday's Wood Memorial Day card generated record-breaking wagering as the all-sources tally came in at $23,250,478 for the 13-race program, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced via press release. The 2025 figure, on a day highlighted by 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) running them off their feet in Centenary edition of the GII Wood Memorial, eclipses the precious record of $21,601,673 established back in 2013 when Verrazano (More Than Ready) took home the top prize. The other contests on Saturday's card were the GIII Distaff Stakes won by Irish...
The goal of the Kentucky Derby points system should be to make sure the 20 best 3-year olds in the sport make it into the field. Churchill Downs has tweaked the system a couple of times over the years and the changes, for the most part, have been well received. It's a different story this year. Churchill has tweaked the system so that in any race with five horses or fewer the horses receive fewer points than races with six or more horses. The rule is clearly aimed at Santa...
Keeping it simple on the 6-5 favourite Mandanaba (Fr) (Ghaiyyath (Ire), Mickael Barzalona allowed the exciting Francis-Henri Graffard-trained homebred to roll from the front and capture Sunday's G3 Al Shira'aa Racing Prix Vanteaux at ParisLongchamp. Sufficiently impressive on her debut at Chantilly in November to earn TDN Rising Star status, Princess Zahra Aga Khan's daughter of her triple Group 1 winner Mandesha (Fr) (Desert Style {Ire}) was in dominant mood throughout. Despite the game effort of Juddmonte's Listed Prix la Camargo winner Flaming Stone (GB) (Kingman {GB}), the first stakes...
7th-Aqueduct, $86,000, Alw (C)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 4-4, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:35.23, ft, 1/2 length. STAR OF WONDER (c, 4, Uncle Mo--Starship Warpspeed, by Congrats), a half-brother to Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), MGISW, $2,777,458, delivered as the even-money favorite in his 4-year-old debut here. The 'TDN Rising Star' was off to a slow start, but recovered nicely to advance into fourth through an opening quarter in :23.11. Locked and loaded but stuck in traffic approaching the quarter pole, Star of Wonder found racing room along the rail as they straightened for home and kicked...
7th-AQU, $86K, OC80k/C, 4yo/up, 1m, 4:22 p.m. ET. A debut winner by 3 1/2 lengths over the slop at Churchill Downs last summer, STAR OF WONDER (Uncle Mo) earned a 'TDN Rising Star' for the effort. The WinStar homebred then cleared an allowance condition under the Twin Spires in mid-September, and broke through on the main track there in late November when he faced optional claimers for the second time. Back on the tab at Payson Park by Feb. 1, the colt hails from the same Brad Cox shedrow as...
The last week of preps for the GI Kentucky Oaks is upon us. The GI Ashland Stakes will be run Friday at Keeneland on opening day and Aqueduct will offer the GIII Gazelle Stakes the next day. The Gazelle came up predictably weak, but the Ashland has some intriguing contenders that could crack the top three or four come Friday. Last week, Quietside (Malibu Moon) was a convincing winner of the GII Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn and Five G (Vekoma) never looked back to win the GII Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park...
GI Florida Derby hero Tappan Street (Into Mischief) has emerged from his Saturday exploits in good order, but his trainer revealed that a travel itinerary has not yet been decided for the trip north to the Twin Spires. The son of Into Mischief got the best of GII Fountain of Youth victor Sovereignty (Into Mischief) to claim his 100 points to the first Saturday in May, and the aforementioned runner-up also secured a berth into the race with 50. Tappan Street currently sits in third with 110 and is tied...
All the hype about Oaklawn's GII Fantasy Stakes Saturday being a two-horse race was on the nose. 'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (f, 3, Malibu Moon--Benner Island, by Speightstown), so talented but so often a bridesmaid before winning the GIII Honeybee Stakes last out, faced unbeaten Simply Joking (Practical Joke), light on experience but winner of two black-type events at Fair Grounds. It was Quietside, the Shortleaf Stable homebred, who got the measure of Simply Joking Saturday and picked up 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The Fantasy...