TDN Rising Star
10th-Santa Anita, $68,000, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($50,000), 3-8, 4yo/up, 1m, 1:35.14, ft, 4 1/2 lengths. EAGLES FLIGHT (c, 4, Curlin--Feathered {GSW & MGISP, $577,474}, by Indian Charlie), a half-brother to the once-in-a-lifetime Flightline (Tapit), Horse Of The Year, Ch. Older Dirt Male, MGISW, $4,514,800, cleared his first allowance condition with a dominating victory as the even-money favorite at Santa Anita Saturday evening. Placed in a tracking second on the clubhouse turn, he stuck his head in front on the backstretch, let it out a notch through a half mile in...
Spendthrift Farm and Repole Stable's Accelerize (c, 3, Omaha Beach--Motion Emotion, by Take Charge Indy) romped by daylight at first asking for 'TDN Rising Star' honors on Saturday's Tampa Bay Derby undercard. Off at odds of 7-2, the $400,000 KEESEP yearling hit the ground running beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. and cleared the field from his wide draw in post 12. He showed the way through fractions of :21.87 and :45.03 and blasted off at the top of the stretch to win going away by 7 3/4 lengths over favored Moment's...
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features the return of a 'TDN Rising Star'. 13.05 Chantilly, Listed (Prix Maurice Caillault), €55,000, 3yo, 9f (AWT) Yeguada Centurion's TITO MO CEN (IRE) (Uncle Mo) makes the transition into black-type company returning off a seven-length 'TDN Rising Star' performance in his debut run at this venue...
Godolphin homebred and GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) is being pointed to the GI Curlin Florida Derby for his next start March 29. "I think we're leaning very heavily toward the Florida Derby," said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott Friday. "We're 95 percent sure that's where we're going." Sovereignty earned 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for his Fountain of Youth victory by a neck over 'TDN Rising Star' River Thames (Maclean's Music), and is tied with 2024 2-year-old male champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief)...
The 'Grizzly' is done hibernating. Reigning Horse of the Year and 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) makes her highly anticipated 4-year-old debut against six overmatched rivals in Saturday's GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine has posted six workouts for Kenny McPeek since late January, most recently covering five furlongs in 1:00.80 (6/37) at Fair Grounds Mar. 1. The 2-5 morning-line favorite will exit from post one with regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr. aboard. "I thought it was a pretty conservative spot...
9th-Fair Grounds, $55,000, Alw (NW3$X)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 3-6, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:39.39, fm, 1/2 length. DONEGAL MOMENTUM (c, 4, Uncle Mo--Moon Dash {SP}, by Malibu Moon) was named a 'TDN Rising Star' at the beginning of a 3-year-old campaign which saw him win the Gio Ponti Stakes in October and finish out his season with a third, just one length off winner Formidable Man (City of Light) who took last week's GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile, in the GI Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Nov. 30. Cutting back to the mile...
Chad Brown will have a pair of chancers, err, chances, to repeat in Saturday's GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie), a sensational, come-from-behind winner of last year's GI Hopeful Stakes and GI Champagne Stakes, will kick off his sophomore campaign in the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Downs centerpiece, good for 105 points (50-25-15-10-5) on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby. The Flanagan Racing colorbearer suffered his first career defeat finishing a disappointing sixth at a well-backed 2-1 while making his two-turn debut in...
7th-GP, $96K, OC 75k/N1X, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 4:00 p.m. ET. Michael Tabor's Blueberry Hill (Munnings), a sharp, wire-to-wire debut winner for Todd Pletcher going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 30, stretches to two turns for her second career start. The 3-year-old granddaughter of Marylebone (Unbridled's Song) will face six rivals, including morning-line favorite Justinqueso (Ghostzapper), who was unplaced in the GIII Forward Gal S. Feb. 1. TJCIS PPS #5 BLUEBERRY HILL ($8.80) ran away with the sixth race at @GulfstreamPark. The three-year-old filly by @CoolmoreAmerica's Munnings broke her maiden...
Formula Rossa (f, 3, Vekoma--Fay Na Na, by Majestic Warrior) put on a show while stopping the timer for six furlongs in 1:08.73 in her 'TDN Rising Star' unveiling at Santa Anita Feb. 21. Off as the 4-1 third choice for trainer Mark Glatt, Formula Rossa chased in second as the highly regarded, Bob Baffert-trained firster Brilliantly (Uncle Mo) zipped through sharp fractions of :21.89 and :44.41. Formula Rossa drew up alongside the 4-5 favorite at the top of the stretch and blasted off for home with powerful-looking strides to...
Another 'TDN Rising Star' was born across the Channel on Tuesday, as We'll Defend (Fr) followed in the footsteps of Mandanaba (Fr) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) and Tito Mo Cen (Ire) (Uncle Mo) by producing a sparkling debut display on the Chantilly polytrack. All told, We'll Defend is the sixth now-three-year-old to have earned 'TDN Rising Star' status in Europe since Winter Watch came into being in November, with Falakeyah (GB) (New Bay {GB}), Bowmark (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Opera Ballo (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) also having impressed in Britain in that time....
There were fireworks on Chantilly's Tuesday afternoon card as Carlos and Yann Lerner trainee We'll Defend (Fr) (Zelzal {Fr}--Skysweeper {Fr}, by Hurricane Run {Ire}) illuminated proceedings with a taking four-length 'TDN Rising Star' performance in the Prix de la Serpentine, a 9 1/2-furlong contest for unraced fillies. The G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane entry was under heavy restraint through the early stages and raced in a handy fourth, behind a sedate pace, for the most part. Cruising forward on the bridle in the home straight,...
Since the last installment of this column, the No. 1-ranked contender, First Resort (Uncle Mo), has been declared off the Triple Crown trail because of a hairline fracture, and no fewer than four other top 12 horses were bet down to favoritism but lost points-awarding graded stakes. Even after this past Saturday's trio of preps for the GI Kentucky Derby, trying to figure out a new pecking order remains challenging, like trying to coax clarity out of chaos. 1) CITIZEN BULL (c, Into Mischief--No Joke, by Distorted Humor) O-SF Racing...