TDN Rising Star
'TDN Rising Star' Casalu (Caracaro) broke from the gate with winning in mind, and took the Listed Sweet Life Stakes nearly gate to wire in her downhill debut at Santa Anita. Coming into the race with a victory going a mile over this course Dec. 28 in the Blue Norther Stakes, she'd run second two back Nov. 30 to Will Then (War of Will) in the GIII Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar. It was her third graded black type behind placings in the GIII Sorrento Stakes on the main...
He made those that swallowed 1-5 really have to sweat it out, but in the end, Chester Broman's 'TDN Rising Star' Sand Devil (Violence) got to the wire first after a long stretch duel in Saturday's state-bred restricted Damon Runyon Stakes at Aqueduct, running his record to a perfect three wins from as many trips to the races. An impressive four-length winner of his six-furlong debut Dec. 8, the immaculately bred colt was dropping back slightly in trip after decimating first-level allowance rivals by better than a dozen lengths going...
Looking to make a statement after a more-than-solid start to his career at the Big A last summer when he ran a game second to GSW Mentee (City of Light), Colloquial (Vekoma-- Terminology, by Bernardini) graduated over the same strip on Friday afternoon and earned himself a 'TDN Rising Star' in the process. TDN's Racing Editor Steve Sherack highlighted the initial effort by Colloquial in his 'Second Chances' series in December. In the seventh race at Aqueduct June 15, Mentee looked in firm control at the quarter pole, but the...
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher is in the process of making plans for a trio of stable stars which includes the Florida-based River Thames (Maclean's Music), Gate to Wire (Munnings) and Locked (Gun Runner). WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s undefeated 3-year-old colt and 'TDN Rising Star' River Thames bounced out of his Feb. 1 optional claiming allowance victory in good order and will have plenty of options moving forward said Pletcher. The New York-bred bay romped by 6 1/2 lengths as the favorite going one mile in 1:36.34 on...
The WhatsApp group titled TDN Europe was abuzz on Wednesday evening of last week, after the Charlie Appleby-trained Opera Ballo (Ire) had announced himself as potentially something out of the ordinary with a jet-propelled performance in the first division of the one-mile maiden at Kempton. "Big day for Ghaiyyath!!" pinged the first message from Brian Sheerin, barely seconds after Opera Ballo had powered past the line in a different postcode to his eight rivals, becoming the second first-time-out winner for his Kildangan Stud-based sire in the space of a few...
5th-Gulfstream, $72,000, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 2-5, 3yo, f, 5fT, :54.82, fm, 2 3/4 lengths. SHISOSPICY (f, 3, Mitole--Mischief Galore, by Into Mischief) earned a 'TDN Rising Star' tag when romping by 16 1/4 lengths in her Gulfstream debut last October. She then picked up black-type while sprinting on the dirt while the beaten favorite in both the Fern Creek Stakes and the Mockingbird Stakes at Oaklawn to kick off her 3-year-old season Jan. 4. Trying the turf for the first time while also cutting back to her shortest distance...
Eclipse Award-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) is recovering from an abscess on his coronet band, forcing Chad Brown to scrub a key workout, and the conditioner confirmed that the reigning GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner will be forced to skip the G1 Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh on Feb. 22. "I couldn't really work him, so I just kind of played it safe and skipped it, which takes him out of the Saudi race," Brown told the TDN by phone early Wednesday afternoon. "It's...
Eclipse Champion Juvenile Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) tops a list of 373 total 3-year-olds who were made eligible to this year's Triple Crown series, Churchill Downs announced Tuesday. This year's total represents a 7.8% increase from last year's 346 early nominations. Additionally, a record 69 Japan-based horses, trained by 33 different conditioners, were nominated, which shattered last year's record of 47. Sixty of the nominees have already won stakes races, including the top 10 point leaders on the Road to the Kentucky Derby: Citizen Bull, Speed King (Volatile), Coal Battle...
We're inside the 13-week mark to the GI Kentucky Derby with no seismic changes to the running order at this early stage of the season. The rankings are fairly evenly distributed among contenders based on both coasts and in Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana. 1) FIRST RESORT (c, Uncle Mo-Fair Maiden, by Street Boss). O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Eoin G. Harty. Lifetime record GSW, 4-2-1-0, $338,671. Last start: WON Nov. 30 GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. First Resort's 6-1 win in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes Nov. 30 rated as the most visually...
The 2022 GII Demoiselle Stakes victress 'TDN Rising Star' Julia Shining (Curlin) has been retired and will be bred to leading sire Into Mischief, according to a tweet by Stonestreet on X. A full-sister to two-time champion MGISW Malathaat, also a 'Rising Star' for owner Shadwell Stable, Julia Shining claimed her own black-type at the elite level when she ran third in the GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes in 2023 at Keeneland. Her last start was a second-place effort Jan. 11 at Aqueduct in the Listed Ladies Stakes. Julia Shining...
Preparing to make their sophomore debut in the GII Risen Star Stakes on Louisiana Derby Preview Day, both Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) and East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) breezed at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Saturday. The nine-furlong Kentucky Derby prep will award 50-25-15-10-5 Derby points to the top five finishers. Firing the bullet for his trainer Phil Bauer, Rigney Racing's Jonathan's Way breezed 5/8ths in 1:00.20 on Saturday, going in company with stablemate Kalahari Dreams. "[Jonathan's Way] sat right off of him going away from the pole," Bauer said of...
There were no secrets heading into the GIII Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita Sunday afternoon. Carded early in the program, the short three-horse field was a headed by a pair of pricey Bob Baffert runners--GI Del Mar Debutante winner Tenma (Nyquist), campaigned by Boama Corp. and Speedway Stables' Cipriani (Bernardini), named a TDN Rising Star following an 8 1/4-length victory in Arcadia last October. When the dust had settled, it was the hotly-backed 2-5 choice Tenma that proved best on the day. The win earned Tenma 20 additional qualifying...