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TDN Rising Star

Off Strong 2024 Edition, Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale Keeps Momentum Rolling Into Breeding Season

Coming off of a strong 2024 renewal which saw a record three seven-figure mares go through the ring, the 2025 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale kicks off in a consolidated single session at Newtown Paddocks Monday morning with bidding set to begin at 10 a.m. 414 catalogued hips are on offer including exciting late supplemental adds such as 14-year-old broodmare Athenian Beauty (Corinthian), the dam of this year's GIII Southwest Stakes winner Speed King (Volatile), who sells in foal to Caracaro from the Taylor Made Sales Consignment. "That's a great...

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'Rising Star' River Thames Stays Perfect at Gulfstream

7th-Gulfstream, $73,260, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 2-1, 3yo, 1m, 1:36.34, ft, 6 1/2 lengths. RIVER THAMES (c, 3, Maclean's Music--Proportionality, by Discreet Cat), tabbed as a 'TDN Rising Star' with a 94 Beyer Speed Figure on debut going six furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 11, stayed perfect in style, stretching to a mile here. The rail-drawn, 3-5 favorite forced the issue from an inside second through an opening quarter in :23.89. He appeared to bobble slightly, but recovered quickly to challenge for command entering the far turn. The New York-bred enjoyed...

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Straight No Chaser Works Towards Saudi, Prominent 3YOs Also on Santa Anita Tab

Eclipse Award-winning sprinter Straight No Chaser (Speightster) and a pair of important 3-year-old colts were the star turns on the Santa Anita worktab Saturday morning. Last seen sewing up championship honors when taking out the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint over Bentornato (Valiant Minister) at Del Mar Nov. 2, Straight No Chaser turned in his second consecutive bullet work, going five furlongs in :59.20 (1/72) in advance of his expected appearance in the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint on the Saudi Cup undercard Feb. 22. There the 6-year-old is expected to face...

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Champion Citizen Bull Returns in Robert B. Lewis, One of Three Derby Preps Saturday

Last year's recently crowned 2-year-old champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) will kick off his 2025 season in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita, one of three GI Kentucky Derby preps on tap Saturday. The 2024 GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner will take on just four rivals, including a pair of Bob Baffert-trained stablemates and last-out maiden winners--'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) and the rail-drawn Madaket Road (Quality Road). Rodriguez romped in his two-turn debut at second asking at Santa Anita Jan. 4, good for a field-best...

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Saturday's Racing Insights: Whisper Hill Homebred Tries Two Turns In Turf Debut At Fair Grounds

5th-FG, $58K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 4:15 p.m. ET. Whisper Hill homebred STRAIGHT FORWARD (American Pharoah) makes her first start for Mandy Pope and trainer Steve Asmussen. The filly's dam, Aloof (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), was acquired by the farm at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale for a cool $3.9 million. Herself out of English Group 1 winner Airwave (GB) (Air Express {Ire}), Aloof is a half-sister to the dam of full-siblings MG1SW Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1SW Clemmie. Set for her unveiling is another homebred, Good Going (Mendelssohn),...

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Blueberry Hill Sweet In Victory To Be Latest 'TDN Rising Star' For Munnings

Shaking off a more experienced and favored rival at the top of the Gulfstream stretch, Blueberry Hill (Munnings) powered home in eye-catching fashion Thursday to become the latest 'TDN Rising Star' for Coolmore's Munnings. The 3-1 second choice behind third-time starter Keepsake (Into Mischief), the Todd Pletcher trainee led from the jump but never got too comfortable up front as her rival stalked just off her hip through much of the running through fractions of :22.43 and :45.43. As the top pair opened up a gap back to the rest...

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'TDN Rising Star' Loggins Represented By First Foal

The first foal by the Grade I-placed 'TDN Rising Star' Loggins (Ghostzapper--Beyond Blame, by Blame), a colt, was born Jan. 23, 2025, at Endeavor Farm in Midway, Kentucky. The bay is the fourth produce from his dam, Coal Creek Farm's 12-year-old My Heart Goes On (Albertus Maximus), a two-time stakes winner of better than $132,000. Third dam One for You (Dayjur) produced a pair of black-type winners, including the filly Una Palabra to the cover of Ghostzapper's 'Rising Star' son McCraken, and was herself a half-sister to two full stakes...

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Darley's sire Ghaiyyath
Ghaiyyath's Opera Ballo Powers to TDN Rising Stardom at Kempton

The Godolphin/Charlie Appleby axis has dominated recent renewals of Kempton's Unibet Supports Safer Gambling Maiden Stakes, winning last year's edition with subsequent G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Sussex Stakes hero Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The operation struck gold once again as Opera Ballo (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}--Dubai Opera {GB}, by Invincible Spirit {Ire}) emulated that stablemate in division one of Wednesday's one-mile contest and collected a 'TDN Rising Star' of his own with an impressive wide-margin success. He joins Chantilly maiden scorer Mandanaba (Fr) on Ghaiyyath's list of Rising Stars....

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Citizen Bull And White Abarrio Debut Atop NTRA Top Thoroughbred Polls

Newly-turned 3-year-old Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) and Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup winner White Abarrio (Race Day) top Week 1 of the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll through Jan. 26. In addition to Citizen Bull, who won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar last November, Bob Baffert also trains the second-place 3-year-old in Barnes (Into Mischief). Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) was third while Saturday's GIII Southwest Stakes winner Speed King (Volatile) rounded out the top five. White Abarrio was the top-ranked thoroughbred, beating out newly-crowned...

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Annapolis Represented by First Foal Born at Claiborne Farm

Grade I winner Annapolis (War Front) was represented by his first reported foal Jan. 27 at Claiborne Farm, the farm announced via press release Monday afternoon. Out of Grade I-placed 'TDN Rising Star' Home Cooking (Honor Code), the colt was born early in the morning and both are reportedly doing well. The young broodmare was purchased by Ramona Bass from FTKFEB in 2024 for $500,000 specifically for Annapolis. The stallion covered 149 mares in his first season at the stud farm. His 2025 fee is $12,500 LFSN. "The colt was...

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Princess Noor First Foal Romps On Dirt at Chukyo

3rd-Chukyo, ¥10,600,000 ($68,720), Maiden, 3yo, 1900m, 2:01.3, ft. RHINO (JPN) (c, 3, Into Mischief--Princess Noor {'TDN Rising Star', GISW, $363,500}, by Not This Time) was not disgraced when fourth in a pair of starts on the turf to begin his career, but was switching to the surface for which he was bred this time around and looked a different proposition altogether. Sent forward from gate one, Rhino was content to allow a rival to take up the running and sat a comfortable stalking trip from second down the backstretch. Awaiting...

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'White' Hot in the Pegasus World Cup

Hallandale, FL--As recently as last June, C2 Racing Stable, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Antonio Pagnano's White Abarrio (Race Day) was running for the come-backing Rick Dutrow Jr. after departing the Saffie Joseph Jr. barn. For Joseph, it was a tough pill to swallow given the striking grey had won a pair of graded stakes for him, including the 2022 GI Florida Derby. Give a second chance last summer to train the Grade I winner, Joseph made the most of the golden opportunity, landing Gulfstream's marquee test...

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