TDN Rising Star

WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s Rapture (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Positively Royal, by Bernardini) had to be used some early on to gain a forward position from an awkward draw, but settled nicely from there just off the speed and responded when asked to finish off his race to graduate by 6 3/4 lengths in his two-turn debut Saturday at Oaklawn Park to earn 'TDN Rising Star' honors. A debut second as the favorite to subsequent strong-figure Tampa allowance winner Vassimo (Nyquist) on his one-mile unveiling at Gulfstream Park Dec. 14,...

Don Alberto homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Senza Parole (Gun Runner), sidelined since posting a jaw-dropping, 7 3/4-length debut victory at Saratoga last summer, has resumed training with Chad Brown at Payson Park. Senza Parole was scratched from the GI Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct Oct. 5 due to a "very minor physical problem," per Don Alberto's Chief Operating Officer Reed Ringler. Senza Parole was the 3-5 morning-line favorite for that 'Win and You're In' contest for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, which was won in runaway fashion by the...

With the scratch of her stablemate Brilliantly from the race, Maysam (Game Winner) carried the load for the Bob Baffert alone Friday and clearly needed no additional help, cruising to an open-lengths win to become the first 'TDN Rising Star' for her young sire. Bet down to 1-2 facing five rivals, the $500,000 OBS March grad was initially outrun from her rail draw but content to sit back behind the speedier Frog (Frosted) to her outside. Still a comfy second as the field swung into the far turn, Maysam was...

Grade I winner 'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (Into Mischief) was represented by his first foal, a filly out of Saucy Dame (Distorted Humor), at David Perrine's Perrine Time Thoroughbreds Friday morning, announced Pleasant Acres Stallions via a press release. The filly was born 9:30 a.m. and is reportedly healthy and strong. Described as 'blessed with exceptional bloodlines' by Christine Jones, the director of stallion services, the foal is out of a winning half-sister to MSW & GSP Stormy West (Gone West) and GSW Buffum (Bernardini). Another of the dam's half-sisters,...

The English polymath John Ruskin, who was always hard at work scribbling a well-timed observation for some future generation to co-opt, said when it came to the weather, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." Well, bully for you Mr. Ruskin! Send him a going stick and put him to work on the nearest turf course. Some might care to offer quite a different observation after recent events. What...

Only a courageous runner-up effort behind 'TDN Rising Star' and 3-year-old male Eclipse finalist Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Travers Stakes this past August stood between Brookdale Racing Inc, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and a perfect season in 2024. But the enormously talented dark bay filly was utterly dominant against her own sex in 2024 and became the first female since Havre de Grace (Saint Liam) in 2011 to take home the coveted Horse of the Year statuette...

Rigney Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma) breezed an easy five-eighths of a mile in 1:03 1/5 Monday morning at the Fair Grounds as he continues towards his seasonal comebacker in the GII Risen Star Stakes on Feb. 15. "Mother Nature has dealt us a few different tracks (conditions-wise) the last couple of days so I was happy with the work," trainer Phil Bauer said. "I wasn't too concerned about the final time. The gallop out was very good. We are still pointing to the Risen Star as our...

Zedan Racing's Barnes (Into Mischief), perfect in his two career trips to the post, and 'TDN Rising Star' Rodriguez (Authentic) each returned to the worktab at the 'Great Race Place' Monday morning. They were joined by their Grade III-winning stablemate Getaway Car (Curlin). Barnes, who defeated recent GIII Lecomte Stakes third Innovator (Authentic) by a head on Churchill debut Nov. 27 , worked a half-mile in :48.60 (16/69), his first breeze since romping by 5 1/2 lengths in the GII San Vicente Stakes Jan. 4. Barnes closed as the 6-1...

Morning line 5-2 favorite Locked (Gun Runner) drew post 11 for Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup during Sunday's draw at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Todd Pletcher on behalf of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm, the winner of last month's GI Cigar Mile has a single horse to his outside, that being the sole filly in the field, GI Alabama heroine Power Squeeze (Union Rags), who was given a 30-1 chance on the morning line. "He's a horse that we always felt would be better going longer, so we're looking...

Sent off at odds of 9-5 to take his career record to three wins from as many appearances in Saturday's GIII Lecomte Stakes at a sloppy Fair Grounds Race Course, Juddmonte's Disco Time (Not This Time) was hung out to dry somewhere on the banks of the Mississippi turning into the long straight, but he closed resolutely through the final eighth of a mile to earn 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. In a bit tight at the break, the homebred was able to get down into...

Hypnus (c, 3, Into Mischief--Dream Tree, by Uncle Mo) became the 48th 'TDN Rising Star' for his superstar sire with an impressive debut victory around two turns in the slop on the GIII Lecomte Stakes undercard at Fair Grounds Saturday. Overlooked at 16-1 for trainer Kenny McPeek, he broke sharply beneath Brian Hernandez, Jr., but was content to slot into sixth through fractions of :23.30 and :47.76. Traveling nicely but still with plenty to do approaching the quarter pole, he hit the gas at the top of the stretch and...

11th-GP, $94k, Msw, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 5:18p.m. ET Unveiled to the far outside is $350,000 OBSAPR pick up NUK SOO KOW (McKinzie) for Hit The Bid Stable and trainer John Terranova. Out of a placed half-sister to GI Champagne Stakes runner-up Commandperformance (Union Rags), the colt hails from the female family of GSW Blind Date (Not for Love), dam of MSW Paulita (Scat Daddy). To the far outside and making a second jump for trainer Chad Brown is Constitution Road (Constitution). He overcame a rough trip on debut as a...