TDN Rising Star

All of us involved in this game tend to be exposed to its ups and downs on a scale proportionate to our means. That being so, there have unsurprisingly been some pretty wild extremes--for better and worse--in the story of the most lavishly funded program in its history. Just think back, for instance, to the last days of April 2001. Sheikh Mohammed had sent Street Cry (Ire) back to the United States, where he had been skillfully developed as a juvenile by Eoin Harty, with the mission of winning the...

When the TDN staff decided to make Patch Adams (Into Mischief) and Chasten (Into Mischief) 'TDN Rising Stars' after their maiden wins Saturday at Churchill Downs history was made by trainer Brad Cox. Never before has a trainer had two Rising Stars on the same day. Both were obvious choices. Patch Adams ran away from his competition to win by 10 lengths. Chasten, a winner by 1 ½ lengths, wasn't quite as impressive, but that she is half-sister to 2023 Older Filly & Mare Champion Idiomatic (Curlin) obviously swayed the...

With the Kentucky Derby still 23 weeks away, the pari-mutuel field of "All Other Colts and Geldings from the 2022 Foal Crop" closed as the 9-5 favorite in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager and recent debut winner Barnes (Into Mischief), from the barn of six-time Derby winner Bob Baffert, was the 13-1 second choice. Other horses who attracted interest from bettors include: GI Breeders' Futurity winner East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) (15-1); GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Citizen Bull (Into Mischief) (16-1); GIII Street Sense winner Sovereignty (Into...

8th-Aqueduct, $95,000, Alw (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 12-1, 3yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:35.78, ft, 3 1/4 lengths. JULIA SHINING (f, 4, Curlin--Dreaming of Julia {Broodmare Of The Year, GISW, $874,500}, by A.P. Indy) was named a 'TDN Rising Star'--the fifth in her extended female family--after she broke her maiden at first asking over Keeneland's main track as a late juvenile. The well-bred filly won the GII Demoiselle Stakes that December, and the following spring she was third in both the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa in mid-February and in the GI Central Bank...

With the scratch of 8-5 favorite Supa Speed (Justify) at the gate, it was a 10-1 longshot who took advantage of the delay as Will Then (f, 2, War of Will--Remember Then, by Pulpit) exploded down the middle of the course to take the GIII Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar. Will Then was last seen Oct. 26 breaking her maiden up north at Woodbine on their turf course but before that did not find the Kentucky Downs course to her liking, finishing 10th on debut Aug. 31. In no...

WinStar Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Impulse Buy (Speightstown) took advantage of wicked fractions for the opening half-mile of Saturday's Fern Creek Stakes at Churchill Downs and raced past her rivals in the final furlong to record a comfortable victory. Off as the 9-4 third betting choice, the homebred was away only fairly from her outside draw and was second last early on as favored 'TDN Rising Star' Shisospicy (Mitole) was pressed through a quarter in 21.70. Impulse Bay made eye-catching progress at the rail leaving the 3 1/2-furlong pole and...

WinStar Farm, CHC Inc and Siena Farm's Patch Adams (c, 2, Into Mischief--Well Humored, by Distorted Humor) tore away from his rivals in the final furlong to become the day's second 'TDN Rising Star' for his sire, trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux with a jaw-dropping performance. He becomes the 47th 'Rising Star' for the Spendthrift super-stallion. Looking to atone for a debut third--albeit a highly rated one--when odds-on at Keeneland Oct. 11, the homebred colt was 58 cents on the dollar this time around and made absolutely no...

Saturday's program at Churchill Downs is meant to showcase the 'Stars of Tomorrow' and Juddmonte's bred-in-the-purple Chasten (f, 2, Into Mischief--Lockdown, by First Defence) shaped as just that, as she did her best work through the line to score by a widening margin and earn the 'TDN Rising Star' badge. The half-sister to champion Idiomatic (Curlin), MGISW, $3,944,190, appeared to get bounced around at the break of the seven-furlong contest and was clearly last early before making progress and improving a spot or two down the backstretch. Asked to come...

The lesser-fancied and less-heralded of an uncoupled Godolphin-owned entry in Thursday's GIII Falls City Stakes at Churchill Downs, the beautifully bred Loved (Medaglia d'Oro) went through her gears in the final three-sixteenths of a mile to cause a mild upset. 'TDN Rising Star' Tarifa (Bernardini), the 7-4 favorite exiting a tough victory in the GII Mother Goose Stakes Oct. 26, boxed on for an alibi-free second while no match for the winner. Having earned her first black-type success in the Mari Hulman George Memorial Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis this past...

The outside post at Fair Grounds proved no issue for first-time starter Deep Manhattan (Justify) who put in a powerful stretch drive to become a Thanksgiving 'TDN Rising Star' for super-sire Justify. Away smartly from post 12, the 3-1 second choice had plenty of early pace past the wire the first time but was outrun by a handful of rivals along the fence into the first turn and opted to take back to rate off longshot frontrunner Sand Cast (The Factor). Shifting down to be three, then two wide into...

Horse racing and bourbon intersect in so many ways, but they really form a nexus around the themes of time and patience. Without either in the breeding shed or in the rickhouse, your chances at success will be severely hampered. There is nothing quite so powerful as a statement of age in the racing form or an age statement out of the barrel. When it comes to Thoroughbreds and specifically placing a strong emphasis on homebreds, John Ed Anthony's Shortleaf Stable personifies what many in the industry think a great...

The sole Grade I winner in Saturday's GI Hollywood Derby lineup, Carson's Run (Cupid) will try to shift his East Coast form to California for Del Mar's nine-furlong turf test. A first-out winner at Saratoga at two, the chestnut took the one-mile GI Summer Stakes at Woodbine later in September. Demoted to fifth in his sophomore bow in the Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct in April, the Christophe Clement trainee rebounded to win his next two-a confident score in Monmouth's Tale of the Cat Stakes before closing to a 3/4-length score...