TDN Rising Star
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features the return of a half-brother to the outstanding Frankel (GB). 20.12 Sandown, Listed, £45,000, 3yo, 8fT KIKKULI (GB) (Kingman {GB}) takes his chance in this Listed Chasemore Farm Stud Staff Heron S., which has come to serve as a key staging post en route to the...
Great Yarmouth's £40,000 British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' S., which witnessed a 'TDN Rising Star' display in the extended five-furlong dash last year, played host to another as Cheveley Park Stud's homebred 2-year-old filly Spherical (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}--Spatial {GB}, by New Approach {Ire}) powered to an impressive success in this year's renewal. In winning, she provided her second-crop sire with a third Rising Star in five days. Spherical, debuting in a field reduced by half to just three contenders, stalked both rivals in third through halfway. Easing into...
Relishing front-running tactics, the Wertheimers' TDN Rising Star Pensee Du Jour (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) returned to winning ways in Monday's G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud. Never in any serious danger once Maxime Guyon had committed, the Andre Fabre-trained 7-5 favourite who was runner-up in ParisLongchamp's G3 Prix Allez France last month gave generously to score by 1 1/2 lengths from Quantanamera (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). It was at this track that Prix Rose de Mai started to look like a genuine Classic prospect last Spring when winning the Listed...
Second-crop sire Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) was without a 'TDN Rising Star' representative prior to Saturday, but James Fanshawe trainee Kind Of Blue (GB) rectified matters for the Kildangan Stud resident at Doncaster and €170,000 Arqana October graduate Tiego The First (Fr) doubled the tally with a sparkling last-to-first triumph in Monday's Prix Hunyade at Saint-Cloud. Tiego The First dwelt badly at the break and forfeited several lengths to his rivals, but recovered to latch on to the tail of the field and raced with just one behind passing through...
Newmarket bore witness to a new TDN Rising Star on Sunday as Godolphin's Ancient Truth (Ire), (Dubawi {Ire}--Beyond Reason {Ire}, by Australia {GB}) got his career off to the perfect start in the opening six-furlong novice on the card. A full-brother to last year's TDN Rising Star Great Truth (Ire) and second foal out of the G2 Prix du Calvados winner Beyond Reason (Ire) (Australia {GB}), the Charlie Appleby-trained 5-2 favourite broke smartly to track the early pace in second before taking command two out. Pushed out by William Buick...
Bolt D'Vine (Bolt d'Oro--Perfectly Divine, by Vindication) was one of two runners in the field with no prior experience, but you'd never know it judging by her performance here. Cruising home as easily as she pleased, the filly carrying Michael House's colors sailed over the wire and earned the 'Rising Star' nod in the process. Off at 3-1 and vying from off the rail up the backstretch through :22.36 and :45.53 fractions, it looked briefly like her early rival might make a race of it, but when Bolt d'Vine took...
4th-Churchill Downs, $123,820, Alw (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 5-18, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:45.88, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. DISARM (c, 4, Gun Runner--Easy Tap, by Tapit), a 'TDN Rising Star', was a major player on last year's Triple Crown trail, hitting the board in both the GII Louisiana Derby and the GIII Lexington S. before running fourth behind Mage (Good Magic) in the GI Kentucky Derby. Fourth again in the GII Jim Dandy S., he chased home champion 3-year-old male Arcangelo (Arrogate) to be second in the GI Travers S. in his...
Impressive on debut at Kempton earlier this month, Michelle Morris and Jan and Peter Hopper's homebred Kind Of Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}--Blues Sister {GB}, by Compton Place {GB}) defied a penalty to earn TDN Rising Star status at Doncaster on Saturday evening. Keen early under Danny Muscutt's restraint behind the leader Ananda (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the card's six-furlong novice won in 2018 by future sprinting bigwig Equilateral (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), the 11-4 second favourite was the only one able to live with that 2-1 market leader. Arriving at...
As expected, Cheveley Park Stud's colours were in the winner's enclosure following Newbury's G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. on Saturday but it was aboard the Gosdens' 22-1 shot Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}--Ladyship {GB}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) who uber-excelled in his task of pacemaking for Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Labelled a TDN Rising Star at two, the homebred grandson of the Thompsons' 2006 Lockinge heroine Peeress (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) had shown what he could do when left alone on the lead with ample space to express himself in last year's G3 Criterion...
8th-SA, $54K, Msw, 3-5yo, 1m, 8:09 p.m. ET. MAGNIFY (Justify), a 3-year-old colt, makes his debut for the Bob Baffert barn on Saturday. Out of champion 3-year-old filly and MGISW Stellar Wind (Curlin), the Magnier homebred is her second to make the races, but she has since produced a filly named In the Stars (Into Mischief), who was a $300,000 buy for G. Watts Humphrey Jr. at last year's Keeneland September Sale. The 2017 Keeneland November sales topper when she was taken home by M.V. Magnier for the lofty sum...
Bet down from a 9-2 morning line into a 'they-knew' 7-5 at the off, Donegal Racing's Donegal Momentum (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Moon Dash, by Malibu Moon) never truly looked like losing his racetrack debut Thursday afternoon, kicking on full of run into the final furlong and a half to score by 8 1/4 lengths to become the latest 'TDN Rising Star' for his exceptional Coolmore-based stallion. Having flashed a fair bit of ability as far back as March when training at Tom Morley's winter base at the Fair Grounds, he...
Juddmonte's G1 Irish Oaks and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares runner-up Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}--Emulous {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) had failed to get her nose in front since attaining 'TDN Rising Star' status at Salisbury in September 2022, but bounced back from six straight stakes defeats to outshine all four rivals with a dominant display in Thursday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies' S. at York. Positioned in a handy third through the halfway mark of this extended 10-furlong contest, the 5-2 second favourite loomed large racing hard...