TDN Rising Star

'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Always A Runner (Gun Runner) wore down pacesetter Pashmina (Constitution) in the final sixteenth to win Saturday's GIII Gazelle Stakes and earn 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. The least experienced runner in the field with just one start under her belt, the seven-figure yearling impressed at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 6, drawing off to win that debut by 6 1/2 lengths. Lacking any early speed from the gate on a surface that had taken a bit of rain just before...

Crude Velocity (Beau Liam), already named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' for his debut win over course and distance March 7, stepped up to face winners Saturday for the first time. Racing without his blinkers as the 1-2 favorite, the Triple Crown-nominated colt had early traffic to deal with as he sat off the pace from just behind a leading pair past the half-mile pole. Circling the field under his own power, he easily headed For All Mankind (Into Mischief) off the far turn and opened up in...

Triple Crown-nominated Gilded Bandit (Charlatan) out-dueled fellow second-time starter Deep Flame (Into Mischief) to a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'-worthy win at Keeneland Saturday for Pin Oak Stud and trainer Bill Mott. Racing with the blinkers added off a 'better than it looked' fourth-place run at Gulfstream Feb. 28 (highlighted here by the TDN's Steve Sherack in his 'Second Chances' series), the 3-1 shot had to sit towards the back of the field while main rival, 6-5 favorite Deep Flame was up on a battle for the lead through...

When last seen in Grade I company at Keeneland, Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar (Upstart) crossed the wire an apparent open-lengths winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. last October, only to be demoted from the victory for causing interference and placed second. The $52,000 Keeneland September bargain was back in Lexington in Friday's opening-day feature, the GI Central Bank Ashland S., and with a rail-skimming run into the short stretch, Percy's Bar went on to an authoritative 2 1/4-length defeat of heavily favored Zany (American Pharoah). French Friction (City...

Last year's OBS June topper Feminism (Curlin) became the latest 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' for her super-sire with a professional debut at Oaklawn Park Thursday. A $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling grad turned $975,000 OBS 2-year-old after breezing in :10, Feminism drew outside in a field of nine and broke nicely with the frontrunners to establish position as the pack sorted themselves out through the opening furlong. Sandwiched in a three-wide charge down the backstretch wtih Muskoka Katt (Vekoma) to her inside and Blondie'sincharge (Global Campaign) on the...

Closers are often victim to whatever pace unfolds in front of them, but Parfois (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) missed that memo, and rolled into the lane on this American debut with so much momentum that it took her almost nine wide. In the end it didn't matter in the slightest as she rolled home by daylight and more than handily earned her stamp of approval as the newest 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. Parfois actually had a successful debut at La Teste Buch in France last August where she...

Cornucopian (Into Mischief) looked like he might be something special very early in his career. While it would ultimately take five tries to garner black-type, the striking colt checked that box in style on Sunday, running off to a scortching victory in Santa Anita's GIII San Carlos Stakes. Pounded down to 1-5 favoritism for the seven-furlong contest, he was allowed to settle back in third behind Bartholdy (Mendelssohn) and Listenupshance (Shancelot) through an opening quarter in :22.16. As the pacesetter kept up the pace through a half-mile in :44.03, Cornucopian...

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--Legendary college football coach Mike Leach believed fervently in the power of pirate culture. Despite its cut, thrust and swagger image, according to Leach the swashbucklers of old were incredibly democratic, were forced at times to be surprisingly unconventional and they proved time and time again that taking risks could payoff handsomely--rings true for Thoroughbred racing too. Speaking of plundering and pirate treasure, in the 90th running of the GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on Saturday a record 73,000 people watched an invader named Renegade (Into Mischief--Spice...

Seven years ago, New River Equine signed the seven-figure ticket on a yearling filly by Medaglia d'Oro at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale. That combination, revealed to be trainer Ben Colebrook and owner/breeder Michael Ball, went to a final bid of $1,100,000 that afternoon and, while that filly never made the track herself, her son has picked up the mantle as 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Chief Wallabee (Constitution) lines up in Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby. "The mare was a really nice-looking, well-bred filly that we ended up...

Thursday's Prix du Val Saint-Georges at Chantilly shaped like a mini Group race and it was Juddmonte's exciting Frankel filly Gilded Prize who emerged on top to become her sire's 46th TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. Back over the same course and 9 1/2-furlong distance of her winning start in November, the Francis Graffard-trained daughter of the Beverly D. and Flower Bowl Stakes-placed Grand Jete (Dansili) moved easily over the Polytrack taking a lead early. Asked to intensify approaching the final furlong by Colin Keane, the 6-5 favourite opened up...

Fee (hip 191), the half-sister to 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Englishman (Maxfield), became the top-selling broodmare out of Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton March Digital Sale when Frankfort Park Farm stepped up to $310,000 to purchase the 6-year-old daughter of Into Mischief. A winner of over $150,000 on the track in 20 career starts, Fee was consigned by Michele Kuegler's Wasabi Ventures Sales as agent and sold in foal on an early cover to young Claiborne Farm stallion Mindframe, a breeding that only enhanced her value in the eyes of Frankfort...

And you thought a March Madness-esque upset would be limited to basketball. A proverbial 16 seed nearly took down the favorite in the Louisiana Region when maiden winner and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Emerging Market (Candy Ride {Arg}), the narrow 2-1 favorite, had to gut out a win over 21-1 longshot Pavlovian (Pavel) to win Saturday's GII Louisiana Derby by a head. Named a 'Rising Star' for his debut win at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 7 that netted him an eye-catching 97 Beyer Speed Figure, Triple Crown-nominated Emerging...