Tommy Jo

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As 'TDN Rising Star' Tennessee Belle (Yaupon) proved Saturday, flattery can come from both directions, who you beat and who you have lost to. When handicappers and bettors took a look at the past performances for the fourth race at Saratoga Race Course, $100,000 maiden special weight 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs, they saw that Tennessee Belle was a 3 1/4-length second in her debut on July 26. And that loss was to 'TDN Rising Star' Tommy Jo (Into Mischief), a most impressive maiden winner this...

NOBLE CONFESSOR, SAR, 7/24, 1 3/16 miles (turf) (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure- 83 (c, 3, by Quality Road--Sweeter Than Wine, by Noble Mission {GB}) O/B-St Elias Stable. T-Todd Pletcher. J-Irad Ortiz Jr. Prior to his Wednesday wire-to-wire victory on the stretch-out to 9 1/2 furlongs, the Vinny Viola product was a six-race maiden despite losing to Zulu Kingdom by a neck in last September's Grade II Pilgrim Stakes (and blowing past on the gallop-out) then finishing 6th while beaten 2 1/4 lengths in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (the third-best...

Ned Toffey, the general manager of Spendthrift Farm, was confident going into Saturday's seventh race at Saratoga. The Spendthrift homebred Tommy Jo (Into Mischief) had been training lights out for Todd Pletcher and the entire team was expecting a big effort. They got something more. "Some of us were discussing what we saw in her back in Ocala when she was being broken and her early breezes there," Toffey said. "She was one that gave some sore backs to the exercise riders down there. She's been really forward and always...

Tommy Jo (f, 2, Into Mischief--Mother Mother, by Pioneerof the Nile) became the 53rd 'TDN Rising Star' for her out-of-this-world stallion Into Mischief with a powerful performance on debut at Saratoga Saturday. Off as the 2-1 second choice, the Spendthrift Farm homebred was ridden along in fifth, hit the gas with a flashy, sweeping move on the far turn, opened daylight in the stretch and was hand ridden by John Velazquez to a facile 3 3/4-length victory over Tennesse Belle (Yaupon). Tommy Jo's final time of 1:11.24 for six furlongs...