By Brian DiDonato
'TDN Rising Star' Thoughtfully (Tapit) continued a red-hot run with juveniles for trainer Steve Asmussen as she powered away a convincing winner of the GII Adirondack S. Wednesday at the Spa. Off since airing by 8 3/4 lengths at odds-on first out at Churchill June 11, the $950,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase prepped for this by firing a five-furlong bullet in 1:00.91 over the strip Aug. 3 in company with unraced colt Calibrate (Distorted Humor) (XBTV Video).
Pounded down to 4-5 from a 2-1 morning line quote, the dark bay tucked in just behind Ava's Grace (Laoban) and Make Mischief (Into Mischief) through splits of :22.33 and :46.12. Shuffled back to last of the five under a still motionless Ricardo Santana, Jr. at the top of the stretch, she tipped out for clear sailing and quickly inhaled her competition before bounding away to a dominant five-length tally in 1:17.20. Make Mischief bested Ava's Grace for second.
Just since July 22, Thoughtfully's Hall of Fame trainer has won eight stakes races for 2-year-olds, including the GII Saratoga Special S. here last Friday with Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music); Monmouth's Tyro S. with Fasig-Tipton July topper County Final (Oxbow) one day later; and a pair of events at Lone Star Tuesday evening.
“She's a super nice, classy filly,” Santana said. “Today, going 6 1/2 [furlongs], I thought to take my time with her. It's her second time out, and we wanted to teach her something. She responded really well. She has a lot of class.”
Asmussen's go-to rider added, “She's so special. When you work horses like her in the morning, you know what you have the in race. I was really happy and comfortable with where she was. This was the first time behind horses; last time, she was in the clear. Steve did a great job with her and [assistant] Scott Blasi and everyone did well with her. We're really happy with her.”
Saturday, Saratoga
ADIRONDACK S.-GII, $145,500, Saratoga, 8-12, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:17.20, ft.
1–THOUGHTFULLY, 120, f, 2, by Tapit
1st Dam: Pension, by Seeking the Gold
2nd Dam: Furlough, by Easy Goer
3rd Dam: Blitey, by Riva Ridge
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN. ($950,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Heider Family Stables LLC;
B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $82,500. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$127,564. *1/2 to Annual Report (Harlan's Holiday), GSW,
$186,587; Flores Island (Giant's Causeway), MSP, $244,070;
and Giant Payday (Giant's Causeway), MSW, $346,549. Werk
Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Make Mischief, 120, f, 2, Into Mischief–Speightful Lady, by
Speightstown. ($285,000 Ylg '19 SARAUG). O-Gary Barber;
B-Avanti Stable (NY); T-Mark E. Casse. $30,000.
3–Ava's Grace, 122, f, 2, Laoban–Cover Girl Elle, by Out of
Place. O/B-Southern Equine Stables, LLC (KY); T-Robertino
Diodoro. $18,000.
Margins: 5, 1, 4 1/4. Odds: 1.00, 3.25, 19.20.
Also Ran: Lilac Lace, Lucifers Lair. Scratched: Beautiful Farewell.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Pedigree Notes:
Thoughtfully is the 134th stakes winner and 82nd graded winner for Tapit–who also sired 2015 Adirondack winner Just Wicked–but is his first out of a Seeking the Gold mare. Seeking the Gold mares have produced 175 stakes winners, 77 of them graded.
Dam Thoughtfully hails from a strong Phipps family and is out of local GISW Furlough (Easy Goer), making her a full to GSW Happy Hunting. MGSW dam Blitey (Riva Ridge) produced MGISW sprinter Dancing Spree (Nijinsky II) and GISW Fantastic Find (Mr. Prospector), who in turn was responsible for MGISW Finder's Fee (Storm Cat). Pension failed to produce a foal when bred back to Tapit for 2019, but foaled a full-brother to Thoughtfully Feb. 9 before revisiting the Gainesway super sire yet again.
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