By Stefanie Grimm
A $650,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Edified (c, 2, Tapit–For Royalty, by Not For Love) became his superstar sire's 53rd 'TDN Rising Star' Saturday with a commanding performance to graduate at Ellis Park. Facing a salty field of mostly first-time starters, the dark bay was given only a 9-1 chance but more than outran his odds. Under the hands of jockey Joel Rosario, Edified broke alertly from an inside gate and raced in the top flight inside of race-time favorite Normandy Hero (Omaha Beach). Joined up front by Liberal Arts (Arrogate) to his outside, the Steve Asmussen trainee found himself blocked by that leading pair as the group exited the far turn. Angled out with a quarter to run, Edified was quickly into his best stride with a three-wide bid at the furlong marker and easily overtook that pair. Ridden out to the wire, he scored by daylight over Liberal Arts in second.
A son of leading sire Tapit, Edified is already a half-brother to a trio of good horses in Truth Seeker (Into Mischief), SW, $361,330, Upper Room (Harlan's Holiday), SP, $171,540 and Constellation (Bellamy Road), GISW, $619,809. For Royalty, purchased for $2.1m by Summer Wind Equine out of the 2017 Keeneland November Sale, is herself a half to GSW/GISP Kiss To Remember (Big Brown) and Puerto Rico's champion imported 2-year-old colt El Viento (Cl Corredor). Third dam Eston is responsible for the dam of MGISW Spun Sugar (Awesome Again) and GI Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile H. victor Daaher (Awesome Again). Edified has a yearling half-brother by Authentic and a newborn half-brother by Not This Time still to race.
EDIFIED ($21.70) looked like a pro breaking his maiden in @EllisParkRacing race 4. Steve Asmussen trained this 2yo Tapit (@Gainesway) colt! Jockey @JRosarioJockey had the mount. Congrats to owners Courtlandt Farms!
Get all your tickets in for Ellis on https://t.co/nBYFHiPrdh! pic.twitter.com/Z7jvvbFGXF
— TVG (@TVG) July 1, 2023
4th-Ellis, $120,000, Msw, 7-1, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.97, ft, 3 1/2 lengths.
EDIFIED, c, 2, Tapit
1st Dam: For Royalty (SW), by Not For Love.
2nd Dam: Taft Lil Queen, by Irish Open.
3rd Dam: Eston, by Ancestral (Ire).
Sales History: $650,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald Adam); B-Summer Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
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