Siena Farm and WinStar Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Timberlake (c, 2, Into Mischief–Pin Up {Ire}, by Lookin At Lucky), a bit of an unlucky second as the favorite in the GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga Sept. 4, got back, ahem, in sync with a stylish score in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Champagne S. at the Big A.
“He ran good,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “I was very proud of him. He got a good, clean trip today. [Jockey] Florent [Geroux] did a great job. He got away well. We had a bit of a rough trip in the Hopeful. I thought with a little bit of a cleaner run he maybe would have got to the wire first, but that's the way it goes. I'm very proud of the effort today. It was a huge win.”
Cox continued, “You obviously turn your attention to the Breeders' Cup [Juvenile] as it comes up first. We'll get him back to Kentucky and see how he comes out of it and let him tell us if we take a march towards Santa Anita. We'll enjoy this victory and go from there.”
Taking blinkers off for this after getting very eager while racing in tight quarters in the early stages of the Hopeful, the 9-2 chance traveled kindly in an inside fifth this time around as sharp second-out General Partner (Speightstown) sped through an opening quarter in :22.49 over the sloppy going. He set his sights on the pacesetter approaching the quarter pole and rolled down the center in the stretch to win going away by 4 1/4 lengths. General Partner was second; Dancing Groom (Vino Rosso) finished third.
'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), hammered down to 1-2 favoritism off a sensational debut score in the mud at the Spa Aug. 25, lunged at the start, and, after making a bold run at the leader on the far turn, tired in the stretch to finish a well-beaten seventh.
Favored in all three of his previous starts, Timberlake was a well-beaten sixth on debut behind subsequent runaway GII Saratoga Special S. winner Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) at Ellis Park June 15. He romped by 9 1/4 lengths over future GIII Iroquois S. winner West Saratoga (Exaggerator) for 'Rising Star' status at Ellis July 21 prior to his aforementioned runner-up finish at the Spa on Labor Day. Timberlake was scratched out of Saturday's two-turn GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. at Keeneland in favor of this spot going a one-turn mile.
“We talked about it and thought this was a good spot,” WinStar's Elliott Walden said. “The Champagne is a great race, a stallion-making race. We're excited to win it, it's the first time we've ever won it.”
Walden added, “He's accomplished a lot in a short period of time. I think [two turns] will be good, but we'll see. He's a big strong horse with a beautiful pedigree, a two-turn type of pedigree.”
Pedigree Notes:
Timberlake becomes the 18th Grade I winner worldwide for his all-conquering sire. Into Mischief's Practical Joke won this same race in 2016. Lookin At Lucky is now the broodmare sire of six graded/group winners worldwide.
Timberlake's stakes-placed Irish-bred dam is a half-sister to G2 Hardwicke S. and G2 King Edward VII S. hero Thomas Chippendale (Ire) (Dansili {GB}). Timberlake's second dam MG1SP All My Loving (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) is a full-sister to G1 Irish One Thousand Guineas victress and GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf third-place finisher Yesterday (Ire). The winner's dam is also responsible for a yearling colt by Army Mule and a colt by Known Agenda of this year.
TIMBERLAKE, a 2YO by @spendthriftfarm stallion Into Mischief, said Bye, Bye, Bye to the competition with a win in the Grade 1 #WinAndYoureIn Champagne Stakes! @flothejock was up for trainer @bradcoxracing. pic.twitter.com/iC3hxEFjxw
— NYRA (🌳) (@TheNYRA) October 7, 2023
Saturday, Belmont The Big A
CHAMPAGNE S.-GI, $500,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-7, 2yo, 1m, 1:35.90, sy.
1–TIMBERLAKE, 122, c, 2, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Pin Up (Ire) (SP-Eng), by Lookin At Lucky
2nd Dam: All My Loving (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Jude (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($350,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Siena Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC; B-St. Elias Stables, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $375,600. Click for the http://www.werkhorse.com/free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–General Partner, 122, c, 2, Speightstown–Fleeting Humor, by Distorted Humor. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($250,000 Wlg '21 FTKNOV). O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey & Speightstown Syndicate (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Dancing Groom, 122, c, 2, Vino Rosso–Snow Dancer, by Bernardini. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($37,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $60,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-Eduardo Soto; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Antonio Sano. $60,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 6 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 4.90, 4.50, 37.25.
Also Ran: Gold Sweep, Air Cav, El Grande O, Fierceness, Sweet Soddy J.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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