by Stefanie Grimm and Jill Williams
Godolphin homebred Poster (Munnings) stepped from maiden winner to allowance winner in a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy performance Saturday to close out the card at Keeneland. Debuted going one mile on the grass at Ellis Park Aug. 19, he cruised home in gate-to-wire fashion by 1 3/4 lengths as the 5-1 fourth choice. Kept to that distance Saturday but bet down to 9-5, the Eoin Harty trainee was shuffled back by speedier rivals to his outside and wound up fourth along the rail as Enterdadragon (Outwork) handled the tempo through fractions of :22.64 and :47.84. Enjoying an inside trip around the far turn, Poster swung by the quarter pole still boxed in along the fence and on the wrong lead but was swung out by Rafael Bejarano into the final furlong. Once he had room and swapped leads, it was a one-horse race to the line as Poster came home alone three lengths ahead of Curahee (War of Will) in second.
Poster is the 13th 'Rising Star' for Munnings, who was himself a 'TDN Rising Star' on debut in 2008 at Saratoga. Poster is his sire's second 'Rising Star' in the past month, joining Muhimma, who was honored after a maiden special weight Sept. 20 at Churchill. A homebred for Godolphin, Poster is out of the winning Tapit mare Pin Up, who was sold to Imagine Thoroughbreds while in foal to Nyquist at this year's Keeneland January sale for $130,000. The mare delivered that Nyquist colt Mar. 1. Also a homebred for Darley/Godolphin, Pin Up is a daughter of 1995 GI Hollywood Starlet Stakes winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Cara Rafaela (Quiet American), who was named Broodmare of the Year in 2006. The latter is the dam of 2006 champion 3-year-old colt Bernardini (A.P. Indy), one of America's top sires prior to his death in 2021 and now perennially one of the nation's leading broodmare sires. Cara Rafaela is also granddam to MGISW Love and Pride (A.P. Indy).
(1) Poster victorious in the night cap under @Rbejaranojockey! (12) Curamee and (8) Enterdadragon follow. pic.twitter.com/kkuSk6WtvL
— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) October 12, 2024
10th-Keeneland, $109,550, Alw, 10-12, (NW2L), 2yo, 1mT, 1:36.35, fm, 3 lengths.
POSTER, c, 2, Munnings
1st Dam: Pin Up, by Tapit
2nd Dam: Cara Rafaela, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Oil Fable, by Spectacular Bid
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $104,128. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Eoin G. Harty.
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