By Stefanie Grimm
The smallest group profiled to date, numbering only 65, is led by its undisputed leader, undefeated Triple Crown champion and Horse of the Year Justify (Scat Daddy).
Justify debuted early in his 3-year-old season with a gate-to-wire 9 1/2-length romp at Santa Anita. Two starts later, in an effort to earn qualifying points towards the GI Kentucky Derby, the chestnut defeated MGISW Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) by three lengths to take the GI Santa Anita Derby and a spot in the Derby starting gate. With the 'Curse of Apollo' fresh on everyone's minds, Justify proved history wrong with a 2 1/2-length win over a loaded field of past and future stars in the GI Kentucky Derby. 2017 champion 2-year-old Good Magic (Curlin) chased him home ahead of such names as future GI Breeders Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso (Curlin) and MGISW Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy)
Good Magic took it to him again in a sloppy rendition of the GI Preakness S., dueling the Derby winner for nearly a mile before yielding as Justify prevailed late to win and keep his Triple Crown hopes alive. Never really challenged in New York, Justify stormed into infamy as only the second undefeated Triple Crown winner behind Seattle Slew (Bold Reasoning). Retired with earning of over $3,798,000, Justify stands at Coolmore's Ashford Stud and is a top-three freshman sire led by progeny such as 'TDN Rising Stars' Arabian Lion, Champions Dream, Justique, and Statuette.
Another undefeated horse in 2018, Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) went four-for-four with three straight Grade I wins to end his year in the GI Del Mar Futurity, the GI American Pharoah S., and the GI Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Named champion 2-year-old for his efforts, Game Winner would go on to place in both the GII Rebel S. and the GI Santa Anita Derby as a 3-year-old before retiring a winner in the GIII Los Alamitos Derby. His first foals arrived this year.
Not to be left off the undefeated list, Improbable (City Zip) made just three starts as a 2-year-old, capping his year a winner in the GI Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity. It wasn't until later, however, that Improbable would do his best running. He would finish a close fourth in the GI Kentucky Derby as a 3-year-old but came back at four to win a trio of Grade I races in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup S., the GI Whitney S., and the GI Awesome Again S. before coming in second to Derby winner Authentic (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. His accolades in 2020 would be rewarded with a year-end title as champion older dirt male.
A further eight 'Rising Stars' took at least one Grade I race in their careers, highlighted by GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), recent GI Matriarch S. winner Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), and the half-sister to 2015 Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), Chasing Yesterday (Tapit).
In total, 11 'TDN Rising Stars' would win a Grade I event, a 17% clip. A further 11 (17%) would win a graded-stakes race while 8 more would achieve graded-stakes placings (12%). Nine would be stakes winners in addition to a graded-stakes placing (14%), four would top out as stakes winners (6%), four would be stakes placed (6%) and 18 would not earn black type (28%).
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