Having been scratched from the GIII Soaring Softly S. last weekend, 'TDN Rising Star' Haughty (Empire Maker) was re-routed for Friday's $150,000 Penn Oaks at Penn National and may have been a touch ring-rusty, but proved far too classy for her four overmatched rivals.
A bit hesitant to load and on edge waiting for the gates to spring, the 2-5 chalk was tugging for her head as they raced under the wire with a circuit of the soft-rated turf course to travel as 60-1 outsider and turf debutante Irie Empress (Shackleford) went along at a snail's pace. Flavien Prat had the favored settled better entering the turn and cut the ribbons approaching the quarter pole, and though she drifted wide into the stretch and took enough time to gather in the front-runner, Haughty never felt the stick and waltzed under the line the handiest of winners.
Somewhat controversially disqualified and placed third from an apparent debut victory at Belmont last September, the $70,000 Keeneland September buyback turned $310,000 OBS April breezer earned the 'Rising Star' designation on the strength of a four-length romp at Keeneland the following month. Despite a 16-day turnaround and some uncertainty as to whether she would make the race, Haughty gave an outstanding account of herself in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf when third and beaten three-parts of a length.
Haughty is the seventh of the 14 participants in the latter event to have since tacked on at least one black-type score, a group that includes fourth-placed Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), who took out the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas May 1 before just failing to add the French equivalent two weeks later.
Haughty is the 70th worldwide black-type winner for her late sire and marks the 163rd stakes winner out of a daughter of the legendary Kingmambo. Gainesway purchased Soaring Emotions for $140,000 in foal to Tiznow at Keeneland November in 2015 and sold the mare for $57,000 pregnant to Hard Spun at KEENOV in 2020. She foaled a colt by the Darley stallion in 2021 and a filly by the same sire this season.
PENN OAKS, $150,000, Penn National, 6-3, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:44.43, sf.
1–HAUGHTY, 116, f, 3, by Empire Maker
1st Dam: Soaring Emotions, by Kingmambo
2nd Dam: Luminous Beauty, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Caerlina (Ire), by Caerleon
($70,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $310,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, Tim & Anna Cambron and Team Hanley; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $90,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 4-2-0-2, $241,200. *1/2 to Souper Colossal (War Front), MSW & MGSP, $427,640.
2–Irie Empress, 118, f, 3, Shackleford–Waltzing Cat, by More Than Ready. ($1,000 Ylg '20 EASOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Kirk Nesbeth; B-Timothy Rooney (PA); T-Herold O. Whylie. $30,000.
3–Belacqua (Ire), 116, f, 3, Havana Gold (Ire)–Chatting (Ire), by Intikhab. (10,500gns Ylg '20 TAOCT). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Chatting Partnership (IRE); T-H. Graham Motion. $16,500.
Margins: 4 3/4, 2HF, HF. Odds: 0.40, 64.20, 7.80.
Also Ran: Alittleloveandluck, Customer List (Fr). Scratched: Morning Matcha.
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