By Alan Carasso
Favored at 7-5 to give his connections a second debut winner on the Saturday program at Gulfstream, Emmanuel (More Than Ready) ran them off their feet to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' Saturday afternoon at Gulfstream Park. It was the second win on the day for connections, who were represented by impressive maiden winner Dean's List (Speightstown) a few races earlier.
Having amassed a pretty serious worktab at trainer Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs hub, the $350,000 Keeneland September yearling–the most expensive of 40 More Than Readys sold in North America in 2020–drew gate one for this debut and hit the ground running, taking the field onto the course proper through a quarter in :23.66. Going very nicely into the turn after four furlongs in a crisp :45.97, Emmanuel was just galloping as they neared the stretch, and a confident look under his right armpit told Luis Saez that the rest would have to do some real running to catch him. Shoved along and asked to quicken passing the three-sixteenths peg, the burly-looking Emmanuel kicked onto his correct lead as they neared the entrance to the final furlong and ran up the score in hand to the tune of 6 3/4 lengths under the wire. The beautifully bred Touch Code (Honor Code–Caressing) tried to make a race of it turning for home, but had to settle for a distant second.
“They had been workmates the last few times and they both trained like quality horses,” Pletcher said of Emmanuel and Dean's List. “We were obviously not wanting to run them against one another, so we felt like this guy [Emmanuel] was better suited for the mile first time out. I have to give [Emmanuel] a lot of credit. To win from the one hole going a mile first time out, that's a demanding task. I'm proud of him for doing it and it looked like he did it the right way.”
The 16th Rising Star for his prolific sire–now responsible for 2049 winners around the world–Emmanuel is out of an unraced daughter of the Grade III-placed turf distaffer Trensa (Giant's Causeway), whose noteworthy produce include English champion and multiple Group 1 winner Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy) and GISW Free Drop Billy (Union Rags). Trensa's dam Serape (Fappiano) carried the silks of Helen Groves to victory in the 1993 GI Ballerina S. and bred five winners from seven to the races, including treble Grade III winner Batique (Storm Cat), the dam of MGSP Tejida (Rahy) and SP Miss Lamour (Mr. Greeley).
Hard Cloth's yearling colt by Kitten's Joy fetched $125,000 from Avenue Bloodstock at this year's Keeneland September sale and she foaled a full-sister to Emmanuel this season before being bred back to Munnings. Danzig-line mares have produced the likes of Grade I/Group 1 winners Uni (GB), Prized Icon (Aus), Sebring (Aus), Perfectly Ready (Aus), Dreamaway (Aus) and Benicio (Aus) to the cover of More Than Ready.
7th-Gulfstream, $53,000, Msw, 12-11, 2yo, 1m, 1:36.47, ft, 6 3/4 lengths.
EMMANUEL, c, 2, by More Than Ready
1st Dam: Hard Cloth, by Hard Spun
2nd Dam: Trensa, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Serape, by Fappiano
Sales history: $350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $31,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-WinStar Farm LLC & Siena Farm LLC; B-Helen K Groves Revocable Trust (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher.
Emmanuel leads all the way in the 7th race, second victory today for the @luissaezpty – @PletcherRacing – @WinStarFarm – @SienaFarmKY combination! #GulfstreamPark #ChampionshipMeet pic.twitter.com/guZuiextjp
— Gulfstream Park (@GulfstreamPark) December 11, 2021
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