By Joe Bianca
It seems implausible in retrospect, but KRA Stud Farm's 'TDN Rising Star' Mr. Crow (Tapizar) was let go at over 11-1 in his debut June 24 at Belmont despite being trained by the always supported Todd Pletcher. The $150,000 OBS March buy ran a monster race that day, breaking slowly, rushing into contention and staying on tenaciously along the rail through the stretch to just miss by a neck (video). That neck is the margin keeping Mr. Crow from being undefeated today, and two blowout victories later, he returns to Big Sandy and steps up in class to tackle Saturday's GI Vosburgh S., a “Win and You're In” race for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.
The bay legitimized his first-out effort with a devastating 11 1/2-length rout July 22 at Saraoga, breaking his maiden with a 109 Beyer and garnering 'Rising Star' honors. He followed up with another facile score there Aug. 30, this time toying with first-level allowance foes by 6 1/4 lengths.
Mr. Crow's main rival is Al and Michelle Crawford Racing's El Deal (Munnings), the speedball who carried his early foot to new heights in an eight-length destruction of the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. field July 29 at Saratoga, earning a field-best 112 Beyer for his effort. The bay had everything his own way on a modest pace that day, however, and will likely have to work harder early in this spot having drawn post two, inside all of the race's other speed.
Shadwell Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Takaful (Bernardini) is likely to be one of those breathing down the neck of El Deal from the outset, and he rates a chance turning back from a second-place run in the seven-furlong GI H. Allen Jerkens S. Aug. 26 at the Spa. The dark bay's only previous start at Belmont resulted in an eight-length debut romp to earn his 'Rising Star' badge last October. A dominant six-panel allowance winner earlier in the Saratoga meet, Takaful tightened up for this engagement with a half-mile breeze in :47.77 (1/48) here Sept. 22.
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