Emmanuel

The South Florida worktab was dotted with several horses tuning up Saturday morning for a possible start in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park Mar. 5. WinStar Farm and Siena Farm LLC's 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready) will be in search of a third win in as many starts in the Fountain of Youth and tuned up for the 8 1/2-furlong test with a bullet half-mile in :48.05 (1/32) Saturday morning at trainer Todd Pletcher's base at Palm Beach Downs. He worked great, I...

With less than three months remaining before the running of the GI Kentucky Derby, trainer Todd Pletcher, with 42 horses nominated to the Triple Crown, will be active in a number of Derby preps as he prepares his troops for his annual invasion of Churchill Downs. Pletcher divulged his plans during this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast, which will be available Wednesday afternoon. Despite finishing third as the favorite in last Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream, Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) may represent Pletcher's best chance of winning a...

6th-Tampa Bay Downs, $31,000, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 1-30, 3yo, 1m 40y, 1:40.24, ft, 4 1/2 lengths. EMMANUEL (c, 3, More Than Ready--Hard Cloth, by Hard Spun) backed up the 'TDN Rising Star' moniker and his place at number five on T.D. Thornton's GI Kentucky Derby Top 12 Sunday as he handled a salty Tampa allowance field with aplomb. A 6 3/4-length debut scorer going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Dec. 11, he was forced to scratch from a spot similar to this one Jan. 7 when he spiked a...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-GP, $60K, Msw, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:58 p.m. ET Todd Pletcher-trained Native Thunder (American Pharoah) is one of a trio of well-bred sophomores who makes their debuts here. Out of 2002 GI Del Mar Debutante S. heroine Miss Houdini (Belong to Me), the $200,000 Keeneland September yearling is half to MGSW millionaire Papa Clem (Smart Strike) and Ce Ce (Elusive Quality), last year's GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint winner and an Eclipse Award finalist. There's some turf in the Lazy F Ranch colorbearer's family as...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 2nd-TAM, $31.5K, Alw/Opt. Clm ($75K), 3yo, 1m 40y, 1:09 p.m. ET WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's EMMANUEL (More Than Ready) ran away to a well-bet debut victory and 'TDN Rising Star' honors last month at Gulfstream and will get his first two-turn test in this salty Tampa allowance early on Friday's card. Bought for $350,000 at Keeneland September, the bay was backed down to 7-5 against nine rivals when unveiled over a mile Dec. 11, shook off some early pace pressure and cruised home a...

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...