TDN Rising Star

Repole Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), newly honored as 2023 champion 2-year-old, breezed at Palm Beach Downs Saturday morning in advance of next Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, he was timed in :49.55 (20/29) for a half-mile. "I was very pleased. He had a serious work last week--fifty-nine-and-change [for five furlongs]. We were just looking for a maintenance work today," Pletcher said. Fierceness is coming off a 6 1/4-length romp in the Nov. 3 GI Breeders' Cup...

It was an evening to remember for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Godolphin team, as the worldwide operation accumulated no fewer than five statuettes over the course of the evening at Thursday's 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards Presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland and The Jockey Club, honoring and recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing. And they saved the best for last, as Cody's Wish (Curlin), whose story resonated with nearly every fan of Thoroughbred racing and beyond, was named Horse of the Year and champion older dirt male for...

Mullion (Into Mischief--Brooch, by Empire Maker), a full-brother to GI Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun, will stand at Sequel New York in partnership with Juddmonte in 2024. The 4-year-old, nosed out of a debut win at Ellis Park in August of 2022, returned from 14 months on the sidelines to graduate by 10 lengths going one mile at Churchill Downs Nov. 5. The victory earned the well-bred colt the 'TDN Rising Star' designation and an impression 4-Ragozin Number. "Mullion is a beast to look at. He showed freakish brilliance, so much...

Repole Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light), who is expected to be named champion of his generation at Thursday's Eclipse Awards ceremonies, worked five furlongs in :59.48 Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs, the fastest of 12 moves at the distance. It was the sixth timed workout for Fierceness since taking the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 3. The homebred is expected to make his sophomore debut in the GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park Feb. 3. "Fierceness has trained super. He's such a terrific workhorse. He...

'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) breezed five furlongs in 1:00.40 (2/52) Saturday morning at the Fair Grounds in preparation for next Saturday's $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old colt, who was put through his paces by exercise rider Kevin Perez, was clocked in 1:13.60 for six furlongs, according to trainer Brad Cox. "He's been doing very well week after week," Cox said of the Godolphin homebred, a latest second to the re-opposing Trademark (Upstart) in the GII Clark S. at Churchill Downs...

Maymun (Frosted), a $50,000 KEESEP yearling pinhooked into a $900,000 OBS April 2-year-old by Paul Neatherlin, and racing for trainer Bob Baffert and Zedan Racing Stables, absolutely rolled on the front end Saturday in his 6 1/2-furlong debut to become the latest 'TDN Rising Star'. Maymun was an OBS April star, breezing in :9 3/5 and leaving no doubt in his now-trainer's mind of his ability. "He was ridiculously fast," Baffert said of the colt shortly after the sale. "He worked beautifully and came out of it well. That's half...

Hall of Fame (c, 3, Gun Runner--Flag Day, by Giant's Causeway), a $1.4-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, ran to his lofty purchase price with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen at second asking at Fair Grounds Saturday. The 4-5 favorite was ridden early while passing the stands for the first time and secured a tracking trip in a joint second through a quarter mile in :23.30. He turned up the heat beneath Joel Rosario while racing on the inside of the leader heading into the...

Disarm (c, 4, Gun Runner--Easy Tap, by Tapit), sidelined since finishing a closing second behind Arcangelo (Arrogate) in the GI Travers S. at Saratoga Aug. 26, has returned to training with Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen at the Fair Grounds. A respectable fourth at 27-1 in the GI Kentucky Derby, last term's GIII Matt Winn S. winner and GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby runner-up exited his second-place finish in the Travers with bone bruising, per David Fiske, longtime advisor to owner/breeder Ron Winchell. "He was walking visibly off after the Travers,"...

Already a 2 1/2-length winner in her unveiling over this Meydan strip going 1400 metres on Dec. 22, Manama Gold (Star Guitar--Charged Cotton, by Dehere) doubled her tally with an imperious 9 1/4-length victory in the Cocoa Beach S. Presented By Jebel Ali Port over a mile there on Friday and became the latest 'TDN Rising Star'. The Victorious runner, trained by Fawzi Nass, raced in between rivals on the front end from the chute and dropped back for a breather rounding the bend as fellow front-runner Lahfaty (Mitole) asserted...

Blood will out, so they say, and in the case of Onesto (Ire) this is certainly true. The most cursory glance at his pedigree gives you two of the most talked about and revered racehorses of the modern era - his sire Frankel (GB) and broodmare sire Sea The Stars (Ire). But it pretty much goes without saying when it comes to Frankel's offspring that there's an awful lot more going on as you take a closer look at his page.  Bred by American-based Adam Bowden of Diamond Creek Farm,...

These are busy times for Alan Foreman, who is the general counsel to the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, a member of Maryland's Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) and serves as an ombudsman for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU). He took time out of his schedule to join the TDN Writers' Room Podcast, sponsored by The Green Group. It is his work with the MTROA that has received the most attention of late as the Authority recently issued a plan that...

Despite enduring a season's worth of trouble in Saturday's ninth race maiden at Gulfstream, Courtlandt Farm's Conquest Warrior (c, 3, City of Light--Tea Time, by Pulpit) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and with it, became yet another 'TDN Rising Star' for his Lane's End-based sire in jaw-dropping fashion. Pinched back badly and pinballed around in the opening strides, the $1-million Keeneland September graduate was relegated to a detached last early on, but began to improve his position and finally entered the picture as they passed the half-mile marker...