TDN Rising Star

The Starlight Racing and Harrell Ventures partnership was always excited about their well-bred son of Omaha Beach named Pirate, but their anticipation for the colt's debut reached an all-time high when he was assigned the infamous first stall adjacent to Todd Pletcher's office at his barn on the Oklahoma. "We've been working with Todd for 23 years and it's hard to get him to get really excited about a horse," joked Starlight's founder and managing partner Jack Wolf. "But you could tell that he liked ours from the get-go." Pirate...

Adding more gravitas, if any were needed, to her compatriot Ramatuelle (Justify) who had handed her a comprehensive beating in the G3 Prix du Bois, Haras d'Etreham and Craig Bernick's TDN Rising Star Les Pavots (Ire) (No Nay Never) found her level on Wednesday evening when winning Vichy's Listed Prix des Jouvenceaux et des Jouvencelles. Beaten 6 3/4 lengths by that hugely-talented Christopher Head trainee in the six-furlong test at Chantilly last month, the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained half-sister to the G1 Cox Plate and G1 Tancred S. hero Sir Dragonet (Ire)...

Hot on the hooves of 'TDN Rising Star' City Of Troy notching an impressive tally in Newmarket's G2 Superlative S., Christopher Head trainee and 'TDN Rising Star' Ramatuelle embellished her sire Justify's banner weekend with a spectacular performance in Sunday's G2 Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly. The February-foaled €100,000 Arqana August graduate went postward as a heavily favoured 2-5 chance, returning off a wide-margin triumph over the six-furlong course and distance in last month's G3 Prix du Bois, and was swiftly into stride to occupy a prominent role here. Last...

On paper, it looked like Pirate (Omaha Beach) had a lot going for him in Saturday's first race at Saratoga, a $105,000 maiden special weight run at 5 1/2 furlongs. A half-brother to GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road), he sold for $350,000 at Keeneland September, had a bullet four-furlong work leading up to the race and hailed from the mighty Todd Pletcher barn. So it was hardly a surprise when he cruised to a three-length win, covering the distance in 1:04.89 for the partnership of Harrell Ventures,...

Few Todd Pletcher first-time starters fail to live up to their billing if they break as 1-5 favorites and Pirate (Omaha Beach) kept that trend rolling with a three-length win to graduate at Saratoga and become the Spa's first 2023 'TDN Rising Star' and the first for his freshman sire (by War Front). Never under the radar, the 2-year-old half-brother to GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road) took all the money and quickly silenced any doubt about his inside draw with a quick beginning under jockey Irad Ortiz,...

They may have missed out on the English Triple Crown this year, but Team Ballydoyle have another contender for that mythical pursuit in 2024 after TDN Rising Star City Of Troy (Justify--Together Forever {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) destroyed the opposition in Newmarket's G2 Superlative S. on Saturday. Allowed to stride to the fore by Ryan Moore with only Spanish Phoenix (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) ahead, the heavily-supported 4-6 favourite took command three out and went through the gears from there to issue a punishing 6 1/2-length defeat to Haatem...

Putting the "wow factor" into Friday night's G1 Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp, Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard's TDN Rising Star Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Knyazhna {Ire}, by Montjeu {Ire}) swooped on unsuspecting victims to provide further proof of the outstanding merit of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club form. Only fourth behind Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) in that 10 1/2-furlong Chantilly Classic, the Pascal Bary trainee who had dazzled on his first two starts looked an unlikely winner throughout the early stages with Cristian Demuro detached in last....

Newmarket's Weatherbys British EBF Maiden S. is one of those key races that can uncover a class act and Friday's renewal of the seven-furlong July Festival test may have witnessed another as Arabic Legend (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}--Sheikha Reika {Fr}, by Shamardal) earned a TDN Rising Star tag. Withdrawn from his intended start at Doncaster last month after becoming upset in the stalls, the second foal out of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's GI E.P.Taylor S. heroine was always travelling strongly on the wing with Rob Hornby trying to contain him...

Imad Al Sagar's dual Group 1-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}--Princess Loulou {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) wrested defeat from the jaws of victory in last month's G3 Hoppings S., but was a different proposition facing a stellar cast in Friday's G1 Tattersalls Falmouth S. at Newmarket and back on song to dish out a wide-margin beating in the one-mile distaffers' test. Persistent drizzle had fallen at Headquarters throughout the day, easing the official going to good, and enticed connections into rubber-stamping the participation of last week's G1 Pretty...

Amo Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Persian Dreamer (Calyx {GB}--Surprisingly {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), fresh off a fourth-place finish in last month's G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot, upset the odds with an impressive display for a career high in Friday's G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. over Newmarket's six-furlong strip. She was restrained in rear after an alert break and inched forward into a handy third before halfway. Nudged along passing the quarter-mile marker, the 5-1 second choice quickened in style to launch her bid entering the final furlong and kept...

How's your Saratoga opening weekend stakes knowledge? You probably already knew that the Sanford S. is the only race that the legendary Man o' War ever lost. Or that over a five-year span in the '60s, the great Kelso amassed a staggering record of 63-39-12-2. You also knew that the late '80s warrior Quick Call, who lived to the ripe old age of 35, was denied a third consecutive GII Forego H. by a nose to Lay Down. And if you are pretty sharp, then you have it down pat...

Thursday's Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. at Newmarket looked every bit as strong as the card's group races and so it proved as Juddmonte's G3 Tattersalls S.-winning TDN Rising Star Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Mirror Lake {GB}, by Dubai Destination) put his season on track with a performance that confirmed him as another elite runner for the Sir Michael Stoute stable. Last seen finishing third in the G1 Dewhurst S. on the Rowley Mile, the 11-10 favourite took Ryan Moore straight to the lead and one by one broke the hearts...