TDN Rising Star

Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot will see a field of 14 sprinters line up in an open-looking renewal which includes last year's surprise winner Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Jamie Spencer, who partnered that Charles Hills-trained 80-1 shot 12 months ago, will instead be on Fitri Hay's other runner Mitbaahy (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) from the same stable following his success in The Curragh's G2 Greenlands Stakes last month. Peter Harris's G2 1895 Duke of York Stakes winner Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) represents the Jane...

Wednesday saw the draw made for Friday's two group 1 contests at Royal Ascot, with the 10 fillies set to contest the Coronation S. headed by Ballydoyle's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Opera Singer (Justify) and Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's 1,000 Guineas heroine Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}). Opera Singer, who was returning from a setback when third in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, has drawn an outside stall in nine for the mile feature while the Roger Varian-trained Newmarket Classic heroine is in seven. James Doyle takes over from Silvestre De...

Wednesday's Royal Ascot cards were finalised on Monday, with the feature G1 Prince of Wales's S. made up of 10 runners but not, as expected, White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}). The G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner's absence is one less obstacle for Ballydoyle's star colt of 2023, Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), with Cheveley Park Stud's Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Yeguada Centurion's Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) looking the chief threats to the Ballydoyle runner. Blue Rose Cen is joined by compatriots Horizon Dore (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}),...

Trainer Danny Gargan's stable is humming along at a nice clip in the wake of celebrating a little over a week ago his first Grade I win with Dornoch (Good Magic) in the Belmont S. and with Society Man (Good Magic) taking the GIII Matt Winn S. at Churchill Downs a day later. Gargan stopped by the TDN Writers' Room podcast for a conversation. Finally, to cap his stellar week, Complexion (Complexity) broke her maiden at first asking during the Belmont at the Big A meet on Friday, which earned...

Chantilly's G1 Prix de Diane programme opened with a bang when Alain and Gerard Wertheimer's homebred 2-year-old filly Polyvega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}--Polydream {Ire}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) unleashed a debut performance of note to attain 'TDN Rising Star' status in Sunday's Prix de la Reine Blanche Longines Polyvega was a shade slow from the stands' side stall and raced in fourth after the initial strides of this debutantes' heat. Cruising forward on the bridle once past halfway, the 3-1 second choice was shaken up to seize control approaching...

Sunday saw the confirmations for 2024 Royal Ascot's opening day fixture, where the G1 St James's Palace S. is the rightful stage for the coming together of the 2,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroes Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}). The latter has been supplemented for the mile contest and is joined by fellow French raider Darlinghurst (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), while Ballydoyle rely on last year's G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. hero Henry Longfellow (Ire)...

The third 'Rising Star' to come out of the freshman sire class in just 24 hours, Midland Money (Shancelot--Magnolias In Bloom, by Flatter) became his sire's (by Shanghai Bobby) second overall winner Friday with a gate to wire win at Santa Anita. A $650,000 OBS March buy for CSLR Racing Partners LLC, the colt worked a quick furlong in :9.4 in Ocala to become the most expensive 2-year-old buy from his sire's first crop. He'd already shown his propensity to be quick in the mornings, putting up back to back...

Ger Lyons trainee Babouche (GB) (Kodiac {GB}--Pavlosk, by Arch) was all the rage at the tills for Friday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Cork and justified odds-on favouritism with a 'TDN Rising Star' display in the six-furlong contest. She becomes the fifth Rising Star for Kodiac, whose others include last term's G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas placegetter Hi Royal (Ire). Babouche, who holds entries for the June 29 G2 Airlie Stud S. and Aug. 19 G1 Keeneland Phoenix S., broke smartly and led the smaller far-side...

7th-BAQ, $90K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 3:40 p.m. One half of a Repole Stable entry, MENTEE (City of Light) is a full-brother to 'TDN Rising Star' and Champion 2-year-old Male Fierceness. Nonna Bella is herself a daughter of GISP Nonna Mia and a half to GI Wood Memorial S. winner and sire Outwork (Uncle Mo) while third dam Holy Bubbette is responsible for MGSW and sire Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile). Drawn outside for Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez, Mentee comes in off a best-of-20 work June 7 at Saratoga, going...

Florida-based stallion Win Win Win (by Hat Trick {Jpn}) could not have kicked his second career off any better, earning a first winner and first 'TDN Rising Star' Thursday as Nooni (Win Win Win--Unanimity, by Union Rags) lived up her billing in a winning debut at Santa Anita. After blitzing a quarter-mile in :20.1 at OBS March, Nooni caught the eye of Zedan Racing Stables and trainer Bob Baffert who went to a sales-topping $1,800,000 to secure the filly from her sire's first crop. Hammered down to 1-5 in the...

3rd-Churchill Downs, $89,625, Msw, 6-13, 2yo, 5f, :58.48, ft, 2 lengths. SPIRALIZER (c, 2, Twirling Candy--Jotown, by Speightstown) sold earlier this year for $550,000 at OBS March for Wathnan Racing and jumped as the 8-5 favorite facing a field of fractious rivals in the pre-race lead up. Once settled and in the gate, the favorite was ridden for the lead from his rail draw and always looked the winner, traveling confidently along the fence and coming home unchallenged to win by two lengths. Asleep At Eight (Frosted) beat home a...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Kyoto and Tokyo Racecourses: Saturday, June 15, 2024 5th-KYO, ¥13,720,000 ($88k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1200m AMERICAN BIKINI (JPN) (f, 2, American Pharoah--Paris Bikini, by Bernardini) is a half-sister to Paris Lights (Curlin), who won the 2020 GI CCA Oaks, prompting Katsumi...