TDN Rising Star

A seven-digit yearling turned new 'TDN Rising Star', Prides Crossing (Quality Road) left her rivals in her wake en route to a stylish unveiling at Churchill Downs Saturday. The newest 'Rising Star' came into this contest riding a three-strong string of bullet five-furlong works at The Thoroughbred Center with her last four of five being the fastest on the morning. The most recent was a May 17 move clocked in 1:01.00. Stalking the pace from third as She's It (Omaha Beach) put up :22.63 and :46.30 early splits, the 3-1...

'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) will have a new running mate in the GI Belmont S. at Saratoga Race Course on June 8. After watching the GI Kentucky Derby runner-up work five furlongs in 1:02.64 (5/6) on the Oklahoma Training Track Saturday morning, Brown said he was making a rider change. Tyler Gaffalione is out; Flavien Prat is in. Sierra Leone lost the Derby by a nose to Mystik Dan (Goldencents) and finished a nose ahead of Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}). Sierra Leone is owned by...

Day two of the Curragh's Irish Guineas Festival concluded with a bang when Coolmore and Westerberg's hithero unraced 3-year-old colt Jan Brueghel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Devoted To You {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) outclassed nine rivals in imperious fashion to garner the €20,000 McDonnells Bar Newbridge Irish EBF Maiden and a 'TDN Rising Star' rosette. He becomes the 43rd Rising Star for the Coolmore icon. The June 21 G2 King Edward VII and June 30 G1 Irish Derby entry was swiftly away and raced in a close-up second through halfway in...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Observations features the return of a half-brother to the outstanding Frankel (GB). 20.12 Sandown, Listed, £45,000, 3yo, 8fT KIKKULI (GB) (Kingman {GB}) takes his chance in this Listed Chasemore Farm Stud Staff Heron S., which has come to serve as a key staging post en route to the...

Great Yarmouth's £40,000 British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies' S., which witnessed a 'TDN Rising Star' display in the extended five-furlong dash last year, played host to another as Cheveley Park Stud's homebred 2-year-old filly Spherical (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}--Spatial {GB}, by New Approach {Ire}) powered to an impressive success in this year's renewal. In winning, she provided her second-crop sire with a third Rising Star in five days. Spherical, debuting in a field reduced by half to just three contenders, stalked both rivals in third through halfway. Easing into...

Relishing front-running tactics, the Wertheimers' TDN Rising Star Pensee Du Jour (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) returned to winning ways in Monday's G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud. Never in any serious danger once Maxime Guyon had committed, the Andre Fabre-trained 7-5 favourite who was runner-up in ParisLongchamp's G3 Prix Allez France last month gave generously to score by 1 1/2 lengths from Quantanamera (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). It was at this track that Prix Rose de Mai started to look like a genuine Classic prospect last Spring when winning the Listed...

Second-crop sire Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) was without a 'TDN Rising Star' representative prior to Saturday, but James Fanshawe trainee Kind Of Blue (GB) rectified matters for the Kildangan Stud resident at Doncaster and €170,000 Arqana October graduate Tiego The First (Fr) doubled the tally with a sparkling last-to-first triumph in Monday's Prix Hunyade at Saint-Cloud. Tiego The First dwelt badly at the break and forfeited several lengths to his rivals, but recovered to latch on to the tail of the field and raced with just one behind passing through...

Newmarket bore witness to a new TDN Rising Star on Sunday as Godolphin's Ancient Truth (Ire), (Dubawi {Ire}--Beyond Reason {Ire}, by Australia {GB}) got his career off to the perfect start in the opening six-furlong novice on the card. A full-brother to last year's TDN Rising Star Great Truth (Ire) and second foal out of the G2 Prix du Calvados winner Beyond Reason (Ire) (Australia {GB}), the Charlie Appleby-trained 5-2 favourite broke smartly to track the early pace in second before taking command two out. Pushed out by William Buick...

Bolt D'Vine (Bolt d'Oro--Perfectly Divine, by Vindication) was one of two runners in the field with no prior experience, but you'd never know it judging by her performance here. Cruising home as easily as she pleased, the filly carrying Michael House's colors sailed over the wire and earned the 'Rising Star' nod in the process. Off at 3-1 and vying from off the rail up the backstretch through :22.36 and :45.53 fractions, it looked briefly like her early rival might make a race of it, but when Bolt d'Vine took...

4th-Churchill Downs, $123,820, Alw (NW2$X)/Opt. Clm ($80,000), 5-18, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:45.88, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. DISARM (c, 4, Gun Runner--Easy Tap, by Tapit), a 'TDN Rising Star', was a major player on last year's Triple Crown trail, hitting the board in both the GII Louisiana Derby and the GIII Lexington S. before running fourth behind Mage (Good Magic) in the GI Kentucky Derby. Fourth again in the GII Jim Dandy S., he chased home champion 3-year-old male Arcangelo (Arrogate) to be second in the GI Travers S. in his...

Impressive on debut at Kempton earlier this month, Michelle Morris and Jan and Peter Hopper's homebred Kind Of Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}--Blues Sister {GB}, by Compton Place {GB}) defied a penalty to earn TDN Rising Star status at Doncaster on Saturday evening. Keen early under Danny Muscutt's restraint behind the leader Ananda (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the card's six-furlong novice won in 2018 by future sprinting bigwig Equilateral (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), the 11-4 second favourite was the only one able to live with that 2-1 market leader. Arriving at...

As expected, Cheveley Park Stud's colours were in the winner's enclosure following Newbury's G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. on Saturday but it was aboard the Gosdens' 22-1 shot Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}--Ladyship {GB}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) who uber-excelled in his task of pacemaking for Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Labelled a TDN Rising Star at two, the homebred grandson of the Thompsons' 2006 Lockinge heroine Peeress (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) had shown what he could do when left alone on the lead with ample space to express himself in last year's G3 Criterion...