TDN RISING STARS

August 5, 2013 - Saratoga, Race 3, Msw, USD $80,000, 7f

King Cyrus, c, 2, 2011 by Bellamy Road

1st Dam: Queen of Empire, by Empire Maker
2nd Dam: Perfect Solution, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Dispute, by Danzig

Owner: WinStar Farm LLC
Breeder: Robert Muir Des Scott & Sam Klein
Trainer: Todd Pletcher

King Cyrus gave trainer Todd Pletcher his second "TDN Rising Star" of the Saratoga meet in this extended main-track affair. The $70,000 KEESEP yearling purchase was away well and briefly held the lead before rating just off the pacesetters in the three path. The sleek bay easily moved up to take command exiting the bend and cruised away down the lane to win by 11 lengths. Darley homebred Aslan (A.P. Indy) was second. The victory was all the more impressive considering the stacked field of well-pedigreed juveniles. Live Oak Plantation ran a coupled entry of homebred Kingofgoldstreet (Street Cry {Ire}) and Bill-Mott trained Souperfast (Broken Vow), who went for $500,000 at KEESEP and is a half to juvenile champion Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie). The entry finished third and fourth, respectively. Heavily backed High Ransom (Hard Spun), who was purchased by Robert Baker and Mack William for $400,000 at KEESEP, was last of six. "We felt like he had been training well," said Todd Pletcher of the winner. "We originally put him in a six-furlong race on Saturday; we thought seven furlongs might be better for him. He's an obvious two-turn kind of horse--bred that way, looks that way, trains that way. We were happy with the way he came into the race but didn't really expect him to blow them away like that." King Cyrus's third dam Dispute tallied Grade I scores in the Kentucky Oaks, Spinster S. Beldame S. and Gazelle H. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $48,000.