TDN RISING STARS

July 18, 2018 - Del Mar, Race 7, Msw, USD $60,000, 5F, .0000

Brill, F, 2, 2016 by Medaglia d'Oro

1st Dam: Hung the Moon (SW, $170,092), by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Storm Breaking, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Sigrun, by Crafty Prospector

Owner: OXO Equine LLC
Breeder: Southern Equine Stables, LLC (KY)
Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer

Brill (f, 2, Medaglia d’Oro–Hung the Moon, by Malibu Moon), who topped last year’s Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sale at a cool $1-million–$690,000 more than the next-priciest lot–entered Del Mar’s opening day baby race Wednesday with significant steam and ran to it despite a less-than-perfect journey to garner the ‘TDN Rising Star’ distinction. Showing an upbeat series of drills at Santa Anita, the bay opened at 3-5 and never drifted up. Awkwardly away, she settled into a mid-pack spot out wide behind an opening quarter of :22.07. Getting going with a nice move as they spun for home, Brill continued on into the lane and out-kicked game longshot Del Mar May (Jimmy Creed) to score by a 1 1/4-length margin, stopping the clock in :57.86.

Brill is the first foal out of Hung the Moon (Malibu Moon), who just missed with a troubled trip on debut at Oaklawn in January of her sophomore season before reeling off two subsequent scores on the stretch-out. She’d add a two-turn stakes victory at Prairie Meadows the following season, and the Pin Oaks Stable homebred was eventually scooped up for $280,000 by Mike Levy on behalf of Southern Equine at the 2015 Keeneland November sale with Brill in utero. Hung the Moon’s Curlin filly of last season was a $420,000 Fasig-Tipton November weanling purchase by John Dowd, an advisor to Brill’s owner Larry Best. She produced a Laoban filly Mar. 8. Brill is bred on a version of the Medaglia d’Oro–A.P. Indy cross responsible for the likes of Grade I winners Plum Pretty, Bolt d’Oro and Dickinson.

Best and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer also boast one of the most promising juvenile colts in the country in $1.2-million FTFMAR grad Instagrand (Into Mischief), named a ‘TDN Rising Star‘ himself for a 10-length drubbing at Los Alamitos June 29.