TDN RISING STARS

August 3, 2024 - Saratoga, Race 6, Msw, USD $100,000, 6F

Ferocious, C, 2, 2022 by Flatter

1st Dam: Napier, by Midnight Lute
2nd Dam: Uno Duo, by Macho Uno
3rd Dam: Willstar, by Nureyev

Owner: JR Ranch, Restrepo, Ramiro, High Step Racing and OGMA Investments LLC
Breeder: Gentry Stable LLC (KY)
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado

The money came late for Ferocious (c, 2, Flatter–Napier, by Midnight Lute), who was available at 4-1 for a good deal of the betting, and when all was said and done, was the 3.45-1 favorite making his career debut in Saturday's sixth race at Saratoga. And the money proved right on, as the colt exploded through the final eighth of a mile to become a no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star'.

Things did not go especially well at the break for the $1.3-million OBS March purchase, as he reared slightly, costing him a length or two. He very quickly made up for lost time, scooting through at the fence to be all the way up into a share of second as the well-bet El Prestigio (Practical Joke) took the field through an opening quarter in :22.02.

Ferocious continued to travel strongly on the turn, but El Prestigio was still going great guns, opening an imposing advantage nearing the stretch, with Javier Castellano getting more serious aboard Ferocious some four lengths behind. But, put to a drive by the Venezuelan–whose history with this trainer and some of these connections includes the 2023 GI Kentucky Derby aboard Mage (Good Magic)– Ferocious quickly raced up to the front-runner to his outside approaching the eighth pole and careered away to score by 7 3/4 lengths. El Prestigio held for second ahead of Praetor (Into Mischief) in third.

The winner's dam was purchased by Tom Bozarth's Arch Bloodstock for $130,000 as a horse of racing age at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale after breaking her maiden at first asking for Juddmonte and Brad Cox over the Ellis turf course that August. She made two additional starts in the colors of Gentry Stable finishing fourth and seventh in Churchill allowance company before being retired. The mare's first foal, the New York-bred 3-year-old filly Strong Play–by Flatter's champion son West Coast–was claimed out of a debut victory at Aqueduct June 27. Napier is also the dam of a yearling colt by Maxfield, and, in something of a full-circle moment, was most recently bred to Juddmonte's two-time champion sprinter Elite Power.

That she might go to a son of Curlin is not surprising, given that her stakes-winning dam Uno Duo produced GI Derby City Distaff winner Obligatory. The third dam is peppered by high-class Juddmonte runners, including Group 1 winner Etoile Montante (Miswaki)–the dam of MGSW Starformer (Dynaformer)–MGISWs Tates Creek (Rahy) and Sightseek (Distant View) and GSW/MGISP Bonny South (Munnings). This is also the family of champion Chief's Crown, Winning Colors and one-time stallions Bowman's Band and Pollard's Vision.

Ferocious is the sixth 'TDN Rising Star' for the late Flatter and first since 2019.