Claiborne’s stallions have the honored distinction of being represented by six TDN Rising Stars so far in 2016. TDN Rising stars are race winners marked by the international racing website in the first few starts of his or her career as having a strong potential to graduate into graded stakes-winning status.
Not surprisingly, Claiborne’s precocious group includes two runners by prominent sire War Front. Currently ranked the world’s leading sire of 2-year-olds, War Front’s Rising Stars are Radio Silence and Roly Poly.
Radio Silence, a notable first for conditioner Jim Bolger, posted an impressive two-length, come-from behind victory over Pipes of Peace in an allowance contest at Leopardstown July 7. The juvenile colt is the third winner out of champion female sprinter Maryfield. A $150,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale purchase, Radio Silence fetched $675,000 at this year’s Ocala Breeders Sale Co.’s March 2-year-old sale. He is owned by industry newcomers LNJ Foxwoods and J S Bolger Partnership.
Another juvenile, the filly Roly Poly, out of the remarkable 4-time Group 1 winning mare, Misty For Me (Ire), earned TDN Rising Star status on April 25. The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly was impressive in narrowly winning her debut with an exciting, last minute rally for owners Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Mrs. John Magnier.
TDN’s predictions about Roly Poly’s star status rang true when the filly posted subsequent scores in the G3 Grangecon Stud Stakes at the Curragh June 26 and the G2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes July 8.
Algorithms, who is ranked the #1 freshman sire by combined winners and stakes horses, has a TDN rising star in Recruiting Ready.
Trained by Horacio DePaz for Sagamore Farm, the juvenile colt was sent off at odds of 3-5 in a maiden special weight contest at Pimlico May 28. Recruiting Ready rewarded his backers when he prevailed by more than 10 lengths and completed the 4 ½-furlong dirt contest in :51.78. The first North American winner for his sire, Recruiting Ready subsequently posted a runner-up effort in the G3 Bashford Manor Stakes.
Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame is represented by Promote, who earned TDN Rising Star status when he broke his maiden with a dazzling last-to-first run in his debut at Belmont Park May 22. A Phipps Stable homebred, he is out of the Broad Brush mare Collusion and is trained by Claude McGaughey.
My Man Sam, by young Claiborne sire Trappe Shot, stamped himself as a TDN Rising Star and sophomore to watch with a visually impressive performance in his two-turn debut at Aqueduct Jan. 31. Unleashing a powerful outside stretch run under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., My Man Sam won the 1 1/16-mile event by an eye-catching eight lengths. The colt went on to finish second in the G1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and was a starter in this year’s Kentucky Derby.
My Man Sam is trained by Chad Brown for breeder Jay Bligh, who owns him in partnership with Sheep Pond Partners and Newport Stables. He is out of the Arch mare Lauren Byrd.
Flatter’s juvenile colt Chasing Aces blew away a quality-looking group of Del Mar maidens July 17 to become a TDN Rising Star, setting a new track record in the process.
Trained by Peter Miller for Rockingham Ranch, he exploded home in the final furlong of the five-furlong event under Tyler Baze, drawing off to a 5 1/2-length score in :56.21. The final clocking broke a near 52-year-old low five-furlong mark of :56 2/5, set by Soldier Girl (Guerrero) Aug. 13, 1964. Chasing Aces is out of the Mt. Livermore mare Endless Sea.