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Classic Empire’s Angel Of Empire Sprouts Wings In Risen Star

Represented by a trio of well-meant sophomores in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds–including the top two favorites–trainer Brad Cox's march to the first Saturday in May continued with an upset victory by the Albaugh Family Stable's Angel of Empire (Classic Empire).

Second by three lengths behind his re-opposing and favored stablemate Victory Formation (Tapwrit) in the one-mile Smarty Jones S. Jan. 1, Angel of Empire raced in a ground-saving eighth as the field of 14 rounded the clubhouse turn beneath the lights. The 13-1 chance began to make his move between runners as West Coast invader Harlocap (Justify) took on pacesetter Determinedly (Cairo Prince) as previously unbeaten and forwardly placed Victory Formation began to tire following testing early fractions of :23.34 and :47.50. Two Phil's (Hard Spun), last term's GIII Street Sense S. winner, took over briefly from the tiring front runners as they straightened with Angel of Empire and his other Cox-trained stablemate Tapit's Conquest (Tapit) beginning to roll down the center with longshot Sun Thunder (Into Mischief) making a move of his own along the fence. Angel of Empire had the best final kick of them all, however, and sealed the deal by a length over the 16-1 Sun Thunder. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to Two Phil's in third.

Angel of Empire, a debut winner going a mile in the Indiana slop Aug. 9, was sixth second out over the Kentucky Downs lawn Sept. 8. Freshened, Angel of Empire returned a dominant winner in an Indiana allowance prior to his aforementioned runner-up performance in Hot Springs. The Risen Star was his first attempt beyond a mile. He earned 50 points for a new total of 54 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, putting him at the top of the leaderboard.

“Physically, it looks like he can run all day,” said Cox, who earlier in the program scored the 2,000th win of his career. “We could see that last summer when we got him ready to run. We started him a mile at Indiana and it worked out. We had a little pace to run at today and it worked out well. It's five weeks to the Louisiana Derby and we'll look at that, all the Grade 1s will be in the conversation. We'll let the dust settle and see how he comes out of it. This is a horse that we thought as the months go by he'll get better and he has.”

Pedigree Notes:

Angel of Empire made it four graded winners and two on the day for young sire Classic Empire. His dam Armony's Angel, a maiden of eight career starts, is also represented by the 2-year-old colt Third City (Collected) ($23,000 FTKJUL yearling purchase by Kenneth R. Kachel) and a yearling colt by Classic Empire. Armony's Angel, a half-sister to GSW Conquest Big E (Tapit), brought $67,000 from co-breeder Black Diamond Corp. carrying her first foal Angel of Empire at the 2019 KEENOV sale. Angel of Empire becomes the first stakes/graded winner for his broodmare sire To Honor and Serve.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
RISEN STAR S. PRESENTED BY LAMARQUE LINCOLN AND LAMARQUE CRESCENT CITY FORD-GII, $400,000, Fair Grounds, 2-18, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:51.47, ft.
1–ANGEL OF EMPIRE, 122, c, 3, by Classic Empire
                1st Dam: Armony's Angel, by To Honor and Serve
                2nd Dam: Seeinsbelieven, by Carson City
                3rd Dam: Coragil, by Metfield
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($32,000
RNA Wlg '20 KEENOV; $70,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Albaugh
Family Stables LLC; B-Forgotten Land Investment Inc & Black
Diamond Equine Corp (PA); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Luis Saez.
$240,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $330,000. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Sun Thunder, 122, c, 3, Into Mischief–Greenfield d'Oro,
by Medaglia d'Oro. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK
TYPE. ($400,000 Wlg '20 FTKNOV; $495,000 RNA Ylg '21
FTSAUG). O-R.T Racing Stable & Cypress Creek Equine;
B-Southern Equine Stables, LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek.
$80,000.
3–Two Phil's, 122, c, 3, Hard Spun–Mia Torri,
by General Quarters. ($150,000 RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP).
O-Patricia's Hope LLC & Phillip Sagan; B-Phillip Sagan (KY);
T-Larry Rivelli. $40,000.
Margins: 1, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 13.70, 16.60, 5.70.
Also Ran: Tapit's Conquest, Single Ruler, Harlocap, Crupi, Curly Jack, Victory Formation, Shaq Diesel, Silver Heist, Private Creed, Quiet as Midnight, Determinedly.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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‘Rising Star’ Pretty Mischievous Springs The Upset In Rachel Alexandra

The betting public was pretty sure that an Into Mischief filly out of a Tapit mare would emerge victorious in Saturday's GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton, but they only got it half right. It wasn't 2-5 Hoosier Philly who picked up the 50 GI Kentucky Oaks points, but instead Godolphin homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous who starred at Fair Grounds. Pacesetting longshot Miracle (by Into Mischief's younger brother Mendelssohn) stretched Pretty Mischievous to 3/4 of a length, and was another 7 3/4 lengths clear of Hoosier Philly.

A good-looking off-the-pace winner first up at Churchill Downs sprinting Sept. 18, the Brendan Walsh-trained Pretty Mischievous added an allowance in the slop there at the end of October. The daughter of GISW Pretty City Dancer was five lengths behind Hoosier Philly in third when stretching out for the GII Golden Rod S. Nov. 26, but bounced right back to take the local Untapable S. on the day after Christmas. She was flattered when runner-up The Alys Look (Connect) bested stablemate Chop Chop (City of Light) in last month's Silverbulletday S., and the 80 Beyer Speed Figure she earned that day was only one point behind what Hoosier Philly earned in the Golden Rod. Chop Chop owned the field's best Beyer of 88, and was the clear second choice in the wagering–Pretty Mischievous was third in the betting at 8-1.

Hoosier Philly bobbled at the break, but Pretty Mischievous was off cleanly and drafted in between foes just behind Miracle. She got down to the rail under Tyler Gaffalione behind a :48.85 half, and was asked in earnest following six furlongs in 1:13.05. Miracle boxed on, and Hoosier Philly started to come alive out wide, but Pretty Mischievous wanted it most, and wore down the pacesetter despite that one leaning on her a bit in the lane.

“Before she ran Brendan told me we had a really special one in the barn,” Gaffalione said. “She keeps improving physically and mentally. Today, I sat in a perfect spot and let Johnny [Velazquez] go on Miracle while Luis [Saez and Untapable third Vahva {Gun Runner}] tracked inside.”

Walsh, who was celebrating his first Rachel Alexandra win, said, “She never missed a beat from her first start at two until now. We knew we'd have to give her a rest at some point because we didn't want to go to the well too often. We were quietly confident she'd be good enough and today we found out she is. Now, we'll see how she comes out of things, talk things over with the ownership team and get her to be 110% on the big day in May.”

With the 50 points she picked up Saturday, Pretty Mischievous now sits atop the GI Kentucky Oaks standings with 63 points.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
RACHEL ALEXANDRA S. PRESENTED BY FASIG-TIPTON-GII,
$291,000, Fair Grounds, 2-18, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:45.15, ft.
1–PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS, 122, f, 3, by Into Mischief
          1st Dam: Pretty City Dancer (GISW, $286,344), by Tapit
          2nd Dam: Pretty City, by Carson City
          3rd Dam: Pretty Special, by Riverman
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Godolphin
(KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $180,000.
Lifetime Record: SP, 5-4-0-1, $421,310. Werk Nick Rating:
A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Miracle, 122, f, 3, Mendelssohn–Good Omen, by Smart
Strike. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($110,000 Wlg '20 FTKNOV;
$250,000 Ylg '21 SARAUG; $360,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR).
O-WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm LLC; B-Magnolia Mares,
LLC & Pony Express Sales,Inc. (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$60,000.
3–Hoosier Philly, 122, f, 3, Into Mischief–Tapella, by Tapit.
($510,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Gold Standard Racing Stable, LLC;
B-Candy Meadows LLC (KY); T-Thomas M. Amoss. $30,000.
Margins: 3/4, 7 3/4, 2. Odds: 8.10, 13.50, 0.40.
Also Ran: Vahva, Chop Chop, Knockyoursocksoff.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO,
sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Perennial leading sire Into Mischief already has five graded stakes winners this year, and is responsible for three of the top four on the Oaks leaderboard with 2022 champion juvenile filly Wonder Wheel third and Hoosier Philly fourth. The Spendthrift super sire now has 63 graded winners but is still in search of a first Kentucky Oaks winner.

Recent GIII Holy Bull S. winner Rocket Can and Hoosier Philly are the other two graded winners by Into Mischief out of Tapit mares, but that number almost certainly has to rise rapidly in the coming years considering they've got seven champion sire titles between them. Tapit, still on the young side as broodmare sire, is responsible for the dams of 39 graded/group winners worldwide thus far.

Pretty Mischievous's dam Pretty City Dancer dead-heated with another Tapit filly in the 2016 GI Spinaway S. for trainer Mark Casse and John Oxley. The $825,000 KEESEP yearling was off the board in subsequent route tries on the Oaks trail, but still fetched $3.5 million while in foal to Medaglia d'Oro at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The resulting filly broke through in a two-turn Indiana maiden special weight in October. Pretty Mischievous came next, but the half-sister to GISW Lear's Princess (Lear Fan) was barren to Uncle Mo for 2021. She produced another Medaglia d'Oro filly last March, and was bred back to Street Sense.

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Uncle Mo’s Bishops Bay Gives Trainer Brad Cox Win #2,000

5th-Fair Grounds, $70,000, Msw, 2-18, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.07, ft, 3/4 length.
BISHOPS BAY (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Catch My Drift {SW & GISP, $280,540}, by Pioneerof the Nile) was a popular wagering choice for his career bow, breaking from the gates as the 1-2 chalk under jockey Florent Geroux. With good early speed from mid pack, the $450,000 Keeneland yearling moved between rivals to just sit just off the flank of pacesetter Ocean City (American Pharoah) through a quick opening quarter in :22.14. Applying consistent pressure to that early leader into the far turn, Bishops Bay took over under his own power as the top pair swung into the turn. A game First Mission (Street Sense) made a late run down the stretch but Bishops Bay had enough of a gap built up to hold off his stablemate by three-quarters of a length for a Brad Cox exacta. Ocean City came home fourth while Unload (Gun Runner) and St. John's (Hard Spun) were the last two home. Catch My Drift, herself an accomplished race mare, is also responsible for Strava (Into Mischief), MSP, $282,340. Her 2-year-old Constitution colt brought $575,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale and she dropped a filly by Improbable last year before visiting Not This Time for the 2023 season. Sales History: $450,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Spendthrift Farm LLC, Steve Landers Racing LLC, Martin S. Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing, LLC, Kueber Racing, LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Winners Win, Michael Caruso & WinStar Farm, LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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Sophomore ‘Stars’ Line Up at Fair Grounds Saturday

The road to the Triple Crown heats up in New Orleans Saturday with the GII Risen Star S. and GII Rachel Alexandra S.

A full field of 14 will line up in the former, led by unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Victory Formation (Tapwrit). One of three entered for Brad Cox, the 3-1 morning-line favorite heads to the post off a front-running tally over stablemate Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) in the Smarty Jones S. going a mile at Oaklawn Jan. 1.

Drawn on the outside in post 13, Victory Formation figures to have plenty of company on the front end if similar tactics are employed in this first attempt at 1 1/8 miles.

“I think he should be able to break well and get a good position,” Cox said. “I'm not too worried about the outside post. He's very quick from the gate and broke really sharp in all three of his starts. Obviously, Flavien [Prat] is a great rider; we're not going to give him too many instructions, and he rode him last time so he does know the horse.”

Cox will also saddle second-choice Tapit's Conquest (Tapit), who looks primed for a breakthrough performance following a strong second with a less-than-ideal trip behind the re-opposing Determinedly (Cairo Prince) in his sophomore debut at Fair Grounds Jan. 21.

“I think he got a lot out of it and he hadn't run since October,” Cox said. “He needed the last race, he's still learning. He didn't really get involved as much as we'd like last time, but ultimately came running, and I think he got a lot out of it from an educational standpoint. He should love a mile and an eighth even more.”

Only two Risen Star entrants–Curly Jack (Good Magic) and Two Phil's (Hard Spun)–have posted wins versus graded stakes company so far.

Curly Jack, winner of the GIII Iroquois S. Sept. 17 and a well-beaten fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, capped his 2-year-old campaign with a very good second behind subsequent GIII Lecomte S. winner Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro) in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Nov. 26. Last term's GIII Street Sense S. winner Two Phil's, meanwhile, completed the exacta in the Lecomte last time.

The six-deep Rachel Alexandra is headlined by the highly regarded Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief), who puts a perfect three-for-three record on the line. She concluded her juvenile campaign with a dominating win in Churchill's GII Golden Rod S. Nov. 26.

“We have a lot of expectations for her based on what she's done so far, so there's a lot of anticipation about how she's going to come back at three,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “Her morning preparation has been just as it was when she was two, so that gives us some feeling of confidence going into the race. But still, it is just her first race at three.”

Hoosier Philly closed at 11-1 in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 4, the third choice in wagering.

“That's just noise,” Amoss said. “We're not looking at anything other than this race right now.”

The 13-race card at Fair Grounds also includes the GIII Mineshaft S. and GIII Fair Grounds S.

There are four other graded stakes around the country Saturday–the GIII Royal Delta S. at Gulfstream; the GIII Barbara Fritchie S. and GIII General George S. at Laurel; and the GIII Razorback H. at Oaklawn.

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