OBS April | Horse Racing Free Tips

Frankel Colt Gets Rising Star Tag In Chantilly Debut

Hot on the heels of Gran Sabana (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) earning a 'TDN Rising Star' rosette in Friday's opening contest at Chantilly, the Fabrice Chappet-trained $535,000 Ocala April breeze-up graduate Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) earned one of his own with a dominant performance in the one-mile Prix de Villebon for unraced 2-year-old colts and geldings. The 15-2 chance was keen under attempted restraint during the opening exchanges and raced in rear for the most part. Making smooth headway once angled to the outside in the straight, he quickened in impressive fashion to launch his challenge with 300 metres remaining and kept on powerfully under minimal urging inside the final furlong to easily outpoint Badge (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), himself a half-brother to G1 Coronation S. third Jubiloso (GB) (Shamardal), by 2 1/2 lengths.

“The horse came from the [Ocala] breeze-up sales in America and he only came over here in June so has not been with us for that long,” explained Chappet. “At this stage in his behaviour, he still acts more like an American-trained colt than a European-trained colt. He broke slowly, he was keen early on and he was green also, but the way in which he swallowed all the other runners in the straight was really quite impressive. It is not certain he'll run again this season. I don't want to run him on ground that is too soft so the circumstances will decide what we do from here.”

Onesto is the second of four foals and first scorer produced by an unraced sibling of G3 Easter Cup victor Jet Away (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). The February-foaled chestnut is half to a yearling filly by Australia (GB) and a weanling filly by Gleneagles (Ire). His dam Onshore (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who was acquired by Diamond Creek Farm for 320,000gns as Tattersalls' 2016 December Mares sale, was bred to American Pharoah this year. She is a daughter of Kalima (GB) (Kahyasi {Ire}), herself an unraced full-sister to Juddmonte's Listed Prix des Sablonnets-winning blue hen Hasili (Ire).

3rd-Chantilly, €27,000, Mdn, 9-24, unraced 2yo, c/g, 8fT, 1:41.04, g/s.
ONESTO (IRE), c, 2, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Onshore (GB), by Sea the Stars (Ire)
2nd Dam: Kalima (GB), by Kahyasi (Ire)
3rd Dam: Kerali (GB), by High Line (GB)
1ST-TIME STARTER. (185,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT; $535,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €13,500. O-Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois, Jean-Etienne Dubois, Ecurie Hunter Valley, Haras d'Etreham, Ecurie Billon, Ecurie Elag, Fabrice Chappet & Hubert Guy; B-Diamond Creek Farm LLC (IRE); T-Fabrice Chappet. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Sept. 17 Insights: Half to Princess Noor Debuts in Intriguing Belmont Sprint

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

6th-BEL, $90k, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 3:38 p.m. ET

Seven horses make their career debut in this potential-laden nine-horse field, headed by PROTONIC POWER (Protonico), part of an uncoupled entry for the Todd Pletcher barn. Owned by Sumaya US Stable, who campaigned his sire, the colt is out of Grade III winner Sheza Smoke Show (Wilko), making him a half to 2020 OBS April topper and subsequent Grade I winner Princess Noor (Not This Time). The bay stayed home at Belmont for the summer and shows an upbeat worktab, highlighted by a half-mile gate breeze in :48 2/5 (5/66) over the main track Aug. 28. The other half of the Pletcher duo is Al Shaqab Racing's narrow morning-line favorite Afjan (Uncle Mo). The homebred is the second foal to race out of GSW/MGISP Scarlet Strike (Smart Strike), following this year's British G3 Supreme S. hero Toro Strike (Toronado {Ire}). Scarlet Strike is also a half-sister to Grade I winners Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song) and Visionaire (Grand Slam). Afjan most recently breezed a sharp five furlongs from the gate over the local training track in 1:00 3/5 (2/28) Sept. 10. Cairama (Cairo Prince) turned heads at OBS March when breezing a furlong in :9 4/5 before hammering for $525,000, 35 times her sire's stud fee and debuts from the rail for the red-hot Steve Asmussen barn. Pegged as a 15-1 longshot on the morning line in his career bow for Nick Zito, Atlantic Thoroughbreds' Atlantic Dancer (American Pharoah) is a half-brother to last year's GII Tampa Bay Derby hero and GI Arkansas Derby runner-up King Guillermo (Uncle Mo) and hammered for $400,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. TJCIS PPs

—@JBiancaTDN

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Quality Road OBS April Topper Lives Up to Hype, Earns ‘Rising Stardom’

Corniche (c, 2, Quality Road–Wasted Tears, by Najran), the $1.5-million OBS April topper earlier this spring, lived up to his lofty reputation with a 'TDN Rising Star' debut performance for Bob Baffert at Del Mar Saturday evening.

The 1-2 favorite caught a flyer beneath Hall of Famer Mike Smith and cleared the field from his wide draw in post 10. He led them comfortably through early fractions of :21.72 and :45.13, kicked for home in complete control and cruised under the wire after a shake of the reins to a facile 4 1/4-length victory. Apprehend (Arrogate) was second.

The final time for 5 1/2 furlongs was a sharp 1:03.01. Corniche becomes the 10th 'Rising Star' for Quality Road.

The son of six-time GSW and GI Matriarch S. runner-up Wasted Tears (Najran) was led out unsold on a bid of $385,000 at KEESEP last year, but turned in a smooth sales breeze in :10 flat to become one of two horses to eclipse the seven-figure barrier in Ocala.

Wasted Tears, also responsible for the late stakes-placed Coffee Crush (Medaglia d'Oro), had a filly by Mendelssohn in 2020.

Speedway Stables and Baffert also teamed up for a win with Quality Road's 'Rising Star' Roadster in the 2019 GI Santa Anita Derby and a runner-up finish in the GI Malibu S.

10th-Del Mar, $72,500, Msw, 9-4, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:03.01, ft, 4 1/4 lengths.
CORNICHE, c, 2, by Quality Road
1st Dam: Wasted Tears (MGSW & GISP, $941,463), by Najran
2nd Dam: Wishes and Roses, by Greinton (GB)
3rd Dam: Anniversary Wish, by Beau's Eagle
Sales history: $385,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP; $1,500,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Speedway Stables LLC; B-Bart Evans & Stonehaven Steadings (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

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Second Chances: Don’t Wait Up

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

Nominated to Monday's GI Hopeful S. after a too-good-to-lose second on debut at Saratoga Aug. 14, Don't Wait Up (c, 2, Upstart–Lovely Marissa, by Proud Citizen) will instead return in a maiden special weight on the closing day card.

Given a 7-1 chance to win at first asking going six furlongs, he was away last of 10 from post nine after veering in and bumping with a rival at the start.

The bay was on the move beneath Javier Castellano to race in an outside fifth through an opening quarter in :22.27 and made an eye-catching, four-wide bid to challenge for command approaching the quarter pole.

He set his sights on the pacesetting Power Agenda (Nyquist)–entered in a loaded renewal of the Hopeful–as they straightened from home, and, after racing shoulder to shoulder with that game rival down the stretch, just came up a nose short with heads bobbing up and down on the line. Don't Wait Up earned a 76 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

Don't Wait Up returned to the worktab with a four-furlong breeze in :48.12 (7/42) over the Oklahoma training track Aug. 28. Trainer Tony Dutrow has quietly enjoyed a nice meeting from limited action at the Spa, sporting a record of 12-3-4-2 at the stand.

“He's always trained very good and then he came up here to Saratoga for his first race and he ran very well,” Dutrow said. “We were very happy with him.”

He continued, “Personally, I like when some adversity happens– dirt hits them in the face, they're among horses, etc.–in a first-time starter's race. The more experience they can get out of their first race, the more they're gonna put that to use in the future.”

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, Don't Wait Up brought $200,000 from Bluewater Sales, agent, on behalf of Cypress Creek Equine after firing a :9 4/5 bullet from the Woodford Thoroughbreds, Agent CLV, consignment at OBS April. He previously was a $1,500 KEENOV weanling and a $23,000 OBSJAN short yearling. Don't Wait Up is the second foal out of the winning mare Lovely Marissa, a daughter of GI Spinaway S. third and blowout Saratoga debut winner Valiant Passion (Lion Heart).

Don't Wait Up takes on a full field of nine rivals going six furlongs for his second start.

“The first time horses run, it can be a very overwhelming experience for them, but Don't Wait Up took everything very well,” Dutrow said. “He certainly learned a great deal and went through a lot in the race. He came out of it very good, we gave him a workout back, and we're looking forward to getting him back out there on the track. We'll just have to see what exactly became of his experience in his next race Monday. It's his second start and we'll take it from there.”

Previous standouts featured in 'Second Chances' include: GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A. P. (Honor Code), GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner and Royal Ascot G2 Norfolk S. runner-up Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags), GIII Las Virgenes S. heroine Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner and MGISP Spielberg (Union Rags), GSW Backyard Heaven (Tizway), and MSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

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