Camelot’s Alexandroupolis Earns TDN Rising Star Tag On Debut

Coolmore and Westerberg's 2-year-old colt Alexandroupolis (Ire) (Camelot {GB}–Jazz Cat {Ire}, by Tamayuz {GB}), who is a 240,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 graduate loaded with Group 1 entries, was let go at odds of 17-2 for Tuesday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over an extended mile at Galway and displayed a rare turn of foot in the closing stages to outclass overmatched opposition for a 'TDN Rising Star'. The eventual winner settled in a midfield seventh through the early fractions of this debut. Taking closer order rounding the home turn, he quickened in impressive fashion to launch his challenge between rivals passing the furlong marker and opened up stylishly in the closing stages to easily deny stablemate Espionage (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by 1 3/4 lengths.

“He's a nice colt, he's been showing a bit at home and Wayne [Lordan] gave him a lovely ride,” commented Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong. “It can be tricky here first time out, but Wayne was patient on him. He found the gaps at the end and hit the line well. He should have no problem stepping up to stakes company at the back end of this year and hopefully will be a nice middle-distance horse for next year. He has a very good staying pedigree and Galway is a lovely place to start them at this time of year.”

Alexandroupolis–whose catalogue of entries include the G1 Dewhurst S., G1 Futurity Trophy and next year's G1 Derby–is the third of five foals and second scorer produced by a full-sister to G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis victrix and G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest runner-up Thawaany (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}). His dam Jazz Cat (Ire), herself a daughter of G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Chelsea Rose (Ire) (Desert King {Ire}), is also a half-sister to G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G1 St Leger hero Kew Gardens (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G3 Munster Oaks victrix Snow (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G1 Grand Prix de Paris second and G1 Irish Derby third Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Listed International Trial S. runner-up Hamlool (Ire) (Red Ransom). The February-foaled bay is full to a yearling filly, who is slated to sell as Lot 553 at next month's Tattersalls October Book 2 sale, and half to a weanling colt by Churchill (Ire).

1st-Galway, €16,000, Mdn, 9-6, 2yo, 8f 123yT, 1:54.85, sf.
ALEXANDROUPOLIS (IRE), c, 2, by Camelot (GB)
1st Dam: Jazz Cat (Ire), by Tamayuz (GB)
2nd Dam: Chelsea Rose (Ire), by Desert King (Ire)
3rd Dam: Cinnamon Rose, by Trempolino
1ST-TIME STARTER. (240,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Westerberg; B-Mrs Fitri Hay (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $9,534. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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Five of Six Have Hopeful Claims

The curtain falls on the 40-day Saratoga meeting Monday afternoon with a field of six set to head to the post for the GI Hopeful S. And a legitimate case can be made for all but one of the juvenile colts signed on.

Half of the Hopeful field have already been accorded 'TDN Rising Star' honors and Gulfport (Uncle Mo) could well go favored for Steve Asmussen and the Heiligbrodts. The $275,000 Fasig-Tipton July purchased could not have looked better in his first two career outings–a seven-length debut at 1-2 at Churchill June 10 followed by a 12 1/4-length tour-de-force at 20 cents on the dollar in the July 4 Bashford Manor S. Odds-on yet again in the Aug. 13 GII Saratoga Special S., the bay found enough trouble 2 1/2 furlongs out to allow fellow 'Rising Star' Damon's Mound (Girvin) to get the jump and was forced to settle for second.

Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) is not a 'Rising Star' but holds the distinction of being the lone previous graded winner in the field, having stalked and pounced to a 3 1/2-length tally in the GIII Sanford S. July 16. Andiamo a Firenze (Speightstown), third home that day, has since returned to wallop state-breds in the Funny Cide S.

“He's doing great. He's been feeling really good and came out of the Sanford in good order,” said trainer Brad Cox. “He's been working every seven days.”

A subpar fourth in Sanford was Forte (Violence), who streaked home by nearly eight on his downstate debut May 27 to earn his 'Rising Star', but never got untracked last time, finishing an even fourth. Trainer Todd Pletcher is willing to give his charge the benefit of the doubt.

“The track was probably a little deep for his liking [in the Sanford]. The pace didn't come back much,” said Pletcher. “I think he should appreciate the added distance.”

Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) also caught what appeared to be a heavy track on his July 24, earning an 85 Beyer when covering six furlongs in 1:13.34 to defeat re-opposing next-out maiden romper Bourbon Bash (City of Light) by 6 1/4 lengths.

“The form looked good in his last race,” said trainer Chad Brown. “He had his last breeze [on Sunday] for the Hopeful, so we'll see.”

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Teofilo’s West Wind Blows Dominates The Prince d’Orange

Becoming the fourth colt to emerge from the Goodwood's G3 Gordon S. and register a black-type success, Abdulla Al Mansoori's TDN Rising Star West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) proved too strong for his rivals in Sunday's G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange at ParisLongchamp. Only sixth behind Saturday's G1 St Leger favourite New London (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) when ridden from the front in that mile-and-a-half contest July 28, the imposing bay was under restraint this time as the deputising Kieran Shoemark anchored him with two behind from the break. Arriving wide in the straight, the 29-10 second favourite hung repeatedly right from two out but his sheer physical dominance saw him overhaul Ilic (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) a furlong from home and assert for a 1 3/4-length success from that outsider. The positively-ridden 8-5 favourite Epic Poet (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) was the same margin away in third.

West Wind Blows, who had taken Hamilton's 11-furlong Listed Glasgow S. over 11 furlongs July 15 after finishing ninth in the Derby, was capping a day to remember for his rider who stepped in for William Buick following that rider's fall in the Moulin. He was also becoming the 13th winner from the last 23 runners from the red-hot Simon and Ed Crisford stable and Ed was on hand to say, “He settled really well today, which was key. The owner was very keen to go back to a mile and a quarter and it worked out perfectly as there was pace on. He picked up nicely, but he still did a lot of things wrong so he's got a lot of learning to do.”

“He's a very exciting horse and I think he's just babyish–Kieran said he did everything wrong in the race, but his natural talent got him to the line in front, so there's lots to work with,” Crisford Jr added. “He is in the Arc, so we'll see what the owner wants to do but he's a very exciting horse for next year really. It's all about that. We think he stays a mile and a half, so we could be tempted by the Arc and he is versatile with regards to ground, he just doesn't want extremes.”

West Wind Blows, who becomes the 60th group winner for his sire, is the eighth foal out of the G1 Prix de Diane heroine West Wind (GB) (Machiavellian) who was also placed in the G1 Prix Vermeille and G1 Pretty Polly S. and whose previous best was the ill-fated G3 Eclipse S. runner-up Setting Sail (GB) (Dansili {GB}). The second dam is the G2 Sun Chariot S. winner Red Slippers (Nureyev), whose daughter Eastern Joy (GB) (Dubai Destination) has proven an excellent producer for Godolphin with six black-type winners headed by the high-achieving globetrotter Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}).

Eastern Joy's classy sextet also features Teofilo's G3 Oh So Sharp S. winner First Victory (Ire), dam of this year's 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace S. hero Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) who had so sadly broke down at the track half an hour beforehand. Red Slippers is in turn a full-sister to the G2 Jockey Club S. scorer and Epsom third Romanov (Ire) and a half to the Oaks and Irish Derby heroine Balanchine (Storm Bird), with her many high-class relatives including another Irish Derby hero in Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). West Wind's 2-year-old is a full-brother to West Wind Blows, while she also has a colt foal by Masar (Ire).

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DU PRINCE D'ORANGE-G3, €80,000, ParisLongchamp, 9-4, 3yo, 10fT, 2:04.13, g/s.
1–WEST WIND BLOWS (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Teofilo (Ire)
     1st Dam: West Wind (GB) (G1SW-Fr, G1SP-Ire, $773,178), by Machiavellian
     2nd Dam: Red Slippers, by Nureyev
     3rd Dam: Morning Devotion, by Affirmed
1ST GROUP WIN. O-Mr Abdulla Al Mansoori; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Simon & Ed Crisford; J-Kieran Shoemark. €40,000. Lifetime Record: SW-Eng, 6-4-0-0, €89,137. *1/2 to Setting Sail (GB) (Dansili {GB}), GSP-Aus, $125,876. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ilic (Ire), 126, c, 3, Iffraaj (GB)–Impressionnante (GB), by Danehill.
1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Wertheimer et Frere (IRE); T-Freddy Head. €16,000.
3–Epic Poet (Ire), 126, c, 3, Lope De Vega (Ire)–Sagaciously (Ire), by Lawman (Fr).
1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (180,000gns Wlg '19 TATDEC; 450,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-White Birch Farm; B-George Kent (IRE); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €12,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1 3/4, HD. Odds: 2.90, 42.00, 1.60.
Also Ran: Star Of India (Ire), Mountaha (Ger), Vagalame (Ire), Russipant Fal (Mor), Jouza (Ire), Hidden Dimples (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

 

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Juvenile Fillies Take Centerstage at the Spa Sunday

A talented field of 10 juvenile fillies will throw down in Sunday's featured GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga.

Kaling (Practical Joke) will exit from the rail following a 'TDN Rising Star' performance on debut for Todd Pletcher at the Spa July 24.

Pletcher's former boss D. Wayne Lukas will be very well-represented as well via last out GIII Adirondack S. Aug. 7 heroine Naughty Gal (Into Mischief). The duo share a co-leading six Spinaway victories.

“I enjoy it and I pull for him,” Lukas said of facing the aforementioned fellow Hall of Fame trainer. “Let's just hope that we keep it in the family. On numerous occasions when we've been in the same field and they're turning for home, if it doesn't look like we can win my wife and I both will start hollering for Todd. That's a very satisfying thing.”

Just Cindy (Justify), unbeaten heroine of the GIII Schuylerville S. on opening day, breaks one to the outside of the latter in post five.

Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief), recently profiled in these pages, is also perfect in two attempts, last seen running away with Churchill's Debutante S. July 4.

Sunday's other graded action includes: Del Mar's 'Win and You're In' GIII Green Flash H. for turf sprinters, featuring the race's defending winner and 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint runner-up Lieutenant Dan (Grazen); and the GIII Torrey Pines S. for 3-year-old fillies.

Last out GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. winner Ready to Purrform (Kitten's Joy), meanwhile, headlines the $750,000 GIII Big Ass Fans Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs.

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