Class of 2017: Grading the Rising Stars

Each year, the team at the TDN designates horses early in their career who display enough promise to become an eventual graded-stakes winner. In 2017, a total of 80 horses racing on North American soil received the honor, but how many actually went on to achieve success?

The class is led by the achievements of its lone Eclipse Award winner, 2020 champion turf female Rushing Fall (More Than Ready). A 2-year-old in 2017, the half-sister to SW & MGSP Milam (Street Sense) earned her tag with a half-length defeat of fellow 2017 'Rising Star' classmate Daddy Is A Legend (Scat Daddy) at Belmont Park. Two starts later she would take the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and take the second-most votes behind Caledonia Road (Quality Road) to be champion 2-year-old filly. Rushing Fall raced only four time as a 3-year-old but earned 3 wins and a second, capping her season off with a score in the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. She added two more wins at the highest level as a 4-year-old in 2019 before retiring as a 5-year-old with an impressive final record of 15-11-3-0, six of those being grade ones in four consecutive years, and earnings of $2,893,000. Rushing Fall was purchased by M.V Magnier's Coolmore connections for $5.5 million out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars sale.

The most successful colt of the 2017 'Rising Star' class, Mckinzie (Street Sense) didn't debut until late in his 2-year-old year, taking a maiden special weight event at Santa Anita in late October before immediately making an impact with a win via disqualification over future MGISP Solomini (Curlin) in the GI Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity. Though he missed the Triple Crown series as a 3-year-old, McKinzie returned in the fall of 2018 to take the GI Pennsylvania Derby and would finish the year with a win in the GI Malibu S. He would put up one more grade-one win in the 2019 Whitney S. before finishing his career in the fall of 2020 with a record of 18-8-6-0 and earnings of $3,473,360. McKinzie now stands at Gainesway and had his first weanling sell at this year's Keeneland November Sale.

Four more members of the class won multiple times at the grade-one level: Paradise Woods (Union Rags), current WinStar Farm stallion Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), Separationofpowers (Candy Ride {Arg}), and Moonshine Memories (Malibu Moon). Six other 'Rising Stars' of 2017 would go on to win once against grade-one company: Battle of Midway (Smart Strike), current Hill 'n' Dale Farms stallion Army Mule (Friesan Fire), Pavel (Creative Cause), Lady Ivanka (Tiz Wondeful), Mia Mischief (Into Mischief), and Sporting Chance (Tiznow).

Several notable horses, while not grade-one winners, would place at the level multiple times. Perhaps most notably is 2018 Canadian Horse of the Year and 2017 Canadian champion 2-year-old Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro) who took both the Queen's Plate S. and the Prince of Wales S. as part of the Canadian Triple Crown following a second-place finish to dual Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks. She would be purchased for $2,000,000 by Japan's KI Farm at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars Sale.

The aforementioned Daddy Is A Legend would hit the board twice in grade-one company behind both Rushing Fall and 2019 champion turf female Uni (GB) (More Than Ready).

There were 16 'Rising Stars' in 2017 who would go on to achieve success in grade two or three events–led by millionaire and current Spendthrift Farm stallion Coal Front (Stay Thirsty).

In total, 28/80 horses who received the 'Rising Star' honor in 2017 would win a graded-stakes race, or 35%. By including those horses that placed in graded events, that number jumps to 49/80, of 61%. An additional nine horses would win at the stakes level and five would be stakes placed. Of the 80, only 17 failed to earn black type in their careers.

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Gary Barber Appointed to TOC Board

The Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) unanimously named Gary Barber to fill the board vacancy created by the recent resignation of Bill Strauss. Barber is a long-time Thoroughbred owner, both on his own and in partnership with others, whose stars include Grade I-stakes winners/champions: War of Will, Got Stormy, Belvoir Bay, Salty, The Deputy, Wonder Gadot, Lexie Lou, Comma to the Top, Tourist, Catch a Glimpse, Becrux, Cost of Freedom, Jack Milton, Channel Maker, Get Her Number, Vequist, and Gretzky the Great. In addition to being an owner, Barber is also a breeder and holds significant interests in several stallions.

Per the bylaws, Barber will be required to run in the 2023 board election, when Strauss' term would have expired.

“My passion for Thoroughbred racing is steadfast,” said Barber. “I look forward to joining the Board of the TOC and hope to make a meaningful contribution to the health and welfare of our sport and help attract a new generation of fans.”

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Sunday Racing Insights: Godolphin Unveils Secret Spice Half At Woodbine

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

4th-WO, $123K, Msw, 3yo, f, 7f (AWT), 2:49 p.m. ET

Godolphin and trainer Michael Stidham unveil 3-year-old filly AIOLI, a daughter of Darley's Medaglia d'Oro. She is out of a half-sister to Loving Vindication (Vindication), who has produced Canadian Horse of the Year Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro) and GISW Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun). Aioli is a half-sister to GISW Secret Spice (Discreet Cat), who sold at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale for $1.4 million to Japan's Katsumi Yoshida. Aioli most recently worked four furlongs in :48 2/5 (4/9) May 8 over the all-weather at Fair Hill. Leading Woodbine jockey Kazushi Kimura gets the ride. TJCIS PPs

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Much to Love with Grade I-Winning Fasig-Tipton Offering

Whatever Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun – Loving Vindication, by Vindication) may have lost with the absence of one eye, she gained with the loyal following that developed over her career as she won the hearts of racing fans and earned the respect of the racing community.

“She was special because she dealt with a problem that I knew she was thinking about and I knew was on her mind, but she had the class and the style and the substance to fight through the issue,” said Terry Finley, whose West Point Thoroughbreds campaigned the filly along with Mercedes Stables, Scott Dilworth, David and Dorothy Ingordo and Steve Mooney. “She was very special to all the racing fans and all the people in the business out on the West Coast and especially to John Shirreffs and his barn. There was a lot of goodness around her career and I think she really drove home the things that cause us all to love this great business.”

After a three-year campaign marked by wins in the GI La Brea S. and GII Santa Monica S. and placings in four additional graded stakes races at Santa Anita, Hard Not to Love will be offered this week at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

“She's sure appropriately-named,” said Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “Everybody cheered for her and you wanted to see her get to the winner's circle. To watch her grow and develop and to see her accomplishments on the racetrack was pretty remarkable and I would say that her offspring are going to be hard not to love also. She combines all the elements of what you look for in a brilliant broodmare prospect and she provides a world of opportunities.”

Bred by Anderson Farms, Hard Not to Love was picked out by David Ingordo at the 2017 Keeneland September Sale.

“She came out and was just a queen-looking physical,” Ingordo recalled of the moment he first saw the daughter of Hard Spun. “She was very correct in front and was a very strong filly behind.”

On the day of her $400,000 purchase, the filly's pedigree listed just one stakes-winning half-brother as offspring of her Saratoga allowance-winning dam Loving Vindication (Vindication). But later that afternoon, the yearling's 2-year-old half-sister placed in a Grade I. The filly, named Wonder Gadot (Medaglia d'Oro), would become a multiple graded stakes winner and 2018 Horse of the Year in Canada.

“Since then, there have been other different family members that have popped up, so the family just became explosive and all at Grade I levels,” Ingordo said.

Hard Not to Love as a yearling at the Keeneland September Sale. | Louise Reinagel

Hard Not to Love was sent to McKathan Brothers Training in Ocala and had just turned two when Ingordo received a call about a paddock accident. The filly's eye had to be removed surgically.

“She was broken into training, from saddling to breezing, without ever having the benefit of that eye,” Ingordo said.”But we had a group of six fillies in the partnership and she was the star from day one.”

“You get really excited when [you have a horse with] John Shirreffs and you can start to hear it in his voice,” Finley said. “He said, 'It will probably take me a little while to get this filly to the races, but she's a good one.' So everybody was really excited and John was right on with this filly; she was a runner from the start.”

Early in her 3-year-old season, Hard Not to Love debuted with a front-running, three-length win at Santa Anita to earn the 'TDN Rising Star' nod.

After two more trips to the winner's circle over allowance company, she stepped up to Grade I company in the GI La Brea S. Up against a quality field that included MGSW Bellafina (Quality Road) and GIISW Bell's the One (Majesticperfection), Hard Not to Love rallied from the back of the field to win be over two lengths and earn a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.

“It was a good group of fillies, but I thought from the feel I got around the barn that she was sitting on a big effort,” Finley recalled. “I knew going into the far turn that they were going to have a difficult time trying to contain her. She ran by a couple of fillies that turned out to be exceptional and she did it with style and grace and with a flourish. I think that's been her calling card is the ability to finish with a flourish.”

The accomplished bay kicked off her 4-year-old campaign with a 3 1/2-length winning performance in the GII Santa Monica S. and then ran second in her next two starts against top company in the GI Beholder Mile S. and the GII Santa Maria S.

“Hard Not to Love was certainly at the top of her game posting those back-to-back graded stakes wins,” Browning said. “They were quality races against quality competition. She was also very, very consistent. An eight-time graded stakes performer, very versatile in terms of the distances she ran and was a fun filly to watch because sometimes she would be on the lead and other times she would close.”

Hard Not to Love wins by 2 1/4 lengths in the 2019 GI La Brea S. | Benoit

After placing in two more graded stakes in California, Hard Not to Love was retired this year with five wins in 12 career starts, placing in all but two.

“Hard Not to Love's hallmark for me, and it's something I look for in any horse, is when they're consistently competing at a high level,” Ingordo said. “She showed up every race, competed against the best of her generation and left it all on the track each time.”

Ingordo said he strongly believes that if it were not for the dedication of John Shirreffs, the talented filly never would have had the chance to show off her ability.

“There's no doubt in my mind that if Hard Not to Love was in a mega-trainer's barn, they would have sent her home,” he said. “She was a talented filly and she had a great mind, but you had to teach her and work through some things. John's process was well thought out and was for the filly's best interest. Having Hard Not to Love with John Shirreffs is like being in private school versus public school, and we got a valedictorian.”

The 5-year-old will begin her new career as a broodmare after selling as Hip 184 on the 'Night of the Stars.'

“Hard Not to Love will be a successful broodmare because she had style, class and elegance and she was able to put all those together and perform on the racetrack,” Finley said. “She always had that sparkle in her eye and I think people that know the business can see those special ones.”

Along with the success of her half-sister Wonder Gadot, who sold for $2 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, Hard Not to Love's pedigree received another Grade I  boost since her yearling purchase with the success of GI Beholder Mile S. victress Secret Spice (Discreet Cat).

“She has a fantastic depth of pedigree,” Browning explained. “She also offers a lot of breeding opportunities being by Hard Spun and out of a Vindication mare. From a sire-line perspective, she can be bred to a lot of different stallions that stand all over the world. She combines race record, pedigree and physical looks and presents a fabulous scenario for someone looking to have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams come November the 9th.”

For Ingordo, Hard Not to Love offers everything that he seeks out in a broodmare prospect.

“They have to have some speed and Hard Not to Love is a very fast horse,” he said. “They have to have a good physical presence and I feel like Hard Not to Love is one of the better-looking horses that will walk through any sales ring this year, next year or two years from now. Then when you take into account her race record and pedigree, those are all the things that you need to have a blue hen, foundation-type mare.”

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