Sunday Insights: ‘Rising Stars’ Hook Up In Stakes-Quality Allowance

[Wandering Eyes]

7th-AQU, Alw (N1X)/OC ($100k), $82k, 3yo, 1m, 4:22 p.m. ET
The official feature of Sunday's program at the Big A is the Memories of Silver Stakes one race hence, but this one-mile contest is liable to produce multiple runners for age-restricted stakes over the coming weeks and months.

CORNUCOPIAN (Into Mischief) blew the doors off a field of Oaklawn maidens on debut Feb. 23, earning no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star' status, but found himself in a suicidal pace battle in the Mar. 29 GI Arkansas Derby and the $1.1-million KEESEP yearling did exceptionally well to hang around for fourth. “He's a horse that has some potential lofty targets ahead, so we wanted to find the right race to entertain potentially prepping into the next Classic,” said SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan, who campaigns the colt in partnership. “I think we'd look at the [May 17 GI] Preakness first, and a trip back to New York wouldn't be [out of the question] either,” he said, referring to the GI Belmont Stakes on June 7.

Sand Devil (Violence) was a debut winner in December and earned his own 'Rising Star' when taking a course-and-distance allowance by better than a dozen lengths Jan. 2. The homebred drops out of a sixth to fellow 'Rising Star' and Kentucky Derby-bound Rodriguez (Authentic) in the GII Wood Memorial Stakes Apr. 5.

The Chad Brown barn sends out two of Sunday's eight starters, including OXO Equine's Keewaydin (Instagrand), a close third in the Saratoga maiden won by 'Rising Star' Tip Top Thomas (Volatile) at Saratoga–in which Derby hopeful Sovereignty (Into Mischief) was fourth–and was a maiden winner over seven panels in October, but finished a disappointing fifth at odds-on in the GII Remsen Stakes Dec. 7. Juddmonte's Garamond (Uncle Mo) defeated Tampa maidens by 1 3/4 lengths on Jan. 25 debut and gave a good account of himself when third, a length and three-quarters behind Sand Devil, in the GIII Gotham Stakes on Mar. 1. TJCIS PPs

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