Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Risen Star to test Noble Indy
NEW ORLEANS – Noble Indy failed to meet a mere $45,000 reserve when taken to auction as a yearling. In that regard, he already has exceeded early expectations, and could continue on the Triple Crown trail with a solid showing Saturday in the Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds.
Noble Indy, who had been considered for other 3-year-old stakes, worked five furlongs in 1:01.12 Saturday at Palm Beach Downs in Florida, exited the work in good order, and has a Wednesday flight booked to New Orleans.
“We’re leaning toward running,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who trains Noble Indy for owner-breeder WinStar Farm. “He worked well and came out of the work well. Things seem to be falling into place. We’re happy Johnny is there to ride.”
John Velazquez has a return call on Wonder Gadot in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Saturday and will ride Noble Indy in the Risen Star. Tyler Gaffalione rode Noble Indy to an 8 3/4-length debut win Dec. 3 at Gulfstream, but Velazquez was aboard when Noble Indy stretched from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles and beat Mississippi in a first-level Gulfstream allowance Jan. 11.
Noble Indy is by Take Charge Indy and out of the Storm Boot mare Noble Maz, and if he did not impress buyers as a yearling, he impressed the Pletcher barn after arriving at Palm Beach Downs in late September after getting in a few works at WinStar’s training track.
“He came to us as a big, goodlooking, physical colt we were kind of impressed with from early on,” Pletcher said. “He trained impressively, and we expected him to run well in his debut. He was fractious in the gate, which wasn’t a total surprise. It was something we worked on before his first start and continue to work on, but that’s the only thing we’ve had to work on with him, really. He’s been very professional.”
Pletcher has twice won the Risen Star, capturing the 2010 edition with Discreetly Mine and the 2012 renewal with El Padrino. Discreetly Mine had raced six times before shipping to New Orleans, and while El Padrino, like Noble Indy, also exited a first-level Gulfstream allowance win, his four pre-Risen Star starts included a close third in the Remsen Stakes.
Telekinesis sparkles in debut
Perhaps he can’t bend spoons with his mind, but the 3-yearold colt Telekinesis debuted last week at Fair Grounds like a horse with unusual talent.
In the eighth race on Feb. 9, Telekinesis was kept three wide and in the clear by jockey Florent Geroux throughout a six-furlong maiden race, collaring favored Nola Win in midstretch and going on to a 3 1/4-length victory. Telekinesis ran six furlongs in 1:10.16, a time that produced a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. The number is one of only 18 Beyers of 90 or higher for a 3-year-old this year in North America, and it’s the second-highest figure earned by a 3-year-old during this Fair Grounds meet. Instilled Regard earned a 92 winning the Lecomte Stakes.
But it’s not just a numbers game with Telekinesis, who is a grand-looking colt by Ghostzapper out of the Street Cry mare Intentional Cry. Stonestreet Stables paid $470,000 to acquire the Ontario-bred colt as a weanling in 2015. Mark Casse was an underbidder at that auction, but wound up with Telekinesis in his barn anyway.
Telekinesis’s career debut twice was delayed. Last summer, he’d gotten up to working five furlongs when a relatively minor injury required a 30-day halt in training.
“He was the head of the class last summer,” Casse said. “We thought he was the best young horse we had.”
Back from his hiccup in good order, Telekinesis got as far as the Fair Grounds paddock when he was entered last month, but he acted up, rolled over, and wound up being scratched by track officials.
“He was fine,” Casse said. “He trained the next day. I was on my way to the Eclipse Awards. I was so looking forward to him running it put a damper on that for a little while.”
Telekinesis is bred like a route horse and has the body and stride of a route horse, and he is certain to make his next start in a route race, most likely a firstlevel allowance. It remains to be seen whether Telekinesis will even have a chance to progress quickly enough to get onto the Kentucky Derby trail.
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but we’re just going to play it one day at a time,” Casse said.
Supreme Aura eyes Risen Star
Even after entering the race, the trainers of Risen Star entrants Supreme Aura and High North left the door open to opt for the Southwest Stakes on Feb. 19 at Oaklawn Park.
Trainer Mike Stidham said Monday it was very likely Supreme Aura would start in the Risen Star, and that he’d only consider entering the Southwest on Friday if the race were to be split into divisions. Either way, Supreme Aura will be trying two turns for the first time after two eye-catching sprint wins.
High North, most recently fourth in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, is owned by Arkansan John Ed Anthony’s Shortleaf Stable, but trainer Brad Cox said Tuesday it had not yet been decided whether High North would race this weekend in New Orleans or Hot Springs.
High North worked a halfmile Monday at Fair Grounds in 48 seconds. Also on the work tab here were Risen Star entrants Principe Guilherme, who went a half in 51 seconds, and Snapper Sinclair, timed in 50 seconds for his half-mile. Monomoy Girl, the likely favorite for the Grade 2, $200,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Saturday, went a half-mile in a bullet 47.40 seconds.