By Brian DiDonato
Rosedown Racing Stables LLC's Champions Dream (Justify–Dancinginherdreams, by Tapit) entered this unveiling with sparking clocker reports and lots of buzz, and made his $425,000 OBS March price tag and 6-5 odds on the tote look like value as he earned 'TDN Rising Star' status Saturday at The Spa.
Just a $25,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by G.W. and Karen Parrish's Parrish Farms–reportedly due to concerns about his feet–the grey blossomed into a $425,000 OBS March juvenile off a sharp :20 4/5 breeze.
Turned over to Danny Gargan, the son of 2015 GII Pocahontas S. romper and fellow 'Rising Star' Dacinginherdreams was looking to become just his trainer's second juvenile debut winner at Saratoga over at least the past five years–the other among 25 to try was subsequent three-time stakes winner Dakota Gold (Freud) almost exactly a year ago.
The 13-10 chalk took a narrow early advantage and set a pressured first quarter of :22.94 before sneaking away through a :45.81 half. Cagliostro (Upstart)–himself a $385,000 OBS grad–took a run at the leader into the stretch, but Champions Dream swatted that one away and kept on to maintain a 2 1/4-length edge on the line. Well-bred longshot Prairie Dunes (Curlin) closed well to spice up the exacta.
Champions Dream becomes the 12th winner for his fast-starting freshman sire (by Scat Daddy), and third to follow that Triple Crown winner in being named a 'Rising Star'. Justify has sired three graded stakes winners thus far, and has two daughters in Sunday's GI Spinaway S.
Champions Dream is the fourth foal and first winner out of his dam, who is half to stakes-winning juvenile Doubled (Exchange Rate) and the dam of GSW/GISP Texas Wedge (Colonel John) and a full to GSP Good Pick Nick. Dancinginherdreams has a yearling colt by Flameaway (Scat Daddy), a foal filly by the same John Oxley colorbearer and she revisited the Darby Dan resident once more for 2023.
6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 9-3, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.68, ft, 2 1/4 lengths.
CHAMPIONS DREAM, c, 2, Justify
1st Dam: Dancinginherdreams (GSW, $328,516), by Tapit
2nd Dam: Mayan Milagra, by Meinfee
3rd Dam: Dhaka, by Icecapade
Sales history: $25,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $425,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $57,750. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Rosedown Racing Stables, LLC; B-John C. Oxley (KY); T-Danny Gargan.
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