WinStar Farm and China Horse Club Inc.’s debuting Prime Factor, a $900,000 purchase out of the Legacy Bloodstock consignment at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale – the joint-second priciest Quality Road yearling to sell that year – was off as the 21-10 second choice and turned his first trip to the post into a one-horse affair en route to ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors.

“It was a very professional debut. He broke well and put himself in a good spot. It looked like he was taking Irad [Ortiz] wherever he wanted him to go throughout the race,” Todd Pletcher said. “He’s been training exceptionally well. We were looking forward to a good debut. Honestly, he exceeded expectations.”

Smoothly into stride, the bay sidled up alongside pacesetting Dr. Duke as the top two pulled well clear of the peloton rounding the turn. Prime Factor eased to the front while racing well off the inside approaching the quarter pole, put several lengths on his rivals entering the final furlong, was taken well in hand at the sixteenth pole and jogged home to score by 8 3/4 lengths.

Stablemate Bracken, himself a $285,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling and the most expensive of 71 of his first-crop sire’s yearlings to sell last year, closed belatedly to complete the exacta.

As for the future, the conditioner said, “We’ll talk to Elliott [Walden] and the guys at WinStar and CHC and come up with a game plan. The good thing about this time of year is there’s pretty good options all around. We have high hopes for him.”

– edited from www.thoroughbreddailynews.com