Champion Will Take Charge was represented by his first winner May 11 at Santa Anita when the 2-year-old filly Tijori won a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race in her career debut [WATCH RACE].
The filly’s 3 1/4-length win over colts in a snappy :52.69 seconds earned her a ‘TDN Rising Star’ tag.
Trained by Simon Callaghan for Kaleem Shah, the chestnut went right to the lead out of the gate and was under a snug hold by rider Flavien Prat as she made the first quarter-mile in :22.33. Given her cue at the top of the stretch, she easily drew off from the field and was hand-ridden all the way to the wire.
Bred by Rosilyn Polan in Kentucky, Tijori is the second foal out of the multiple stakes-placed Tapit mare Anchorage. Her first, Chip Leader, was recently second in the Ben Ali S. (G3) at Keeneland, while her dam Cross Your Heart is a sister to mulitple graded stakes winner and sire Broken Vow.
Tijori sold for $525,000 at the OBS March Sale of 2-year-olds in Training.
Will Take Charge was the champion 3-year-old colt of 2013, when he defeated older horses in the Clark H. (G1), as well as winning the Travers S. (G1), Pennsylvania Derby (G2) and Rebel S. (G2). He retired to Three Chimneys Farm with earnings of $3,924,648.
After entering stud in 2015, he has become the top sires of his class at both the yearling and 2-year-old sales. He was the #1 Freshman Yearling Sire at Keeneland September and is a top-three Freshman 2-year-old Sire this year with an average of $222,692.
