Saratoga witnessed a breakout performance Friday as Curtain Call (Tiz the Law) powered to an impressive victory in his second career start, earning ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors in the process.
The Mark E. Casse trainee rebounded decisively from his debut at Churchill Downs on June 12, where he finished second behind fellow ‘TDN Rising Star’ Obliteration (Violence). That rival went on to dominate the GIII Sanford Stakes on July 5 with a 10 1/2-length victory and a 91 Beyer Speed Figure after covering six furlongs in 1:10.65.
Sent off as the second choice at 2-1 odds, Curtain Call overcame an early stumble out of the gate and settled into a tracking position behind pacesetter Throckmorton (Caracaro).
The frontrunner set fractions of :22.17 for the quarter-mile and :45.15 for the half as the field navigated the turn into the homestretch on the sloppy surface.
When called upon in the stretch, Curtain Call found another gear as even-money favorite Tagermeen (Into Mischief) challenged from the outside and Throckmorton battled from the rail. The son of Tiz the Law accelerated impressively to win by 8 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:10.31.
Tagermeen held second while Throckmorton finished third.
The victory marks the fourth winner from four starters for the dam Deep Trouble. She has a yearling full-brother to Curtain Call and has been bred to Verifying for a 2025 foal. Deep Trouble comes from the immediate female family of multiple Grade I winner Artemis Agrotera (Roman Ruler), whose half-sister Submerge (Fusaichi Pegasus) is the second dam. This family also includes Grade I winner Stephen Got Even (A.P. Indy).
Curtain Call, a $325,000 purchase at the 2025 OBS March sale after selling for $115,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton July yearling sale, races for West Point Thoroughbreds. He was bred in Florida by Nancy Stone.
Curtain Call opens up and dominates in the opener at Saratoga under @jose93_ortiz for trainer @markecasse! 🏇 pic.twitter.com/AmybSBHR4y
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires)
Curtain Call opens up and dominates in the opener at Saratoga under July 12, 2025
The official race details show Curtain Call completed the six-furlong maiden special weight in 1:10.31 on a sloppy track, improving his career record to 2-1-1-0 with earnings of $68,500.
