Red-hot Vekoma gets second ‘TDN Rising Star’ of the weekend

Will Happen rolled to a 4 ½-length debut win over the Del Mar turf course on Sunday to give Vekoma his second ‘TDN Rising Star’ in as many days.

Will Happen’s dominating performance capped a terrific week for Vekoma that included Bottas’ Rising Star outing Saturday over the Saratoga turf, Vehemente and Retribution both collecting stakes wins, and Bracket Buster finishing second to Sovereignty in the Travers S. (G1).

Will Happen looked much the best at every point of Sunday’s five-furlong sprint. Well in hand with a one-length lead after a quarter-mile, she began to get away from the field midway through the turn. She was kept to task the rest of the way to come home decisively in :57.61 over the firm turf.

Trained by Richard Baltas for Abbondanza Racing LLC and Roger Featherston, Will Happen was bred in Kentucky by Loren Nichols. The dark bay filly sold to her owners for $210,000 at the 2025 OBS Spring 2-year-old sale.