'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Obliteration (Violance) seeks redemption at the Spa in Friday's GII Amsterdam Stakes.Faced with a pair of 'Rising Stars' in Englishman (Maxfield) and Crude Velocity (Beau Liam) last time out in the GI Woody Stephens June 6, he was best of the rest in third, 5 3/4-lengths back, despite posting a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure.With those rivals not in this gate, the Steve Asmussen trainee will still have to contend with another pair exiting that same race as 'Rising Star' Gilded Bandit (Charlatan) and Solitude Dude (Yaupon) finished fourth and seventh respectively in the Woody Stephens.“I think he is sitting on a very big race,” Asmussen told NYRA media. “He's run two really fast races in a row. I think the Amsterdam is the right spot for him to get back into the winner's circle.”Jose Ortiz, aboard for much of Obliteration's previous success, returns to the irons for the 7-5 morning-line shot after John Velazquez had the mount in June.“That was a crazy race last time,” said Asmussen of the Woody Stephens. “He came out of it good. He was able to stay here since. The weather we've had recently, he seems to have really responded and been feeling good in it. The racetrack has also been in great shape up here.”Solitude Dude, beaten just once leading into the Woody Stephens when third in the GII Fountain of Youth Stakes for Saffie Joseph Jr., cuts back to 6 1/2 furlongs, his shortest distance since his eight-length victory in the six-furlong Inaugural Stakes at Tampa last December.“He doesn't have to face Englishman. That's the most important thing,” said Joseph, Jr. “I think he's a good horse. Obviously, Englishman did not make him look like a good horse last time. Hopefully, he can get back to the way he was when he ran better races and did not have that kind of pressure on him.”A third 'Rising Star' joins the field in Local Knowledge (Yaupon) who steps up into graded stakes company for the first time in his third career start for Todd Pletcher.“He was impressive in his maiden win, and then we got sidetracked,” said Pletcher. “He caught what I call a difficult 'one other-than' field with open optional-claiming on there. We ran against some horses with way more experience. I thought it was a good performance, and we just felt like that rather than giving him another allowance race we would go ahead and give him a stakes try since he has impressed us so far. I think he's tactical enough that he can be close or he can settle off a hot pace and, hopefully, put himself in a position to make a run.”Rounding out the field is GIII Maxfield Stakes runner-up American Man (Maclean's Music), White Smoke Rising (Volatile) making his stakes debut for Charlton Baker, Lincoln's Law (Liam's Map) also in his stakes debut and Florida stakes-placed Rockies Balboa (Girvin).The post Obliteration Faces Familiar Foes In Amsterdam appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.