The ultra hard-knocking 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo) was there for the taking in the final 100 yards of Saturday's $400,000 GIII Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs, but he knuckled down gamely with rivals coming after him inside and out to win for the 11th time in 18 career starts. It was the fifth victory on the afternoon for jockey Tyler Gaffalione and his second straight Ack Ack, after guiding Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance) in 2025.Somewhat surprisingly just the third choice in the market in a competitive betting affair, last year's $1.3-million topper at the Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Sale beat his rivals to the punch from the stalls, leading through the very early exchanges before easing back to stalk the pace of Macho Music (Maclean's Music)–upset winner of last year's GII Pat Day Mile over this track and distance–through an opening quarter in :22.92.Favored Nu What's Nu (Munnings), last-out winner of the GIII Hanshin Stakes, tracked deepest out, while narrow second choice Owen Almighty (Speightstown), exiting a career-best in the R.A. Cowboy Jones Stakes at Ellis Aug. 9, tucked in just behind the speed.Bishops Bay claimed Macho Music at will three furlongs out and pinched a bit of a break, but from the back, East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro) was beginning to get involved and Nu What's Nu remained in the thick of it. Coal Battle (Coal Front) began to chime in around the eighth pole, looking a danger, and Owen Almighty wasn't lying down at the fence, but the wire came in the nick of time as Bishops Bay got the bob in.“We're really proud of that effort today,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “He had to dig down and really fight. He's a very talented horse and he showed every bit of that today getting the job done.”Victorious in the GIII Forty Niner Stakes last November, Bishops Bay was hammered down to Pedro Lanz for KAS Stables to top the Keeneland November HORA and he promptly chipped away at the investment with a neck success in the GII Cigar Mile a few weeks later in early December.Logically, the G1 Saudi Cup was announced as a potential near-term target and Bishops Bay scarcely disgraced himself in Riyadh with a fourth-place effort behind Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), good for a $1.5-million payday. Second in the GIII Westchester Stakes at Aqueduct May 3 and just touched off by East Avenue in defense of his GIII Salvator Mile June 13, Bishops Bay just got the better of Chunk of Gold (Preservationist) in the GIII Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Aug. 15. His earnings in the 9 1/2 months since his purchase now total nearly $2.2 million.Pedigree Notes:One of four winners from five to race from his dam–whose Grade I placing came when third to Wedding Toast (Tapit) in the 2015 Beldame Stakes–Bishops Bay is kin to 2024 GII Louisiana Derby hero Catching Freedom and to Strava, who also happened to top the HORA section at Keeneland November in 2021 to the bid of the late University of Louisville basketball coach Denny Crum.WinStar Farm purchased Catch My Drift for $400,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton November Sale and the mare is also responsible for the 3-year-old filly Uncatchable (Not This Time), a $525,000 Keeneland September grad. She is also responsible for a yearling full-sister to Bishops Bay that was one of the 70 seven-figure horses at the just-completed September Sale, hammering to Windancer Farm Holdings for $1.5 million from the Taylor Made consignment on behalf of WinStar Bred & Raised.Catch My Drift foaled a full-sister to Catching Freedom on Mar. 6 of this year and was subsequently bred to Uncle Mo's outstanding son Nyquist.Saturday, Churchill DownsACK ACK S.-GIII, $399,000, Churchill Downs, 9-26, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:34.51, ft.1–BISHOPS BAY, 123, h, 6, by Uncle Mo1st Dam: Catch My Drift (SW & GISP, $280,540), by Pioneerof the Nile2nd Dam: Drift to the Lead, by Yonaguska3rd Dam: Drifa, by Tabasco Cat'TDN Rising Star' ($450,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $1,300,000 5yo '25 KEENOV).O-KAS Stables; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-TylerGaffalione. $242,280. Lifetime Record: 18-11-5-0, $2,875,080.*1/2 to Catching Freedom (Constitution), GSW & GISP,$1,458,427 and Strava (Into Mischief), MSP, $494,857. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree . Click for the free Equineline.com 'catalogue-style pedigree.2–Coal Battle, 121, c, 4, Coal Front–Wolfblade, by Midshipman.($70,000 Ylg '23 TTAYRL; $775,000 RNA 4yo '26 FTDAUG).O-Norman Stables LLC; B-Hume Wornall & Jay Adcock (KY);T-Lonnie Briley. $78,800.3–Owen Almighty, 123, c, 4, Speightstown–Tempers Rising, byBayern. ($360,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $350,000 Ylg '23FTSAUG). O-Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing LLC; B-MarkStanley (KY); T-Brian A. Lynch. $39,400.Margins: HD, 1, 2HF. Odds: 2.84, 4.79, 2.49.Also Ran: East Avenue, Nu What's New, Prince of Power, Macho Music. Scratched: Arrowthegreat.Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel Racing. WHAT. A. FINISH!Watch the insane photo finish as Bishops Bay rallies to the win by a nose over Kentucky Derby alum Coal Battle!Owen Almighty grabs 3rd, with East Avenue finishing 4th. pic.twitter.com/7FD4bQVnLZ— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) September 26, 2026The post Bishops Bay Battles Bravely To Take Ack Ack For White-Hot Gaffalione appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.