Zipse: Signator looks to have Kentucky Derby potential

When a handsome and well-bred son of Tapit displayed his precociousness by working in 20 seconds and change in advance of the Ocala 2-year-olds in training sale in April, it was not a surprise that he was sold for $1.7 million.

When that colt was sent to trainer Shug McGaughey, a veteran trainer notoriously patient to develop his young horses, you had to wonder how long we would need to wait before he was impressing on the racetrack.

It would not take long for Signator to announce himself as a colt of major potential. Purchased by a sizable partnership led by West Point Thoroughbreds, he looks destined for big things.

The good-looking gray made his career debut on Sept. 16 at Aqueduct. Sent off at odds of 7-2 while going six furlongs, Signator overcame a bumpy start to rally up for a clear second-place finish. Gaining and beaten only 1 1/4-lengths in the sprint, it was both promising and typical of a talented Shug McGaughey runner.

Stretched out to a flat mile for his next race four weeks later, Signator looked the part of a 3-5 favorite. Away a step slow from his inside post-position, the gray pushed his way forward down the backstretch to get a spot behind a wall of horses on the muddy main track at Aqueduct.

Bottled up for much of the running behind slow early fractions, Signator looked both like a young horse willing to wait for his opening under rider Javier Castellano and a lit powder keg ready to blow.

When an opening finally appeared on the rail as the field turned for home, Signator quickly accelerated to and through on his way to an impressive 4 1/2-length maiden victory.

Despite cruising home while completing the mile in 1:37.89, Signator showed no signs of slowing down in the gallop out. He gives every indication of a colt who should relish not only the nine furlongs of the upcoming Kentucky Derby preps, but also the classic distances of next spring’s Triple Crown series.

While far less accomplished than division leaders Forte and Cave Rock, and even less talked about than dazzling debut winner Arabian Knight, Signator still stands near the top of my early Kentucky Derby rankings.

In a word, Signator has potential.

Potential that can be seen in his workouts, in the promising start to his career for a patient Hall of Fame trainer, and finally in his pedigree.

Out of arguably America’s best sire of the last decade, and one who generally passes on the ability to run all day to his offspring, Signator also comes from a female family rich in the fertile bloodlines of the Phipps family, many of whom were trained by McGaughey.

His dam is the Seeking the Gold mare Pension, making him a full brother to graded stakes winner Thoughtfully and a half-brother to graded stakes winner Annual Report.

Signator’s second dam is the hearty Grade 1 stakes winner Furlough, by Easy Goer. A daughter of the top mare Blitey, she was a half-sister to the Breeders’ Cup winner Dancing Spree and the Grade 1 winner Fantastic Find.

Adding to the richness of his pedigree, Signator also shares the same female family as the undefeated, soon to be Horse of the Year Flightline, who was also sired by Tapit.

With the Kentucky Derby still 5 1/2 months in the future, and still not having faced winners yet, much will need to be proven by this handsome gray colt, but for now he looks to have all the potential in the world.