Zipse: Talkin may have something to say in the Remsen
Not looking to ship his young Kentucky Derby prospect across the country, trainer Danny Gargan made the difficult decision to skip the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) with Talkin and instead he mapped out a plan to arrive ready to roll on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.
Even-though Ted Noffey wrapped up a juvenile championship with a popular victory at Del Mar, Gargan’s budding star stayed in New York to stick to the long-range plan. On Saturday, Talkin will take his first step since passing on the Breeders’ Cup when he runs in the 9-furlong Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct.
A son of the champion juvenile male of 2017 Good Magic, Talkin is a colt his trainer believes will only get better as distances increase. To date, he has made only two starts and both have come at one turn.
The $600,000 yearling purchase made his career debut on Aug. 30 and looked like a colt with a future while winning it. He did not run a straight line down the Saratoga stretch that afternoon and did not readily change leads yet was still able to run down the quality sprinter Stradale by a measured neck.
Adding to the overall quality of the first-out win by Talkin was the third-place finisher Further Ado, who has since won a maiden at Keeneland by 20 lengths and the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) in his next two starts.
As for Talkin, he exited the 7-furlong maiden win at the Spa by moving directly into Grade 1 company. He ran into a buzzsaw in the Champagne Stakes when Napoleon Solo blitzed the field at Aqueduct with blistering middle fractions. The race was over early in the stretch, but Talkin rallied nicely to get up for second in the one-mile race.
Gargan has been winning at a good clip this fall at Aqueduct with limited starters and has also had good success in the Remsen in recent years, winning with Dubyuhnell in 2022 and then Dornoch the following year. The latter went on to have a big 3-year-old season in 2024, including wins in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Haskell Stakes (G1).
The New York-based trainer received some bad news on Saturday, however. As first reported by the BloodHorse, Gargan has been fined and suspended by HISA for breezing a horse six days after it had received an intra-articular joint injection. He will begin a ten-day suspension for the infraction two days after the Remsen.
Owned by a group which includes Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Pine Racing Stables, Legendary Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding and R. A. Hill Stable, Talkin has turned in a series of works over Belmont Park’s training track since his solid effort in the Champagne on Oct. 4.
Two workouts back, the bay colt zipped a half mile in 47.83 seconds. That work, in company with an older horse, signaled his continued sharpness in preparation for his third career race. On Saturday, he had a more leisurely breeze of 50.25 to stay fit for his first try around two turns.
While Talkin should get some support from bettors in the Remsen after his first two promising races, it’s very unlikely he will go favored for the first time. In his winning maiden performance, he was 9-1 and then came back at 7-1 in the Champagne.
Others who are pointing to the Remsen include a pair of regally bred horses who should vie for favoritism on Saturday. Paladin, a $1.9 million yearling purchase and an adjudged winner of his career debut for trainer Chad Brown, will be expected to move forward in his second start.
Courting, a full brother to Clairiere, was a nice winner recently in his second career start for trainer Todd Pletcher and will also receive plenty of action from bettors in the Remsen.
Other contenders for the race include Renegade and Igniter, the two horses who hit the wire first in the respective debuts of Paladin and Courting.
In what is shaping up to be one of the most interesting 2-year-old races of the 2025 season, Talkin should have attractive odds as he faces some very highly regarded young colts, and I think he has a big shot to win the whole thing. The son of Good Magic out of a Tiznow mare should relish the distance.