Horses to watch: Spanish Loveaffair sharp in Sharp Susan
In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future.
New to the Watch List
Trained by Mark Casse on behalf of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Hernon and Gary Barber, Spanish Loveaffair has made a great impression racing a mile on turf at Gulfstream Park this summer.
Sold for just $35,000 as a yearling, the daughter of Breeders’ Cup Mile champion Karakontie crushed her July 23 debut at Gulfstream Park by 11 lengths, prompting a jump into stakes company for Saturday’s Sharp Susan Stakes. Favored at 1-2, Spanish Loveaffair tracked quick fractions of :23.14, :46.57, and 1:10.70, swept decisively to the front in the homestretch, and held off a determined charge from late runner Director’s Cut to score by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:35.03.
Considering Spanish Loveaffair’s pedigree, and her obvious affinity for turf miles, she could become an intriguing contender for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf if she keeps progressing in the right direction.
Mitole… Volatile… Yaupon? Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen has conditioned some talented sprinters over the last couple of years, with Yaupon the latest star to emerge from Asmussen’s deep stable.
A speedy son of Uncle Mo, Yaupon brought his record to a perfect 3-for-3 with a clear-cut victory in Saturday’s Amsterdam (G2) at Saratoga. Urged hard out of the gate by jockey Joel Rosario, Yaupon blazed to the front through quick splits of :21.93 and :44.68, then held sway down the homestretch to defeat two-time Grade 1 winner Basin by two lengths.
Yaupon reached the finish line in 1:08.50 over a sloppy track; for comparison, older males required 1:08.90 to complete the first 6 furlongs of the 7-furlong Forego (G1) half an hour later. The sky is the limit for Yaupon, who should only keep improving with experience and maturity.
Recent Winners
Letruska
On paper, Letruska looked like the “speed of the speed” in Sunday’s Shuvee (G3) at Saratoga, and this was indeed the case as she ran her eight rivals off their feet. Showing no signs of wear while running back three weeks after a tough effort in the 7-furlong Ballerina (G1), Letruska was eager to get going in the 1 1/8-mile Shuvee, opening up a daylight lead through fast fractions of :23.05, :46.20, and 1:09.51.
Letruska understandably grew leg-weary down the homestretch, requiring :39.43 to complete the final three-eighths of a mile, but by then her pursuers were exhausted as well. Letruska never wavered down the stretch and reached the finish line clear by a length in 1:48.94, in the process securing her first U.S. graded stakes win.
A two-time Group 1 winner in Mexico, Letruska is unusual in that she has the speed of a sprinter, but does her best running a mile or further. If she sticks to her preferred distance and class level, Letruska ought to win another graded stakes or two before the year is out.
Worth Another Try
Aquaphobia
I can forgive Aquaphobia for finishing third in Saturday’s Sword Dancer (G1) at Saratoga. Stretching out over 1 1/2 miles, the United Nations (G1) winner caught an extremely soft turf course rare by U.S. standards. The fact front-running winner Channel Maker posted successive quarter-mile splits of :25.10, :26.04, :26.13, :25.06, :26.95, and :25.58 — failing to shade :25 seconds at any junction — indicates just how slow and tiring the conditions were.
In short, no one was producing any meaningful acceleration over the bog-like going, so under the circumstances I though Aquaphobia ran just fine to settle in mid-pack, rally a bit closer on the final turn, and hang on for third place is a strung-out field. A return to firm turf next time could trigger a rebound from this improving former claimer.
Complexity really ran too good to lose in the 7-furlong Forego (G1) on Saturday at Saratoga. Racing over a sloppy track, the Chad Brown-trained 4-year-old dueled for the lead through fast splits of :22.28 and :44.63, kicked clear to lead by a length through 6 furlongs in 1:08.90… and then got caught in the final strides by the late-charging Win Win Win, who exploded from the back of the pace to prevail by half a length.
Though Complexity was beaten, he wasn’t exactly falling apart down the homestretch. The final time was a solid 1:21.71, and Complexity ran the final furlong in approximately :12.90. This was easily Complexity’s best effort in a stakes race since winning the 2018 Champagne (G1), and assuming he bounces out of the Forego in good order, he’ll be worth playing again in a slightly easier spot. Remember, when allowed to track an easier pace in a 1-mile allowance event on July 2 at Belmont, Complexity comfortably defeated Win Win Win by 2 1/4 lengths.
Upcoming Entries
Crazy Beautiful
Two starts, two easy victories — Crazy Beautiful looks like a star 2-year-old on the rise for trainer Kenny McPeek. The daughter of Liam’s Map dominated her debut running a mile on turf at Ellis Park, then transitioned to turf for the 7-furlong Debutante Stakes at Ellis Park and rallied strongly to score by 3 3/4 lengths.
Crazy Beautiful can become a graded stakes winner when facing 11 rivals in Thursday’s 10th race at Churchill Downs, the Pocahontas Stakes (G2, post time 5:58 p.m. ET). McPeek has already won the Pocahontas twice (while saddling a trifecta finisher in six of the last seven years), and Crazy Beautiful is the fastest filly in the field in terms of Brisnet Speed ratings. Racing a one-turn mile on dirt should be perfect for this versatile gray filly, who could develop into a major player for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).
Here is my complete list of Horses to Watch: