Head to Head: Juveniles vie for early Derby points in Iroquois

Laurie

Ashley

1. Nothing Personal (6-1)

Nothing Personal was professional in his Colonial Downs debut. He rated behind a swift early pace, tipped three wide and set sail for home. Nothing Personal was aggressively ridden despite being lengths ahead of the field and was much the best, 8 3/4 lengths in front. He completed seven furlongs in 1:21.87 with a 12.96 final furlong. The Greg Compton trainee’s 85 late-pace figure is the third highest in the Iroquois field. Nothing Personal should handle the extra furlong in the Iroquois, as his half-sister won at a mile and Nothing Personal is by Violence out of the stakes-winning Wando mare Will She. There is minor black type in the distaff line. The dam is half to a pair of Canadian stakes-placed sprinters and the second dam placed in a restricted juvenile stakes. Nothing Personal has a trio of steady five-furlong works, including every other work breezing from the gate. Exotics.

Trained by Greg Compton, Nothing Personal debuted a winner at Colonial Downs. After tracking the early pace, the Violence colt made a three-wide bid into the stretch and drew away to an 8 3/4-length victory, stopping the clock at 1:21.87 for seven furlongs. Runner-up Antrax was a next-out winner, and fourth- and fifth-place finishers Kid Charlemagne and Very Connected both finished third on the lawn next out, with Kid Charlemagne doing so in Gulfstream Park’s Kitten’s Joy Stakes. Nothing Personal received an 86 Brisnet Speed Rating. Compton has 0% wins with a 25% in-the-money clip in graded stakes over the last five years. Jaime Rodriguez has the call. Contender.

2.  Sometime (15-1)

Sometime also ships in from Colonial. He had an exciting debut, fighting with his rival Magic Wallet down the lane, neither giving an inch. In the end, it was a dead heat, and the pair finished 10 1/2 lengths in front of the rest. Sometime completed 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.59 with a 6.62 final half-furlong. Magic Wallet returned to capture the six-furlong Dover Stakes in his next start. Mark Simms Jr. switched Sometime to turf for the state-bred Jamestown Stakes. Sometime ran evenly but placed third, two lengths behind the winner. Take Charge Indy’s son is out of the winning Square Eddie mare Discatsonthesquare. There is minor black type in the distaff line. The dam’s full sister Dis Smart Cat is restricted stakes-placed runner, and another full sister bore Dylans Wild Cat, second in the restricted Golden State Juvenile Fillies. Sometime’s half siblings are sprinters, and one placed at a mile. Sometime earned late-pace figures in the mid 80s in both starts. We’ll see how Colonial class stakes up at Churchill. Exotics.

Trained by Mark Simms Jr., Sometime was part of a wild maiden race at Colonial Downs that saw a dead heat for first and third. Along with Magic Wallet, Sometime sprinted way clear to win by 10 1/2 lengths. Magic Wallet won the Dover Stakes at Delaware Park next out, and Smols, who was part of the dead heat for third, won next out when dropping into the claiming ranks and switching to turf. Sometime also tried turf next out, finishing third in the Jamestown Stakes for Virginia-Maryland-breds, missing the win by just two lengths. Simms never has saddled a graded winner. He has 0% wins and 50% in-the-money in stakes, 0% wins and 56% in-the-money with sprint-to-route runners, 0% wins and 100% in-the-money with turf-to-dirt runners, and 8% wins with a 23% in-the-money clip with 2-year-olds over the last year. That’s more stats than I usually throw out, but the deck is really stacked against this son of Take Charge Indy. Sometime figures to improve in returning to dirt, but there’s just too much going on here for me. Luan Machado, who will be the colt’s third jockey in as many starts, has the call. Pass.

3. No More Cents (10-1)

No More Cents won against Ohio-breds in the Hover Stakes in his debut. He won by 2 1/4 lengths in a slow 1:05.88 for 5 1/2 furlongs. The Kenny McPeek trainee reversed form in his next start and was no match for Crown the Buckeye, a horse he previously beat by 2 1/4 lengths. Goldencents’s son has strong sprint breeding. No More Cents is the first foal out of the winning Cross Traffic mare Kajawa. She is half to Canadian listed winner Bear Holiday, and her half-sister bore stakes winner Classic Q and a stakes-placed runner. No More Cents’s late-pace figures are the lowest in the Iroquois, and this is a big step up. Pass.

Trained by Kenny McPeek, No More Cents debuted as a winner in the Hoover Stakes for Ohio-breds at Belterra Park. He was subsequently third, beaten by 17 3/4 lengths, in the Best of Ohio Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes at Thistledown. Crown the Buckeye, whom No More Cents beat in the Hoover, turned the tables in the Kindergarten and won by 12 1/4 lengths. No More Cents earned a 73 Brisnet Speed Rating for his debut, but that number dropped to a dismal 51 in his second outing. Irad Ortiz Jr. replaces Declan Cannon. Pass.

4. So Special (10-1)

So Special was second at a mile and won at 1 1/16 miles, both times over the Ellis Park lawn. But his half-siblings are capable over all surfaces, and McPeek has worked So Special behind horses at Churchill. By leading Second-Crop sire Vekoma, So Special’s distaff line is full of turf influences. He is out of the multiple stakes-winning turf miler Remarkable Remy. The mare’s three-quarter brother Keiai Leone is a multiple stakes winner in Japan, and half-brother Roayh is a multiple group-placed turf sprinter in Great Britian. So Special’s late-pace figures are in the low 80s, and he will have to improve in his surface switch. I’m not a fan of this pretty gray colt’s upright choppy leg action, but as the only one with two starts at a mile and further under his girth, he has the fitness advantage. Contender.

So Special will make his dirt debut for McPeek after racing twice on the lawn to kick off his career. He was second on debut in a mile turf event at Ellis Park. A few from that race have hit the board in subsequent starts, including Baytown Dreamer, who most recently was third in the Global Tote Juvenile Mile Stakes at Kentucky Downs. So Special won at second asking, going 1 1/16 miles at Ellis Park. Those who have made additional starts haven’t fared well. McPeek has 20% wins with a 44% in-the-money clip with turf to dirt runners over the last year. Regular jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. has the return call. Pass.

5. Spice Runner (7-2)

Spice Runner faced Comport in the Ellis Park Juvenile. The Steve Asmussen trainee set a slow to moderate pace but was no match for his rival and finished two lengths behind. But Spice Runner’s Brisnet Speed Rating improved to 89, and his 88 late-pace figure is the second highest in this field. Spice Runner’s full brother Gunite is a multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter and was second in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He placed once in three tries at a mile. Their dam, Simple Surprise, is a stakes-winning turf sprinter. Asmussen gave the colt a second-to-last bullet five-furlong breeze in 1:00.60. Contender.

A Steve Asmussen trainee, Laurie and I both took Spice Runner on top in the Bashford Manor and were left with a bad taste in our mouths when he finished a well-beaten fifth. More recently, Spice Runner was second to Comport in the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes. The colt earned a 76 Brisnet Speed Rating for his debut, a surprisingly decent 73 for the Bashford Manor, and then an 89 in the Ellis Park Juvenile. He’s young and still learning, so I’m not ready to throw in the towel on this colt just yet. Jose Ortiz has the mount. Exotics.

6. Shake and Rattle (20-1)

Shake and Rattle is the most experienced in the field with five races under his girth, but he found trouble a few times. After winning his third start by a nose, he wheels back two weeks after a failed attempt on the Kentucky Downs lawn. Previously, he faced Comport and Spice Runner in the Ellis Park Juvenile. Shake and Rattle stumbled at the start and was at the back of the field of six. He began an abbreviated bid at the three-sixteenths pole, veered from the crop in the lane, and couldn’t get by the third-place horse. By fifth leading first-crop sire Rock Your World, Shake and Rattle is half to Federico Tesio Stakes hero Perform. Their third dam is reine-de-course Leslie’s Lady, dam of multiple champion Beholder, multiple leading sire Into Mischief, and Grade 1 winner and sire Mendelssohn. Shake and Rattle is bred for two turns and should appreciate the extra distance, but his Brisnet ratings and late-pace figures are stuck in the 70s, so he needs to shake, rattle and roll harder to make an impact here.  Pass.

Trained by Keith Desormeaux, Shake and Rattle is the veteran of the field with a 5:1-0-1 record. It took him three attempts to find the winner’s circle, and he did eke out that feat by a nose. Two starts back, Shake and Rattle finished fourth in the Ellis Park Juvenile, beaten by 10 lengths by winner Comport. Last out, Desormeaux tried the colt on the lawn, and that didn’t go any better. Shake and Rattle was fifth, beaten by nine lengths, at that Kentucky Downs event. James Graham has the call. Pass.

7. Comport (6-5)

Comport pressed a slow to moderate pace set by Spice Runner in the Ellis Park Juvenile then took over to win by a clear-cut two lengths. The Eddie Kenneally trainee completed seven furlongs in 1:22.73, with a 12.76 final furlong, and his speed rating improved to 92, with a field-high 92 late-pace figure. In his only defeat in three starts, Comport was too close to a hot pace in the Bashford Manor and placed second. By Collected, Comport is the second foal out of the unplaced Flatter mare Bartlett Narrows, a half-sister to Grade 3-winning miler, Trace Creek. Comport has class and will be tough to beat. Contender.

Trained by Eddie Kenneally, Comport debuted a winner at Churchill Downs. Two from that field have become winners since. Comport next was second in the Bashford Manor, finishing 3 3/4 lengths behind winner Romeo, who fell flat next out in the Bashford Manor to finish sixth after getting off to a slow start. He most recently won the Ellis Park Juvenile by two lengths over Spice Runner. Comport’s Brisnet Speed Ratings have improved with each start, culminating with a field-best 92 in the Ellis Park Juvenile. Tyler Gaffalione has the return call. Contender.

8. Vost (12-1)

Vost was a debut winner at seven furlongs. He had a tough learning experience facing 10 rivals. Vost broke last from the rail, made a sustained move through rush hour traffic then switched four wide around the turn. Vost stalled momentarily when challenging the horse to his inside, but he won the battle of wills and set sail for the wire, winning by two lengths under a hand ride. The Will Walden trainee stopped the clock at 1:24.96, with a 13.21 final furlong. Despite his exploits, Vost earned a 76 Brisnet rating with a low 77 late-pace figure. By second-crop sire Instagrand, Vost is the first foal out of stakes winner and multiple graded-placed Water White, who won at a mile and placed at 1 1/8 miles. The mare’s half-sister A Rosefor Isabelle produced stakes winner and multiple graded-placed Cagliostro and stakes winner Global Steve. Vost needs to step up his game to win but could earn a piece of the pie. Exotics.

Trained by William Walden, Vost debuted as a winner Aug. 11 at Ellis Park. Most of that field hasn’t made subsequent starts, and the two that have did not win. Vost received a 77 Brisnet Speed Rating for his effort. Walden has just 9% wins with a 31% in-the-money clip in graded stakes over the last five years, according to Race Lens. Florent Geroux has the return call. Pass.

9. Nine Ball (12-1)

Nine Ball also got an education in his Ellis Park debut. He rated between horses and took kickback. Jaime Torres slowed him down briefly then shot Nine Ball to the inside in a sustained run. But Nine Ball faced a wall of horses around the far turn, so he pushed a rival out of his way and switched outside at the quarter pole. Nine Ball outfinished the runner-up by 3/4 length. The Riley Mott trainee completed 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.06, with a 6.49 final half-furlong. All that work netted only a 77 Brisnet rating but an 81 late-pace figure. By the late first-crop sire Code of Honor, Nine Ball is half to stakes-winning miler Bethlehem Road, a winner at one mile, 70 yards. Their dam Alydara is a graded-placed sprinter. She is half to stakes winners A Red Tie Day and Chattalot. Nine Ball returns in 21 days and hasn’t had a post-race work. Exotics.

Trained by Riley Mott, Nine Ball debuted a winner at Ellis Park in a 5 1/2-furlong event. Despite some bumping, Nine Ball forged to the lead while four wide and continued professionally to win by three-quarters of a length. That race was on Aug. 23, so only two from the field made subsequent starts and neither hit the board. Nine Ball earned a 77 Brisnet Speed Rating. Mott has 22% wins with a 49% in-the-money clip with runners coming off an 8- to 30-day layoff and 11% wins with a 28% in-the-money rate in graded stakes. Jaime Torres has the return call. Exotics.

10. Maximus Prime (12-1)

Maximus Prime is the only maiden in the field but placed second in the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes over this track. After the unfortunate passing of Larry Demeritte, Anthony Mitchell took over. Maximus Prime had time off before resurfacing in an Ellis Park maiden event at a mile. He faceplanted at the start but recovered to settle in fifth place between horses, then ran one-paced down the lane, checking in fourth, 5 3/4 lengths behind the winner. By third-leading third-crop sire Maximus Mischief, he is a second foal and owns the only black type in three generations of the distaff line. His half-brother won at 6 1/2 furlongs but was off the board in both starts at a mile, The fourth dam, Broom Dance, was a multiple graded winner, including the Alabama (G1), and bore graded winner and sire End Sweep. Although he likely needed his last start, Maximus Prime’s speed figures are going the wrong way, and he’ll need a big transformation to be the next Iroquois victor. Pass.

Trained by Anthony Mitchell, Maximus Prime enters as a maiden despite already having three starts. He finished second in his first two races, including missing by a half-length in the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes. Two from his debut race have become winners, and the last-place runner from the Kentucky Juvenile won next out on the turf. Maximus Prime most recently was fourth in a mile maiden event at Ellis Park. The colt’s Brisnet Speed Ratings have dropped with each start, but he could improve second off a layoff. Mitchell hasn’t won a graded stakes since 2019 and is also 0% in-the-money in graded stakes over the last five years. Luis Saez has the call. Pass.