Horses to Watch: 1 to add, 2 to keep, 2 to drop
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
Just how talented is Bleecker Street? There’s no way to know just yet, because the daughter of Quality Road has yet to meet her match. Bleecker Street has compiled a 5-for-5 record under the care of trainer Chad Brown, most recently delivering a flashy victory in the Grade 3 Hillsborough racing 1 1/8 miles at Tampa Bay Downs.
Bleecker Street’s performance was powerful. After settling seven lengths off the pace in seventh place, Bleecker Street unleashed a sweeping rally to surge past the pacesetters and dominate by 3 3/4 lengths.
Bleecker Street dashed the final furlong in a snappy 11.52 seconds to stop the timer in 1:48.21 seconds. Previously victorious in the Endeavour (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, Bleecker Street has clearly conquered the Grade 3 level and might be good enough to win a Grade 1.
Recent Watch List winners
Is Edgeway getting better? She certainly gave that impression when dominating the Las Flores (G3) at Santa Anita. After vying for command through fast fractions of 21.77 and 44.47 seconds, Edgeway put away multiple graded-stakes winner Private Mission and powered away under an easy hand ride to win by seven lengths in 1:10.22.
A 5-year-old daughter of Competitive Edge, Edgeway ran second in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and appears to be on an upward trajectory. A big year should be in the offing if Edgeway maintains her current form.
Worth another try
This improving colt ran a strong race in the Challenger (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs to kick off his 4-year-old campaign. After settling in fifth place behind splits of 23.53, 48.14 and 1:12.89, Cody’s Rush unleashed a strong finish and failed by just a neck to catch the pace-tracking Scalding.
The closing fractions of the Challenger were strong, with the final sixteenth of a mile elapsing in six seconds flat for a final time of 1:43.53 seconds. This was an excellent graded-stakes debut from Cody’s Wish, and I’m optimistic we haven’t seen his best yet.
Off the Watch List
Started as the 1-1 favorite in the Azeri (G2) at Oaklawn, but unexpectedly weakened after setting the pace to finish third by 1 3/4 lengths. The quality of competition was deep, but Shedaresthedevil enjoyed a comfortable trip and failed to kick on the way I anticipated. I originally added Shedaresthedevil to my Watch List because I expected her to bounce back from her Breeders’ Cup Distaff defeat with a victory; now that my opinion of the Distaff has run its course, I’ll drop Shedaresthedevil from my list.
Last year’s Fountain of Youth (G2) winner failed to fire when returning from a long layoff in the Challenger, weakening to finish sixth of seven. He was beaten only five lengths and is eligible to improve off his comeback effort, but I’ll want to watch his next race – and see how much he steps forward – before supporting him again.
Here is my complete, updated list of Horses to Watch.