Horses to Watch: 3 race in holiday-weekend graded stakes
In this biweekly series, racing analyst J. 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.
Upcoming entries
Judge Miller
Judge Miller has improved a lot since debuting with a runner-up finish sprinting at Del Mar last autumn. He won his second start dashing seven furlongs at Santa Anita, then obliterated a one-mile $50,000 allowance optional claimer over the same track by 11 lengths.
That runaway victory stamped Judge Miller as a 3-10 favorite when making his stakes debut in the 1 1/8-mile Californian (G3) at Santa Anita, but after carving out a modest pace he weakened in the drive to finish second. Perhaps Judge Miller wasn’t helped by setting an easy tempo; his allowance win came when dueling for command through hot fractions.
I’m interested to see how Judge Miller performs while stretching out over 1 1/4 miles for Monday’s 10th race at Santa Anita, the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2), post time 8:30 p.m. EDT. As a son of Curlin out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Bernardini mare Cavorting, Judge Miller is bred top and bottom to shine running long. If he gets out in front through quick fractions, I think there’s a chance Judge Miller will run his rivals off their feet and upset the Hollywood Gold Cup at enticing odds.
Sweet Rebecca
Sweet Rebecca has been stunning in her first two starts. The 3-year-old daughter of American Pharoah debuted in a one-mile maiden special weight over the Gulfstream Park lawn, where she rocketed her final two furlongs in approximately 11.54 and 10.82 seconds to win under a hand ride. She unleashed a similar turn-of-foot in her second start, running her final two furlongs in about 11.22 and 11.26 seconds to win Aqueduct’s one-mile Memories of Silver by 1 1/2 lengths.
If Sweet Rebecca brings her A-game while stretching out over 1 1/8 miles for Monday’s second race at Belmont at the Big A, the Wonder Again (G3), post time 1:34 p.m. EDT, she’ll be tough to hold off down the homestretch. If Sweet Rebecca keeps her unbeaten record intact, she could wind up as the favorite for the Belmont Oaks (G1) this summer.
Touchuponastar
Touchuponastar is a standout among Louisiana-breds. His lifetime record of 16: 12-3-1 includes eight stakes wins in Louisiana-bred stakes races.
But Touchuponastar has also performed admirably against open company. He won the Delta Mile last fall, and he’s finished second against graded takes competition in the 2023 Steve Sexton Mile (G3) and 2024 New Orleans Classic (G2). In both of those contests, Touchuponastar was involved in strong pace fractions before succumbing to stretch runners.
Perhaps Touchuponastar’s third graded stakes appearance will be the charm. He’s entered in Monday’s 11th race at Lone Star Park, the Steve Sexton Mile (G3), with post time 7:37 p.m. EDT, where he’ll get a rematch with Frosted Grace. If Touchuponastar is able to shake loose on an easier lead this year than last year, he has a shot to turn the tables.