Horses to Watch: Check out this unbeaten 3-year-old sprinter

New to the watch list

Fandom

A British-bred 2-year-old campaigning in the colors of Stonestreet Stables, Fandom impressed in his debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over the Keeneland turf course on Thursday. The Wesley Ward trainee opened up a daylight lead through splits of 22.24 and 46.11 seconds, then extended his advantage without much urging from jockey Irad Ortiz to win by 6 3/4 lengths.

Fandom finished fast to stop the timer in 1:03.21 seconds. Perhaps a trip to Royal Ascot is in the cards for this talented juvenile.

Recent watch list winners

Eda

In her first start back from a nearly 14-month layoff, 2021 Starlet (G1) winner Eda showed tenacity to win a 6 1/2-furlong allowance on Friday at Santa Anita. Setting quick fractions of 22.01 and 44.62 seconds left the Bob Baffert trainee a bit leg-weary down the homestretch, but Eda nevertheless held on gamely to win by a head over stakes winner Teddy’s Barino, with the rest of the field 4 3/4 lengths behind.

Eda stopped the timer in 1:16.16 seconds while carrying top weight of 124 pounds, conceding three pounds to Teddy’s Barino. This is a comeback effort she can build upon.

New York Thunder

Talented sophomore sprinter New York Thunder shrugged off a four-month layoff and brought his record to a perfect 3-for-3 with a blowout victory in the six-furlong Woodstock on Tapeta at Woodbine. Setting fractions of 22.76 and 45.18 seconds did nothing to tire the son of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, who sprinted the final two furlongs in 11.52 and 11.75 seconds to power clear and dominate by 7 1/2 lengths.

New York Thunder reached the finish line in a fast 1:08.45 seconds, suggesting this Jorge Delgado trainee is a seriously talented 3-year-old with a bright future sprinting.

War Like Goddess

Standout long-distance grass mare War Like Goddess kicked off 2023 on a winning note, winning the 1 1/2-mile Bewitch (G3) at Keeneland for the third straight year. After running behind slow fractions of 26.34, 52.39, 1:18.74 and 1:44.29 over a good turf course, War Like Goddess outkicked Temple City Terror down the homestretch to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths.

War Like Goddess rocketed her final quarter-mile in 23.48 seconds to complete the contest in 2:32.11 seconds. The Bill Mott trainee appears poised for another productive year.

Worth another try

Filo Di Arianna

Winner of the Connaught Cup (G2) and King Edward (G2) on turf last year, Filo Di Arianna ran well when returning from a layoff in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance optional claimer on Tapeta at Woodbine. Never far behind splits of 23.20 and 45.27 seconds set by the victorious Rockcrest, Filo Di Arianna closed nicely down the homestretch to finish second by half a length.

The final time was a sharp 1:02.85 (just 0.23 seconds off the track record), so it’s safe to say Filo Di Arianna has returned in good form. I expect we’ll see him back in the graded stakes ranks soon.

Mo Strike

Last year’s Sanford (G3) winner returned from a long layoff with a good try in the six-furlong Bachelor at Oaklawn. He fell 11 lengths off the early tempo as eventual winner Ryvit carved out an opening quarter-mile in 21.86 seconds, but Mo Strike gradually got into gear and gained five lengths through the final furlong alone to finish second by two lengths.

Mo Strike has the pedigree to thrive running long, so I’ll give him another try next time and see how he performs.

Which horses do you have your eyes on?

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.