Horses to Watch: 'Classy' Pletcher filly gets back on track
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.
New to the Watch list
Classy Edition showed promise as a 2-year-old in 2021, going 3-for-3 with stakes victories in the Joseph A. Gimma and Key Cents for trainer Todd Pletcher. The following year, she ran second in the Davona Dale (G2) on the road to the Kentucky Oaks but disappeared from the work tab after finishing fourth at a short price in the Gazelle (G3).
The good news is Classy Edition returned better than ever in a one-mile allowance optional-claimer on Wednesday at Gulfstream Park. The New York-bred 4-year-old always was prominent through fractions of 24.01, 47.23 and 1:11.81 before finishing fast (final two furlongs in 12.35 and 12.47) to trounce her pursuers by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:36.63 seconds.
With this promising comeback effort under her belt, Classy Edition appears poised for a return to graded-stakes competition.
Shopper’s Revenge showed promise in his debut sprinting seven furlongs at Churchill Downs last fall, rallying from eighth place to finish second behind runaway winner Determinedly. But Shopper’s Revenge elevated his game to another level when stretching out over 1 1/16 miles for a Saturday maiden special weight at Oaklawn.
Showing improved tactical speed, Shopper’s Revenge dashed to the front through fractions of 23.89, 48.25 and 1:13.45 before powering clear down the homestretch to win by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:45.07 seconds. Shopper’s Revenge ran his final sixteenth of a mile in a strong 6.28 seconds and has the pedigree to improve with distance and maturity, considering he’s a son of Tapit (the sire of four Belmont winners) out of Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria. I’m looking forward to seeing what this Steve Asmussen trainee can accomplish over the next few months.
Recent Watch List winners
Last year’s Champagne (G1) runner-up kicked off his sophomore campaign on an exciting note. Favored at 7-5 to win a one-mile allowance optional claimer on Saturday at Oaklawn, Verifying left no doubt about his superiority while facing a strong field.
Indeed, Verifying raced in second place through respectable fractions of 23.26, 47.20 and 1:11.94 before finishing fast (final two furlongs in about 12.81 and 12.48 seconds) to dominate by 5 1/4 lengths in 1:37.23. This performance marked a sharp rebound from Verifying’s sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to conclude 2022, so it’s safe to say he’s back on track for hot trainer Brad Cox.
Worth another try
Although Gun Pilot was no match for Verifying in Saturday’s allowance optional claimer at Oaklawn, he ran well in defeat, carving out the pace before staying on to finish second. Gun Pilot pulled 2 3/4 lengths clear of the stakes-placed Two Eagles River, and I’m optimistic we haven’t seen his best yet. The son of Gun Runner has the pedigree to improve with maturity for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.
Off the Watch List
Point Proven
Point Proven ran well below expectations as the 11-10 favorite in a one-mile and 40-yard allowance optional-claimer on Friday at Tampa Bay Downs, finishing last in a field of four. I’ll want to see this Churchill Downs maiden winner bounce back with a stronger run before playing him again.
Here is my complete, updated list of Horses to Watch.