Horses to Watch: 5 go in 4 races, 3 nations, 2 days, 1 weekend

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

Big Invasion

Just two weeks after rallying to finish a good second against Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel in the Grade 1 Jaipur at Belmont Park, Big Invasion is traveling across the ocean to contest the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (G1), Saturday’s third race at Royal Ascot in England. Post time is 10:40 a.m. EDT.

Tackling some of Europe’s best sprinters is bound to be a difficult task, but victory isn’t out of the question. American raider Undrafted won the 2015 Jubilee after finishing second in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G3), and Big Invasion brings arguably better form to the table, including half a dozen stakes wins. Big Invasion will be a long shot in the Jubilee betting, but don’t count this talented stretch runner out of the mix.

Bishops Bay

Bishops Bay started his career in fine form. In a six-furlong, maiden special weight at Fair Grounds, he beat future Lexington (G3) winner First Mission by three-quarters of a length. Then he stretched out to win a one-mile and 70-yard allowance optional claimer over the same track despite badly clipping heels early in the race.

A subsequent defeat as the favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan (G3) at Belmont Park was initially disappointing, but Bishops Bay lost by only a head to Arcangelo, who came back to win the Belmont Stakes. Given how well Bishops Bay performed against the future Belmont winner, he has to be viewed as a key win threat in Saturday’s 12th race at Thistledown, the Ohio Derby (G3). Post time is 6:20 p.m. EDT.

Gold Magic

Gold Magic was a flashy, debut winner sprinting six furlongs over the Gulfstream Park dirt, tracking the early pace before kicking on to beat a next-out winner by 2 3/4 lengths. He followed up with a fourth-place finish in a $75,000 allowance optional claimer, racing seven furlongs over the same track.

Now Gold Magic will give Tapeta a try in Sunday’s fourth race at Woodbine, a $50,000 allowance optional claimer with a post time of 2:52 p.m. EDT. A series of sharp workouts at Woodbine suggest Gold Magic will handle the surface switch just fine, so if the Ontario-bred son of Good Magic delivers a victory in this 6 1/2-furlong dash, the $1 million King’s Plate becomes a viable summer target.

Matareya

With a quartet of graded-stakes scores under her belt, Matareya looms as an overwhelming favorite to win Saturday’s ninth race at Ellis Park, the Chicago (G3) at 4:55 p.m. EDT.

Matareya enjoyed a strong 3-year-old season in 2022, rattling off consecutive victories in the Beaumont (G3), Eight Belles (G2) and Test (G1). And while she was beaten in her 4-year-old debut, finishing second in Oaklawn’s Matron against Wicked Halo, Matareya turned the tables on Wicked Halo to win the Derby City Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs last month.

Matareya broke her maiden at Ellis Park and should have every chance to bring her local record to 2-for-2 while dropping in class for the Chicago.

Two Phil’s

Bishops Bay likely would be favored to win the Ohio Derby if not for the presence of Two Phil’s, who gets jockey Gerardo Corrales in place of the injured Jareth Loveberry. A decisive winner of the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on Tapeta and the Street Sense (G3) on dirt, Two Phil’s exits a terrific performance in the Kentucky Derby, in which he tracked a hot pace before fighting on to finish second by one length to stretch-running Mage.

The Kentucky Derby was dominated overall by horses rallying from off the pace, so the fact Two Phil’s stayed on strongly despite racing close to the early pace is impressive. The son of Hard Spun improved by leaps and bounds during the spring and skipped the rest of the Triple Crown to focus on the Ohio Derby, so in all likelihood he’s sitting on a winning performance.