Horses to Watch: Follow 2 winners and 12 in the entries

Recent watch list winners

Echo Zulu

Echo Zulu was tons the best in the six-furlong Honorable Miss Handicap (G2) at Saratoga, setting fractions of 22.02 and 44.45 seconds before powering clear to win eased-up by 7 1/4 lengths. The champion 2-year-old filly of 2021 completed the race in a blazing 1:08.76 seconds and earned a massive 112 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form, reiterating her transformation into one of the nation’s fastest female sprinters.

Next

Next left no doubt about his superiority in the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone at Saratoga, tracking the pace before powering clear under an easy ride to obliterate his rivals by 11 3/4 lengths. With his formidable combination of tactical speed and staying power, Next has become a standout among long-distance U.S. dirt runners.

Upcoming entries

Coffee in Bed

Coffee in Bed was a sharp debut winner sprinting six furlongs at Santa Anita, after which she stepped up in class to finish second in a $100,000 allowance optional claimer traveling seven furlongs over the same track. She hasn’t run since March, but the daughter of Curlin brings an encouraging work tab into Friday’s sixth race at Del Mar, a six-furlong $40,000 allowance optional claimer (post time 9:30 p.m. EDT) and can’t be underestimated. She’s a lightly raced Richard Mandella trainee with plenty of upside for improvement.

Count Again

Count Again ranked among the leading U.S. grass runners of 2022 after winning the Shoemaker Mile (G1), Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) and Thunder Road (G3) during the first five months of the year. Count Again unfortunately missed the rest of 2022 (and the first half of 2023), but perhaps he can pick up where he left off in Sunday’s ninth race at Del Mar, the Eddie Read (G2, post time 9:00 p.m. EDT). The 14-month layoff is a question mark, but on his best day Count Again is good enough to win the Eddie Read.

Disarm

After hitting the board in the Louisiana Derby (G2), Lexington (G3) and Kentucky Derby, Disarm delivered a career-best performance in the Matt Winn (G3) at Ellis Park, sweeping from a couple lengths behind a slow pace to beat next-out Indiana Derby (G3) winner Verifying by half a length. This sharp performance stamps Disarm as a contender worth respecting in Saturday’s 10th race at Saratoga, the Jim Dandy (G2, post time 5:45 p.m. EDT).

Drew’s Gold

Five starts, four wins, one second. Drew’s Gold has won multiple stakes and suffered his lone defeat in a fast edition of the Woody Stephens (G1) at Belmont Park. Woody Stephens winner Arabian Lion is skipping Friday’s 10th race at Saratoga, the Amsterdam (G2, post time 6:18 p.m. EDT), so Drew’s Gold looms as the horse to beat in this 6 1/2-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds.

Dr. Schivel

Dr. Schivel was one of the best U.S. sprinters of 2021, winning the Bing Crosby (G1) and Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) before finishing second by a nose in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). He only started once in 2022, but he’s gradually getting back on track this year, trouncing a six-furlong allowance at Santa Anita before finishing fifth in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) over a one-mile distance longer than his best. The six-furlong trip of Saturday’s 10th race at Del Mar, the Bing Crosby (G1, post time 9:39 p.m. EDT) should be more suitable for Dr. Schivel, giving him a chance to score a second win in this prestigious sprint.

Elite Power

Elite Power has won seven consecutive races dating back to last June, including the Vosburgh (G2), Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) and True North (G2). He overcame a modest pace to win the True North with a sweeping move around the far turn, so Elite Power is widely expected to pick up an eighth straight win in Saturday’s eighth race at Saratoga, the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1, post time 4:26 p.m. EDT).

Forte

Reigning champion 2-year-old male Forte ran gamely off a 10-week layoff in the Belmont Stakes, rallying wide to finish second by 1 1/2 lengths. He’d previously defeated eventual Kentucky Derby winner Mage in the Florida Derby (G1), so Forte’s form lines suggest he’s a formidable win threat while adding blinkers in the Jim Dandy.

Gunite

If anyone can upset Elite Power in the Vanderbilt, it’s Gunite. While Gunite was beaten 3 1/4 lengths by Elite Power in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint, he recently won a fast edition of the Aristides at Churchill Downs and should put up a good fight while returning to Saratoga. Gunite’s past exploits over this track include victories in the 2021 Hopeful (G1) and 2022 Amsterdam (G2), plus a good second in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1).

New York Thunder

New York Thunder is unbeaten in three starts on turf and synthetic, highlighted by a 7 1/2-length demolition of Woodbine’s Woodstock on April 30. The speedy son of Nyquist hasn’t run since, but he enters off a series of fast workouts at Monmouth Park and can’t be underestimated while stepping up against graded stakes foes in the Amsterdam.

Saudi Crown

Saudi Crown ran a giant race in the one-mile Dwyer (G3) at Belmont Park four weeks ago, setting awesome fractions of 22.47, 44.63 and 1:08.84 before fighting gamely in the drive to finish second by a nose. He’s the lone speed horse entered in the Jim Dandy and should be tough to catch if he escapes with an uncontested lead.

Spirit of Makena

Spirit of Makena is a head away from being undefeated in five starts, and his three-for-three record in 2023 includes sharp victories in the San Carlos (G3) and Triple Bend (G2) sprinting seven furlongs at Santa Anita. The 5-year-old son of Ghostzapper has developed into one of California’s leading sprinters, and he’ll have a chance to secure a Grade 1 win when he steps up against a deep field in the Bing Crosby.

Twilight Gleaming

Twilight Gleaming has won a bevy of stakes through the years, including the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Back in the U.S. after a 16th-place finish in the King’s Stand (G1) at Royal Ascot, Twilight Gleaming should be formidable in Friday’s seventh race at Del Mar, the Daisycutter Handicap (post time 10:00 p.m. EDT), a five-furlong grass dash she won in 2022.

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.