Horses to Watch: Malathaat overcomes all obstacles
In this biweekly series, racing analyst 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
The improving 3-year-old Elle Z made the most of her stakes debut on Saturday, wiring a tough renewal of the Pan Zareta Stakes at Fair Grounds. Facing older rivals over 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, Elle Z carved out fractions of :22.18 and :45.39 before holding off Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) participant Into Mystic by a length in 1:03.13.
With just seven starts under her belt, Elle Z still has plenty of upside. The daughter of City Zip has progressed rapidly in a short amount of time and has the tactical speed to be a formidable turf sprinter throughout 2021.
Malathaat
Truthfully, Malathaat had no business winning Saturday’s Demoiselle (G2) at Aqueduct. The undefeated daughter of Curlin didn’t relish the sloppy conditions and lost ground steadily throughout the race, unable to advance despite saving ground behind rivals.
But once Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez steered Malathaat outside for the homestretch drive, the 45-100 favorite responded with an impressive burst of speed. Gaining 3 1/2 lengths down the homestretch, Malathaat tenaciously ran down promising maiden winner Millefeuille to win the 1 1/8-mile race by three-quarters of a length.
Malathaat’s final time of 1:52.36 was modest, but in this case the clock can be ignored because of the extenuating circumstances. Malathaat showed impressive talent to prevail in the face of adversity, and I’m optimistic this Todd Pletcher trainee will remain a force to reckon with on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
Stellar Sound
Although Stellar Sound was beaten as the 13-10 favorite in Sunday’s Bayakoa (G3) at Los Alamitos, I believe the daughter of Tapit turned in a deceptively strong effort. A slow start left the normally speed filly dead-last in the early going, but heading into the first turn she unleashed a dramatic rally on the far outside, sweeping past rivals to secure a two-length lead through a solid half-mile in :46.76.
This eye-catching move understandably left Stellar Sound tired for the drive, but to her credit she didn’t give way completely, hanging on to finish third by 6 1/2 lengths. A clean break and more measured tactics next time can help Stellar Sound return to the winner’s circle.
Off the Watch List
Astute
Although heavily supported at 13-10 in the wagering, Desi Arnaz Stakes winner Astute failed to bring her A game in Saturday’s Starlet (G1) at Los Alamitos. After settling a couple lengths behind the leaders in third place, Astute weakened steadily around the far turn and down the stretch to finish fourth by 13 1/2 lengths.
Perhaps Astute found the 1 1/16-mile distance too far to handle, but since she was already fading on the far turn, I’m more inclined to believe she simply regressed off her big sprint stakes win three weeks ago. Astute is capable of rebounding in the future, but I’ll want to watch her next race before returning her to my watch list.
Performer
A slow start over a sloppy track surely compromised Performer in Saturday’s Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct. The typically speedy runner found himself racing last of six in the early going, about eight lengths behind a fast pace.
But although the pace decelerated sharply in the second half of the race, Performer rallied only mildly to finish third, beaten 5 3/4 lengths by runaway winner True Timber. He also failed by a neck to catch longshot Snapper Sinclair for the runner-up spot. The Cigar Mile field wasn’t especially deep after Grade 1 winners Firenze Fire and Mind Control withdrew, so the fact Performer failed to challenge as the 85-100 favorite came as a disappointment.
Again, the change in tactics and the sloppy track may have affected Performer in a negative way, so I wouldn’t judge his effort too harshly. But as with Astute, I’ll want to watch his next run before jumping back on the bandwagon from a betting perspective.
Here is my complete, updated list of Horses to Watch.