Prospect Watch: 6 unraced sophomores worth a look
A grandson of Rachel Alexandra and a full brother to Breeders’ Cup champion New Money Honey are among the exciting sophomores entered to race in the upcoming week in maiden special weights across the country.
For our latest Prospect Watch, we’ll highlight half a dozen unraced youngsters plus one experienced runner worth following:
Friday
Gulfstream Park Race 6: Maiden special weight (6 1/2 furlongs, 3:41 p.m. ET)
#6 Value Creation
Sold for $410,000 as a yearling, this Triple Crown nominee is a son of elite sire Uncle Mo out of the unraced Stormy Atlantic mare Picardia. Conditioned by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, Value Creation has put together a solid work tab in preparation for his debut, culminating with a quick half-mile from the Palm Meadows starting gate in :47 4/5. Uncle Mo sires a solid 14 percent winners from first-time starters, so an encouraging debut should be in the offing from Value Creation.
Saturday
Fair Grounds Race 4: Maiden special weight (1 1/16 miles, 2:33 p.m. ET)
#2 Alejandro
We featured Alejandro when he debuted at Churchill Downs last summer, noting how the son of Curlin was produced by the Grade 1-winning mare Rachel’s Valentina, a daughter of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. Alejandro failed to live up to his pedigree first time out, finishing fourth in a seven-furlong sprint, but he subsequently improved to finish second in a one-mile maiden heat behind future Smarty Jones Stakes winner Caddo River. Alejandro hasn’t run since November, but if he’s matured at all during the three-month freshening, he can vie for victory in his two-turn debut.
Fair Grounds Race 6: Maiden special weight (1 1/16 miles, 3:37 p.m. ET)
#7 Cross Check
A Godolphin homebred trained by Brendan Walsh, Cross Check brings an elite pedigree to the mix. A son of 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist, Cross Check was produced by the A.P. Indy mare Kinda Spicy, who previously foaled Nashua (G2) and Withers (G3) winner Avery Island. This is a pedigree geared toward success running long, so Cross Check should handle Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile distance just fine. A peak effort might not be in the offing since Walsh strikes at just an 8 percent rate with first-time starters, but down the road, Cross Check warrants watching.
Gulfstream Park Race 7: Maiden special weight (1 mile on turf, 3:10 p.m. ET)
#4 Neotropic
When you get right down to it, there’s no telling what racing surface Neotropic will ultimately favor. Turf might be just fine for the son of Tapit, considering his half-brother General Quarters won the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) on grass. But General Quarters also won the Blue Grass (G1) on synthetic and the Sam F. Davis (G3) on dirt, which confuses the picture a bit. In any case, trainer Jimmy Toner has elected to debut Neotropic on the lawn, which isn’t surprising since the gray colt has posted several sharp workouts over the turf course at Palm Meadows. I’m excited to see what he can accomplish on Saturday.
#10 Golden Whim
Question: What is the common trait uniting Hong Kong Triple Crown winner Golden Sixty, Grade 1 winners Elate and New Money Honey, and recent Withers (G3) winner Risk Taking? Answer: They were all sired by Medaglia d’Oro and produced by Distorted Humor mares, just like Golden Whim. In fact, Golden Whim is a full brother to New Money Honey, whose signature victories came in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) and Belmont Oaks (G1). It’s easy to see why Golden Whim sold for $1.5 million as a yearling, and while it remains to be seen whether he’ll earn back his purchase price, he’s been training forwardly and should run well on debut for hot jockey/trainer duo Irad Ortiz and Todd Pletcher.
Tuesday
Fair Grounds Race 9: Maiden special weight (6 furlongs, 5:52 p.m. ET)
#7 Koolhaus
A Triple Crown nominee hailing from the high-percentage barn of Brad Cox, Koolhaus brings a stout pedigree to his debut — he’s a son of Nyquist out of a mare by Pulpit, with the latter being a source of stamina best known as the sire of standout stallion Tapit. Sold for $600,000 as a weanling, Koolhaus has shown speed in the mornings, most recently blazing a bullet half-mile from the Fair Grounds starting gate in :47 1/5. Cox runners don’t always win right out of the gate — they often improve second time out — but Koolhaus might have the talent to make his debut a winning one.
A son of hot young sire Constitution, Continental Coins was produced by the Dixie Union mare La Belle, whose previous foals include the early-maturing Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes winner She’s Offlee Good. Trainer Bret Calhoun has sent Continental Coins through several quick workouts at Fair Grounds, including five furlongs from the starting gate in 1:00 3/5 on Feb. 3. Expectations will be high for Continental Coins, considering he sold for $400,000 as a yearling and is nominated to the Triple Crown. Fortunately, all signs suggest he’s sitting on a promising effort.