Prospect Watch: 7 juveniles to follow at Churchill Downs
Looking for a way to pass the time leading up to Saturday's Preakness Stakes? Check out the Thursday and Friday cards at Churchill Downs.
Two intriguing maiden special weights for juveniles are on the agenda. The first, restricted to fillies, has drawn a pair of highly promising prospects. The second, packed with eight colts and one gelding, looks deeply competitive on paper.
Let’s highlight seven of the most interesting names to know:
Thursday
Churchill Downs Race 2: maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies (5 furlongs, 5:29 p.m. ET)
#3 Anna and Mia
Trainer Wesley Ward has saddled five juveniles at Churchill Downs this spring, and four have reached the winner’s circle. This otherworldly 80 percent win rate bodes well for the chances of Anna and Mia, the first starter for 2017 Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1) winner Cupid. Produced by Miss Lederhosen (a stakes winner against Texas-breds as a juvenile), Anna and Mia sold for $160,000 in March and has since cranked out a steady stream of sharp workouts at Keeneland, including a bullet three furlongs from the starting gate in :34 3/5. It is entirely possible Cupid’s first starter will be a winning one.
#7 Tizplenty
A daughter of champion sprinter Speightstown (who sires 16 percent debut winners), Tizplenty was produced by the Tiznow mare Plenty O’Toole, best known as the dam of five-time Grade 3 winner and Pennsylvania Derby (G1) runner-up Mr. Money. Under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Tizplenty has shown excellent speed in the mornings at Keeneland, most notably rocketing a bullet half mile from the starting gate in :46 4/5. With hot jockey Ricardo Santana aboard, Tizplenty can give Anna and Mia a real run for the money.
Friday
Churchill Downs Race 5: maiden special weight for 2-year-olds (5 furlongs, 2:45 p.m. ET)
Hailing from the first crop of four-time Grade 2 winner and Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Mohaymen, Just Call Ray was produced by the Rock Hard Ten mare Rock Hard Cat. Sold for $50,000 in March, the gray colt is an April foal who figures to improve with maturity, but he’s already cranked out a couple of bullet workouts at Churchill Downs, including a half mile in :47 3/5. Don’t be surprised if this Norm Casse trainee fires a big shot on debut.
As a January foal, Heaven Street has the potential to be a win-early type for Steve Asmussen. A son of Kentucky Derby champion Street Sense out of the Congrats mare Heavenly View, Heaven Street already has turned in a couple of quick half-mile workouts at Keeneland, including a swift :47 1/5 gate move on May 6. Tyler Gaffalione (currently tied for leading jockey honors at Churchill) is named to ride, and a strong debut should be in the offing.
Purchased for $55,000 as a yearling, Seize the Night is a son of the Grade 1-winning juvenile Carpe Diem out of the Tapit mare Candle Maker, who previously foaled Prairie Meadows Juvenile Stakes winner Mr Wrench It. This is a pedigree with early-maturing bloodlines in the mix, so even though trainer Dallas Stewart strikes at only a 7 percent rate with first-time starters, Seize the Night has the potential to make noise sooner rather than later.
#8 Tiz the Bomb
Easily the most expensive of the auction acquisitions in this field is Tiz the Bomb, who sold for $330,000 as a yearling. Sprinting on dirt might not be Tiz the Bomb’s ultimate forte, considering his sire – Hit It a Bomb – scored his signature victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf racing one mile on grass. But then again, Hit It a Bomb’s first crop produced the early-maturing Best Pal (G2) winner Weston, so perhaps there’s potential for Tiz the Bomb to excel running short on dirt. The bigger question mark is the fact that trainer Kenny McPeek wins at just a 6 percent rate with first-time starters, suggesting Tiz the Bomb might need to get a race under his belt before visiting the winner’s circle.
#9 Baby Quinn
Sold for $140,000 earlier this year, Baby Quinn is a son of Kantharos (who sires 16 percent debut winners) out of the Distorted Humor mare Princess Julia, in turn a daughter of champion 2-year-old filly Folklore. Under the care of Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox, Baby Quinn already has turned in a quartet of half-mile workouts at Keeneland, including a swift :47 4/5 gate move on April 24. Jockey Martin Garcia (a 33 percent winner when teaming up with Cox) is named to ride, so look for Baby Quinn to provide a good account of himself on debut.