Prospect Watch: 9 new names to follow this weekend
There’s a lot to look forward to this weekend on the maiden special weight front. At Aqueduct, Fair Grounds, Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn, well-bred (and occasionally expensive) horses are slated to debut.
Aqueduct | Fair Grounds | Gulfstream | Oaklawn
Saturday
Aqueduct race 1: Maiden special weight (six furlongs, 12:50 p.m. EST)
No. 3 Global Image
3-year-old colt
Pedigree: Liam’s Map–Class Included, by Include
Purchase price: $300,000
Trainer: Brad Cox
Brad Cox has been on fire at Aqueduct, going 7-for-18 (39 percent) since November, and he could keep his momentum rolling with Global Image. A son of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Liam’s Map, Global Image was produced by Class Included, whose 13-for-29 lifetime racing record includes 11 stakes wins on dirt and turf. Global Image has put together a steady series of half-mile workouts over the Belmont Park training track and looks ready to factor under hot jockey Manny Franco, a 22 percent winner at Aqueduct since November.
Gulfstream Park race 5: Maiden special weight (1 1/16 miles, 2:38 p.m.)
No. 5 Cyber Ninja
3-year-old colt
Pedigree: Arrogate–Famous Alice, by Kitten’s Joy
Purchase price: $160,000
Trainer: Bill Mott
There’s a lot of stamina in the pedigree of Cyber Ninja. He’s a son of champion and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Arrogate out of a mare by Kitten’s Joy, a two-time leading North American sire and a steady source of high-class turf routers. Cyber Ninja figures to relish racing 1 1/16 miles, and the fact he breezed a bullet five furlongs in 1:02.2 at Payson Park last Friday adds to the appeal of this Bill Mott trainee.
No. 6 Empirestrikesfast
3-year-old gelding
Pedigree: Empire Maker–Clever Beauty, by Indian Charlie
Purchase price: $160,000
Trainer: Bill Mott
Another beautifully bred Mott runner debuting this week is Empirestrikesfast, a son of Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker out of Rags to Riches winner Clever Beauty. Like Cyber Ninja, Empiresstrikesfast has the breeding to enjoy racing 1 1/16 miles, and his bullet 48.6-second half-mile workout from the Payson Park starting gate Feb. 10 is noteworthy considering the slow nature of Payson’s surface.
Oaklawn Race 6: Maiden special weight (one mile, 4:18 p.m.)
No. 9 Classic Cut
3-year-old colt
Pedigree: Empire Maker–Bluejeans, by Ghostzapper
Purchase price: $240,000
Trainer: Brad Cox
Speaking of Empire Maker, he’s the sire of Classic Cut, a gray colt debuting at Oaklawn for high-percentage trainer Brad Cox. Classic Cut breezed a sold five furlongs in 1:00.6 last Sunday and is slated to be ridden by hot jockey Florent Geroux, a 32 percent winner teaming up with Cox over the last two months, according to Brisnet stats. Brisnet also indicates that Cox wins at an impressive 23 percent rate with horses debuting over one mile or farther, so there’s a lot to like about Classic Cut.
No. 11 Tejas
3-year-old colt
Pedigree: Gun Runner–Taxable, by Tapit
Purchase price: N/A
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen is set to debut Tejas, a Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred son of horse of the year Gun Runner. Tejas’s dam sire is three-time leading North American sire Tapit, and the Gun Runner/Tapit cross already produced Cotillion (G1) winner Society and three-time Grade 2 winner Wicked Halo. So there’s a lot of promise in Tejas’s pedigree. Don’t dismiss this chestnut colt from consideration.
Oaklawn race 8: Maiden special weight (one mile, 5:22 p.m.)
No. 4 Go Cats
3-year-old colt
Pedigree: Gun Runner–Best Performance, by Broken Vow
Purchase price: N/A
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Tejas isn’t the only son of Gun Runner debuting for Asmussen this week. Go Cats is another. Produced by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up Best Performance, Go Cats breezed a bullet five furlongs from the Sam Houston starting gate in one minute Feb. 19, suggesting he has at least a little speed. Hot jockey Ricardo Santana (a 23 percent winner at Oaklawn this meet) is slated to ride, so Go Cats has several positive factors in his favor.
Fair Grounds race 9: Maiden special weight (six furlongs, 6:57 p.m.)
No. 2 Blue Light
3-year-old colt
Pedigree: City of Light–In the Moonlight, by Tapit
Purchase price: $350,000
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Could Blue Light be something special? The son of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner City of Light has been cranking out fast workouts for Asmussen. He started the year with a series of fast breezes at Sam Houston (including a couple of bullet moves) and transitioned to Fair Grounds for his latest bullet exercise: five furlongs from the starting gate in 58.6 seconds on March 1. That’s a sharp workout, suggesting Blue Light has talent and potential.
No. 6 Forever Cool
4-year-old colt
Pedigree: Tale of Ekati–Boy Crazy, by Sky Mesa
Purchase price: N/A
Trainer: Dallas Stewart
Forever Cool hails from a productive family. He’s a full brother to Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile winner Saint’s Fan and a half-brother to Lexington (G3) third-place finisher Starrininmydreams. Dallas Stewart trained both of those runners and likewise conditions Forever Cool, a colt he bred and owns. Forever Cool is getting a late start (he’s 4 years old), but he has put together a respectable work tab at Fair Grounds this winter and warrants watching.
Sunday
Gulfstream Park race 3: Maiden special weight (six furlongs, 1:38 p.m.)
No. 2 Escalation
3-year-old colt
Pedigree: Violence–Tia Rafaela, by Bernardini
Purchase price: $550,000
Trainer: Jimmy Jerkens
Escalation is a Triple Crown-nominated son of Violence, whose 2023 Kentucky Derby contenders include champion Forte and recent Gotham (G3) winner Raise Cain. It’s probably a little late for Escalation to make the Derby, but perhaps a start in the Preakness or Belmont isn’t out of the question. He sold for $550,000 as a yearling and has put together a steady string of sharp half-mile workouts at Palm Meadows, so hopes are likely high for this Centennial Farms colorbearer.