Prospect Watch: 9 promising juveniles include Mage's full brother
A full-brother to Kentucky Derby winner Mage ranks among the best-bred juveniles entered in maiden special weights at Saratoga and Ellis Park this week.
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive in and highlight nine exciting newcomers to know.
Friday
Ellis Park race 3: Maiden special weight (seven furlongs, 1:43 p.m. EDT)
No. 4 Mena
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Hard Spun–Pangburn, by Congrats
Purchase price: N/A
Trainer: Brad Cox
A son of Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Hard Spun, Mena is slated to become the fifth starter produced by Pangburn, a stakes winner who placed in the Pocahontas (G2), Honeybee (G3) and Iowa Oaks (G3) before foaling Smarty Jones winner and Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up Caddo River. Mena enters off a series of encouraging workouts for high-percentage trainer Brad Cox and looks like a threat to win on debut.
Saturday
Saratoga race 1: Maiden special weight (1 1/16 miles on turf, 1:10 p.m.)
No. 8 Dornoch
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Good Magic–Puca, by Big Brown
Purchase price: $325,000
Trainer: Danny Gargan
As a son of champion 2-year-old male Good Magic out of Puca, a stakes-winning daughter of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown, Dornoch is a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage. On Saturday, Dornoch will start if this race is rained off the turf. If that happens, he’ll be a logical contender under four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
Ellis Park race 4: Maiden special weight (5 1/2 furlongs, 2:13 p.m.)
No. 3 Stoke the Fire
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Constitution–On Fire Baby, by Smoke Glacken
Purchase price: N/A
Trainer: Tom Amoss
There’s a lot of class in the pedigree of Stoke the Fire. She’s a daughter of Florida Derby (G1) and Donn Handicap (G1) winner Constitution (the sire of Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law) out of On Fire Baby, a five-time graded-stakes winner who counted the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) and La Troienne (G1) among her signature triumphs. Stoke the Fire has posted 10 timed workouts in advance of his debut and has every chance to factor for trainer Tom Amoss, a 19 percent lifetime winner with first-time starters.
Saratoga race 7: Maiden special weight (six furlongs, 4:26 p.m.)
No. 1 Daily Grind
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Medaglia d’Oro–Walk Close, by Tapit
Purchase price: $1.35 million
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
A son of elite sire Medaglia d’Oro out of Modesty Handicap (G3) winner Walk Close, Daily Grind is a full brother to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) runner-up Anneau d’Or. Purchased for $1.35 million as a yearling, Daily Grind has the pedigree to run long for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, but he brings a sharp work tab to his debut and might have win potential. Keep in mind, Lukas has gone 2-for-11 (18 percent) with first-time starters this year, the first time he’s saddled multiple winners in this category since 2014.
No. 2 General Partner
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Speightstown–Fleeting Humor, by Distorted Humor
Purchase price: $250,000
Trainer: Chad Brown
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown conditions General Partner, a son of champion sprinter and successful sire Speightstown out of Fleeting Humor. Fleeting Humor already foaled Bourbonette Oaks winner Naughty Joker, Marine (G3) runner-up Seventhfleethumor and American Beauty runner-up Cathedral Reader, so there’s a lot to like about General Partner’s pedigree. He’s put together an encouraging string of half-mile workouts and can’t be dismissed from consideration under hot jockey Flavien Prat.
No. 5 Valentine Candy
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Justify–Taste Like Candy, by Candy Ride
Purchase price: $250,000
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen is set to debut Valentine Candy, a son of Triple Crown winner Justify out of Hollywood Starlet (G1) runner-up Taste Like Candy. The chestnut colt clocked a swift half-mile from the Saratoga starting gate in 47.47 seconds last Saturday and looks like the type of runner who can develop into a Kentucky Derby trail contender. Last summer at Saratoga, Asmussen successfully debuted Verifying, a son of Justify who went on to compete in the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
No. 6 Annointed
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Justify–Ambrosia, by Frankel
Purchase price: N/A
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
The second son of Justify debuting in this field is Annointed, whose dam Ambrosia is a daughter of undefeated British superstar Frankel. This is a pedigree stacked with turf influences, but Annointed has shown speed training on dirt, breezing a bullet five furlongs from the Saratoga starting gate in 59.77 seconds, so don’t dismiss him from win consideration under hot jockey Jose Ortiz.
No. 7 Dive Bomber
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Omaha Beach–Daisy, by Blame
Purchase price: $400,000
Trainer: Brad Cox
Two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox conditions Dive Bomber, a son of three-time Grade 1 winner and hot young sire Omaha Beach. Dive Bomber’s dam is Daisy, an early-maturing filly who won the Tempted (G3) at age 2. Dive Bomber has posted nine timed workouts, including a bullet half-mile in 47.8 seconds over a muddy track at Churchill Downs, and is yet another runner with the potential to factor on Saturday.
No. 9 Protective
2-year-old colt
Pedigree: Medaglia d’Oro–Grace Hall, by Empire Maker
Purchase price: $250,000
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
From top to bottom, Protective is bred to excel over classic distances. Medaglia d’Oro won the 1 1/4-mile Travers (G1) and has sired many elite route racers, Spinaway (G1) winner Grace Hall won several graded stakes running long and Empire Maker nabbed the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes. Protective hasn’t trained as fast as stablemate Annointed, but he’s slated to be ridden by four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., and down the road this Repole Stable representative could be a good one.