Prospect Watch: Baffert debuts two at Los Alamitos
The year may be winding down, but action on the Road to the Kentucky Derby is just heating up.
This week, three competitive maiden races at Los Alamitos and Gulfstream Park have the potential to toss several new names onto the Derby trail. Let’s dig right in and review five intriguing first-time starters worth following:
Friday, Dec. 11
Los Alamitos Race 6: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs, 6:28 p.m. ET)
#6 Medina Spirit
Although Medina Spirit sold for only $35,000 as a yearling, he has the pedigree to be a quality two-turn talent. The dark bay colt is a son of the stoutly bred Protonico (a four-time graded stakes-winning router) out of a mare by Brilliant Speed, who won the Blue Grass (G1) and placed third in the Belmont Stakes (G1).
Despite the abundance of stamina in Medina Spirit’s pedigree, he’s shown plenty of speed in the mornings for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, cranking out a long (and fast) slate of workouts at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita. He’s even worked alongside early Kentucky Derby favorite Life Is Good on a couple of occasions. Jockey Abel Cedillo (a 44 percent winner when teaming up with Baffert) has been named to ride, and since Baffert strikes at a 36 percent rate with first-time starters, you can bet Medina Spirit will be ready to fire a big shot on debut.
#9 Democrat
The second Baffert trainee in the field, Democrat hasn’t shown quite as much speed during morning training, though he did throw down a bullet 5 furlongs from the Del Mar starting gate in :58 4/5 during the summer. Sold for $200,000 as a yearling, the son of Candy Ride races for Baffert’s longtime clients Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman and will be guided on Friday by hot jockey Drayden Van Dyke, who has gone 3-for-4 to start the meet.
Saturday, Dec. 12
Gulfstream Park Race 2: Maiden Special Weight (6 furlongs, 12:35 p.m. ET)
#1 Bracken
Gulfstream’s perennial leading trainer Todd Pletcher is set to saddle Bracken, a son of Speightster sold for $285,000 as a yearling. Speightster showed a lot of speed and potential during his brief career and is siring a solid 16 percent debut winners at stud, so when coupled with Pletcher’s 23 percent success rate saddling first-time starters, there are plenty of reasons to believe Bracken can vie for victory on Saturday. He capped off his pre-race preparations with a solid half-mile in :49 4/5 from the starting gate at Palm Beach Downs and will be guided by Eclipse Award-winning rider Jose Ortiz, a 25 percent winner when teaming up with Pletcher.
#7 Broadway
Sold for $500,000 as a yearling, Broadway is a son of Florida Derby (G1) winner Quality Road out of a mare by three-time leading sire Tapit, giving Broadway a pedigree geared toward success over classic distances. Trainer Christopher Clement strikes at a 19 percent rate with first-time starters, so although Broadway’s work tab isn’t overly eye-catching, he has the potential to run well on debut with jockey Luis Saez aboard.
Gulfstream Park Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (1 mile, 3:08 p.m. ET)
#6 Alexander Valley
A son of elite stallion Medaglia d’Oro — best known as the sire of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra — Alexander Valley hails from one of the most productive female families in racing. His dam, Santa Margarita (G1) winner Tara’s Tango, is a half-sister to King’s Bishop (G1) winner Visionaire, Providencia (G3) winner Scarlet Strike, and Hutcheson (G3) winner Madison’s Luna.
With such a high-class pedigree in tow, it’s easy to understand why Alexander Valley sold for $2.15 million as a yearling. His work tab isn’t overly flashy, and trainer Bill Mott strikes at just a 2 percent rate when debuting runners over a mile or farther, but once Alexander Valley gets a run or two under his belt, watch out. He’s bred to improve with maturity and could develop into a fine prospect.