Prospect Watch: Chad Brown unveils $600,000 2-year-old
The summer meets at Saratoga and Del Mar will enjoy their penultimate weekends on Aug. 29-30, leading up to a grand finish on Labor Day weekend.
But there’s still plenty of great racing to unfold before the meets wrap up, and with this in mind I’ve compiled a list of six promising 2-year-olds worth watching on Saturday.
Saturday, Aug. 29
Saratoga Race 6: maiden special weight (6 furlongs, 3:57 p.m. ET)
#1 Newbomb
A son of champion sprinter Speightstown out of the stakes-winning Siberian Summer mare Summer War, Newbomb is a half-brother to graded stakes winner My Happy Face, who earned more than half a million dollars while placing in such important events as the Frizette (G1), Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), and Test (G1).
Sold for $155,000 as a yearling, Newbomb has been posting fast workouts at Saratoga for hot trainer Todd Pletcher, culminating with a bullet 5 furlongs in :59 3/5 on Aug. 22. Saratoga’s leading jockey Irad Ortiz has been named to ride, suggesting Newbomb is ready for a sharp debut.
A half-brother to the graded stakes-winning sprinter St. Joe Bay, Majestic Street is a son of 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) champion Street Sense. A $375,000 yearling purchase, Majestic Street has been breezing since May and showed some potential in a half-mile workout on July 8 at Keeneland, breaking from the starting gate and blazing the distance in a bullet :47 flat. With Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the saddle for classic-winning trainer Mark Casse, Majestic Street has the potential to fare well on debut and develop into an excellent long-term prospect.
#5 Founder
A son of the six-time Grade 1-placed Upstart, Founder was a popular prospect at the OBS March 2-Year-olds in Training sale. Although dam Blue Beryl was unremarkable as a racehorse and has yet to produce a winning foal, Founder sold for $600,000 after breezing a quarter-mile in :21 flat.
Under the care of Chad Brown, Founder conducted most of his early training at Monmouth Park before transitioning to Saratoga in late July. Since then, Founder has turned in five workouts, culminating with a quick half-mile in :47 2/5 on Aug. 23. With hot jockey Jose Ortiz in the saddle, Founder will be expected to produce a sharp effort in his initial run under colors.
#10 Happymac
Any way you slice it, Happymac is bred to be a sensationally fast sprinter. Hailing from the first crop of Runhappy, the champion male sprinter of 2015, Happymac was produced by the Is It True mare True Kiss, previously the dam of breathtaking Amsterdam (G2) winner and Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) runner-up Shancelot.
Sold for $360,000 as a yearling, Happymac has shown speed of his own during morning training at Saratoga, breezing 5 furlongs from the starting gate in a bullet :59 2/5 on Aug. 17. Trainer Steve Asmussen has been ultra-hot with juveniles this year, winning at a 29 percent rate, and if Happymac shows promise on debut he could develop into an elite-level sprinter.
Del Mar Race 6: Maiden Special Weight (6 furlongs, 7:30 p.m. ET)
#1 Go On
Racing for the high-profile team of owner/breeder Reddam Racing, trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Mario Gutierrez, Go On is a son of Nyquist, who earned the team a Kentucky Derby trophy back in 2016.
From top to bottom, Go On represents Reddam Racing bloodlines, considering Reddam raced and bred Go On’s dam (the stakes-winning sprinter More Complexity) and also campaigned her sire, the Grade 1-winning sprinter/miler Square Eddie. Only time will tell if Go On can live up to this lofty lineage, but he’s flashed some serious speed in the mornings, blazing 5 furlongs from the Del Mar starting gate in :58 3/5 on Aug. 16. Expect Go On to come out running from the rail on Saturday.
#6 Vittorio
We featured this $750,000 auction purchase prior to his debut on Aug. 1 at Del Mar, noting that the stoutly bred son of Ghostzapper was “unlikely to win on debut” and how we would “look for him to come back with an improved run later in the meet.”
Vittorio actually ran a decent race in his first start. After breaking slowly, the bay colt unleashed a wide rally to finish fifth under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. Four weeks and three encouraging workouts later, Vittorio appears poised for improvement while stretching out over 6 furlongs. Smith retains the mount for hot trainer Simon Callaghan (a 33 percent winner at Del Mar this summer), and Saturday’s sprint appears to be an easier spot overall. With a sharper break, Vittorio can vie for victory at a fair price.