Prospect Watch: Covfefe’s half-brother + 5 other 2-year-olds
A half-brother to a champion female sprinter and a beautifully bred $420,000 auction acquisition are among the exciting juveniles entered to race at Ellis Park and Saratoga this week.
Let’s get up to speed on the action by reviewing half a dozen of the most intriguing young names in the entries.
Ellis Park Race 6: Maiden special weight (one mile, 4:10 p.m. EDT)
#1 Bon Bueno
Speed seems to be the name of the game for Bon Bueno, even though he is a son of long-winded 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft. Sold for $50,000 as a yearling, Bon Bueno has turned in a couple of bullet workouts over the Churchill Downs training track in recent weeks, including five furlongs from the starting gate in a blazing :58 4/5.
Trained by Joe Sharp, Bon Bueno was produced by the Not for Love mare Zapara, whose first foal to race – 2021 Haskell (G1) starter Basso – won his debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs as a juvenile. If Bon Bueno has inherited any of these early-maturing bloodlines, he can factor right out of the gate at Saratoga.
#1A Eagle Feather
Although Eagle Feather brought a final bid of only $75,000 when sold as a weanling, he is bred top and bottom to be a champion. The dark bay colt is a son of 2015 champion older dirt male Honor Code out of Striking Style, a daughter of leading sire and notable stamina influence Smart Strike. The latter has staked a reputation as a “sire of sires,” with his sons including prominent stallions (and champion racehorses) Curlin, English Channel and Lookin At Lucky.
Eagle Feather has flashed speed in the mornings at Keeneland, clocking a pair of :47 4/5 half-mile gate moves in July. Trainer Brad Cox has been on fire at Ellis Park this meet, winning at a 38 percent clip, and jockey Florent Geroux has been similarly hot with a 30 percent strike rate. All told, Eagle Feather looks like a logical candidate to factor on debut.
Saturday
Saratoga Race 6: Maiden special weight (six furlongs, 3:55 p.m. EDT)
#2 Power Agenda
Power Agenda unquestionably has the pedigree to win from an early age and potentially mature into a capable sophomore. A son of champion juvenile and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, Power Agenda was produced by Dream Dance, who placed in the Pocahontas (G2) at age 2 before going on to compete in the Kentucky Oaks as a 3-year-old. Dream Dance, in turn, is a daughter of Afleet Alex, who won the Hopeful (G1) sprinting seven furlongs at Saratoga as a juvenile.
Conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Power Agenda has been training quickly over the Saratoga main track in recent weeks, clocking a couple of half miles from the starting gate in :47 3/5 and :47 2/5. Throw in the presence of three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and Power Agenda – a $120,000 yearling purchase – can’t be counted out of the mix.
At first glance, it seems as though General Strike’s pedigree should be all about stamina and two-turn talent. Sire Union Rags is best known for winning the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes, while dam Danzatrice – a daughter of Belmont runner-up Dunkirk – won three stakes running farther than one mile.
But Union Rags was an early-maturing juvenile who won his debut dashing five furlongs at Delaware Park before adding Saratoga’s 6 1/2-furlong Saratoga Special (G2) to his resume. And at stud, Union Rags has developed a reputation for siring sprinters and milers rather than classic types, with the stamina reserves of his foals typically topping out between seven furlongs and 1 1/16 miles.
If General Strike has inherited the speedier portions of Union Rags’ genetics, the $250,000 yearling acquisition can fire a competitive shot on debut for North America’s all-time leading trainer, Steve Asmussen, a 25 percent winner at Saraotga this meet.
#10 Montauk Point
I do not often highlight experienced runners in Prospect Watch, but I will make an exception for Montauk Point, a half-brother to 2019 champion female sprinter Covfefe.
Montauk Point did not run badly by any means in his July 17 debut at Saratoga. After settling back in sixth place over a sealed track, Montauk Point rallied on the outside to finish fourth, beaten only 2 1/2 lengths at the finish line.
Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey is not a frequent winner with first-time starters, but his strike rate jumps to 17 percent with second-time starters, suggesting Montauk Point will improve on Saturday. He breezed a bullet half mile in :49 4/5 over the Saratoga training track on Aug. 9, so the son of juvenile Grade 1 winner Violence should have every chance to secure a breakthrough victory in his second run under colors.
#12 Major General
It is possible Major General won’t be allowed to run on Saturday – he is the second also-eligible and would need a pair of scratches to compete. But if Major General does draw into the field, watch out. As a son of hot young sire Constitution (who sires 17 percent winners from first-time starters) out of a mare by Uncle Mo (the acclaimed stallion and champion juvenile who sires 15 percent debut winners), Major General is bred to be an early-maturing star.
With this lofty pedigree, Major General sold for $420,000 as a yearling, hinting his connections hold him in high regard. The dark bay colt has been breezing sharply for trainer Todd Pletcher, with a :47 1/5 half-mile gate move at Saratoga standing out as a particularly encouraging workout. In short, Major General looks like a stakes horse in the making.