Prospect Watch: Elate’s younger brother ready for unveiling

There’s certainly plenty to be thankful for on the racing front this week. From Thursday through Sunday, tracks across North America will pull out all the stops to present high-quality and competitive stakes events to celebrate the last big racing weekend of the year.

Churchill Downs has assembled a particularly appealing card on Saturday. The dozen races on the agenda are exclusively for juveniles, making this “Stars of Tomorrow II” card a can’t-miss event for fans looking for 2020 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks prospects.

There are so many promising juveniles among the entries that it’s impossible to analyze them all. Instead, we’ll focus on a half-dozen first-time starters with classy pedigrees, including a half-brother to the popular mare Elate.

Churchill Downs Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (1 mile)

#2 Fire Coral

Looking for a filly who figures to relish the one-mile distance of the Saturday opener? Look no further than Fire Coral. As a daughter of Curlin out of the A.P. Indy mare Coral Sun, Fire Coral is bred top and bottom for stamina and figures to improve with maturity. Even better, her half-sister Champagne Problems demonstrated a high level of form running a mile or farther, winning the 2018 Groupie Doll Stakes (G3) and placing second in the 2018 Spinster Stakes (G1). Fire Coral understandably sold for $420,000 as a yearling, and regardless of how she fares on Saturday, this Steve Asmussen-trained filly should improve significantly as time goes on.

Churchill Downs Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (6 furlongs)

#3 Motown Girl

As a daughter of Uncle Mo out of the Northern Afleet mare Cash’s Girl, Motown Girl is a full-sister to 2018 Monmouth Cup Stakes (G3) winner Name Changer. A pedigree like this is geared for success running at least a mile, so while Motown Girl has the potential to be precocious — Uncle Mo certainly was — expect to see her perform best when running a bit farther than six furlongs. A relatively light work tab likewise suggests this Bret Calhoun-trained filly might benefit from getting a run under her belt.

#6 Silver Take Charge

You might assume any daughter of the late-maturing, long-winded champion Will Take Charge will prove best running long, and perhaps that will be the case for Silver Take Charge, a $170,000 auction purchase conditioned by Kenny McPeek. Then again, Silver Take Charge’s half-brother Big Trouble was a debut winner in June of his juvenile year and won the Sanford Stakes (G3) in his second start, so there are also some early-maturing influences in Silver Take Charge’s pedigree. She’s been breezing steadily and has shown some speed in morning works, so there’s plenty to like here.

#7 Kapiolani

Remember Eskendereya? The dominant winner of the 2010 Wood Memorial (G1) was favored to win the Kentucky Derby until an injury forced his withdrawal. While we never got to see Eskendereya’s full potential on the track, perhaps his half-sister Kapiolani can carry on the family legacy. A daughter of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker, Kapiolani will debut for trainer Brendan Walsh, who doesn’t usually crank his juveniles to win first-time out. But with her classy stamina-oriented pedigree, Kapiolani will be one to watch when tackling longer distances down the road.

Churchill Downs Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (1 1/16 miles on grass)

#9 Smirk

The five-time graded stakes-winning mare Elate has been among the elite of her division for the last three seasons. But while Elate has competed exclusively on dirt, her half-brother Smirk will give grass a try for his debut at Churchill Downs. Like Elate, Smirk is trained by Bill Mott and will race for the partnership of Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider, who also bred the son of Blame. While some might question why Smirk is debuting on grass, keep in mind the majority of Blame’s most successful progeny have achieved their signature victories on grass, including Prix de Diane Longines (G1) winner Senga and Natalma Stakes (G1) Abscond. In any case, Smirk should appreciate running 1 1/16 miles.

Churchill Downs Race 8: Maiden Special Weight (6 furlongs)

#12 Digital

Digital’s half-siblings have shown differing strengths of track. Coarsegold (by Giant’s Causeway) won the five-furlong Secret Grace Stakes on grass, while Impressive Edge (by Harlan’s Holiday) placed in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) and Iowa Derby (G3) running long on dirt. As a son of talented sprinter and leading sire Into Mischief, Digital seems destined to combine his siblings’ strong suits and succeed sprinting on dirt, the conditions he’ll face in his debut on Saturday. Trained by Calhoun, Digital has fired off some sharp workouts in recent weeks, including a bullet half-mile in :47 2/5 on November 18 at Churchill Downs. A strong performance should be in the offing.