Prospect Watch: Liam's Point on deck for the Pletcher barn
It’s going to be a quiet weekend on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, with the Hyacinth in Japan ranking as the only official prep race on the agenda.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of promising 3-year-olds to keep an eye on across the country this weekend. First and foremost is Exaulted, runner-up behind San Vicente (G2) winner Nadal in the latter’s widely hyped debut. Where will Exaulted, who was cross-entered in races at two tracks, wind up? And who’s the latest Todd Pletcher sophomore to know?
Let’s meet a half-dozen prospects in action Saturday around the country.
Gulfstream Park Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (7 furlongs, 1:04 p.m. ET)
#4 Liam’s Point
Owned by St. Elias Stable and Airdrie Stud, Liam’s Point hails from a classy family. Sire Liam’s Map is off to a sharp start at stud, while dam Kittery Point has previously produced La Brea (G1) winner Sam’s Sister and Ellis Park Turf Stakes winner Sensitive. Under the care of Todd Pletcher, Liam’s Point has been breezing like clockwork at Palm Beach Downs, most notably registering a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 flat on Feb. 2. Most recently, last Saturday he worked on even terms with the dominant maiden winner and $1 million filly Spice is Nice. Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Liam’s Point, so expect this Triple Crown-nominated colt to attract plenty of attention at the windows.
#6 Atone
A Godolphin homebred conditioned by Tom Albertrani, Atone was produced from the A.P. Indy mare Captivating Lass, a stoutly-bred filly who won the 2012 Busanda Stakes. But Atone figures to inherit a dose of speed from sire Into Mischief, and this speed-over-stamina pedigree could provide for a bright future. Albertrani rarely wins with first-time starters, and Atone’s work tab looks light, so a peak effort isn’t to be expected on debut. But give Atone a little time, and this Triple Crown-nominated youngster could develop into a nice prospect.
#7 Ellis Island
The third and final Triple Crown nominee in this competitive field, Ellis Island sold for $180,000 as a yearling. Owned in partnership by WinStar Farm and China Horse Club, Ellis Island doesn’t have the flashiest pedigree, but there’s plenty to like. Sire Will Take Charge was a strong, durable colt who garnered champion 3-year-old male honors in 2013, while dam Holy Reina (by champion juvenile Macho Uno) was a minor stakes winner sprinting. Ellis Island has been breezing roughly once a week at Palm Beach Downs since the middle of November, so fitness shouldn’t be an issue. Even better, Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has been assigned the mount.
#8 Centered
While Centered isn’t nominated to the Triple Crown, that doesn’t mean this Godolphin homebred lacks the pedigree to be something special. A son of champion sprinter Speightstown, Centered’s dam is Composure, a daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold. Composure was a top-class filly, winning the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) and Las Virgenes (G1), and she’s been highly productive as a broodmare, with Royal Delta (G2) winner Penwith, Woodward (G1) third-place finish Tranquil Manner, and the multiple Grade 1-placed Centring among her long-winded foals. Crossing Composure with Speightstown could endow Centered with a bit more speed, so add this Albertrani-trained colt to your watch list and keep an eye out for him in the future.
Gulfstream Park Race 8: Allowance (7 furlongs, 3:34 p.m. ET)
#8 Violent City
Trainer Ian Wilkes rarely saddles ready-to-win first-time starters, so it was a bit of a surprise to see Violent City dominate his debut sprinting six furlongs on Jan. 11 at Gulfstream Park. The son of Violence showed speed from the start and powered clear down the lane to beat next-out winner Palm Springs by four lengths. This performance made Violent City an individual betting interest in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2, where he closed at 145-1. If he takes a step forward in his second start — as the stats suggest he will — he’s plenty live on Saturday.
Santa Anita Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (1 mile, 5 p.m. ET)
#1 Fantastic Day
From top to bottom, Fantastic Day is bred to relish running long. Purchased for $500,000 as a yearling by Spendthrift Farm, Fantastic Day is a son of noted stamina-influence Medaglia d’Oro out of the Pleasant Tap mare Indescribable, who won four graded stakes races between 1 1/16 and 1 1/8 miles. Pleasant Tap, in turn, was the champion older male of 1992 after finishing first in the Suburban Handicap (G1), first in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), and second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Under the care of trainer Bob Baffert, Fantastic Day has turned in a solid series of workouts at Santa Anita, culminating with a bullet half-mile from the starting gate in :47 1/5 on Feb. 16. With the exception of Exaulted, this field isn’t terribly deep. So while Baffert isn’t a frequent winner with horses debuting in two-turn routes, Fantastic Day warrants plenty of respect.
#4 Exaulted
Although Exaulted is a maiden, he did fire off a big effort in his debut on Jan. 19 at Santa Anita. Sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs, the son of Twirling Candy broke slowly, but rallied up the inside to finish second behind Nadal, an emerging Derby hopeful who came right back to win the San Vicente (G2). Exaulted will go in this spot rather than face winners in the Mine That Bird Derby — trainer Peter Eurton also entered there in case this maiden race didn’t fill — while jockey Mike Smith has the assignment. This colt closed at 111-1 in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2.