Prospect Watch: Rachel Alexandra's brother to debut

The final weekend 2019 is going to be a big one for Thoroughbred racing, with Saturday marking the opener at Santa Anita, where seven stakes races (including the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes, La Brea Stakes, and American Oaks) highlight the agenda.

But for the many fans of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, the most interesting race of the weekend will be a six-furlong maiden sprint at Fair Grounds, in which the beloved champ’s half-brother is entered for his debut.

This well-bred colt is one of seven promising youngsters to highlight in Saturday’s Prospect Watch:

Aqueduct Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (7 furlongs)

#5 Magic Carpet

Sold for $385,000 as a yearling, Magic Carpet is bred to relish classic distances. For starters, his sire — Malibu Moon — is already responsible for 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb. Secondly, Magic Carpet’s dam — Winning Point — placed in five graded stakes races running a mile or farther on dirt, including three over 1 1/8 miles. Her stamina, in turn, was inherited at least in part from sire Point Given, winner of the 2001 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.

Magic Carpet could be a colt to watch when tackling longer distances. Trained by Jason Servis, Magic Carpet debuted in a six-furlong sprint at Monmouth on Sept. 15 and vied for the lead before steadying between runners at the eighth pole. He crossed the wire fourth, but was upgraded to third via disqualification. Expect a better effort on Saturday from this Gary and Mary West runner.

Fair Grounds Race 3: Allowance Optional Claiming (1 1/16 miles on turf)

#5 Blackberry Wine

Twice placed running a mile on turf, Blackberry Wine took a big step forward when racing over the sloppy, sealed main track Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs, leading all the way to win a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight by 5 ¾ lengths. The 93 Brisnet speed rating he earned tops this field by a wide margin, though it remains to be seen if he can transfer his winning form back to the lawn. Then again, there’s rain in the forecast for Fair Grounds this week, so there’s a chance this race could also come off the turf

In any case, Blackberry Wine has made a positive impression for trainer Joe Sharp, who saddled Kentucky Derby starter Girvin to great success at Fair Grounds in 2017. As a son of Oxbow out of an A.P. Indy mare, Blackberry Wine figures to improve with distance and maturity. This Calumet Farm homebred can be a factor on the Derby trail if he keeps progressing.

Fair Grounds Race 8: Maiden Special Weight (6 furlongs)

#2 Steely Danza

Owned by the partnership of Brilliant Racing and J S Stables, Steely Danza sold for just $62,000 as a 2-year-old in training but brings some solid workouts to his debut for trainer Steve Margolis. He showed speed breezing five furlongs from the Fair Grounds starting gate in 1:00 4/5 on Dec. 8, a quick move from a stoutly-bred colt. Keep in mind, sire Danza won the 2014 Arkansas Derby (G1) and placed third in the Kentucky Derby, while dam Unbridled Quest (a daughter of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Unbridled’s Song) scored her lone victory running 1 1/8 miles.

Six furlongs is pretty short, and Margolis rarely wins with first-time starters, so Steely Danza might not prevail on debut. But you’re advised to keep an eye on this gray colt down the road.

#5 Airstreem

Much will be expected from this well-bred son of Tapit, partly because dam Lotta Kim has produced five winners from five starters. But it’s mostly because one of those winners was 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.

While it’s unlikely Airstreem will achieve the same legendary status as his extraordinary half-sister, who beat males in the Preakness Stakes, Haskell Invitational (G1), and Woodward Stakes (G1), Airstreem has nevertheless shown some promising workouts for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. A bullet five-furlong gate move on Dec. 11 suggests Airstreem has some ability, and Asmussen has listed go-to jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. to ride.

#10 Muscadine

A Calumet Farm homebred, this son of Oxbow has been burning up the Fair Grounds in the mornings. After rocketing five furlongs in a bullet :59 2/5 on Dec. 7, Muscadine came back with three furlongs from the starting gate in :35 3/5 (also a bullet) on on Sunday. There’s clearly ability here, and trainer Jack Sisterson wins at a respectable 11% rate with first-time starters. Produced from an unraced Tapit mare, Muscadine is bred to run long but might have the speed to contend on debut.

Santa Anita Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (6 furlongs)

#2 My Sunshine

My Sunshine was entered to race at Los Alamitos three weeks ago but scratched and will debut here instead. His dam, Shine Again, was a talented five-time graded stakes winner during the early 2000s, most notably scoring back-to-back victories in the Ballerina (G1) at Saratoga. Shine Again did her best work as a sprinter, but My Sunshine could inherit some stamina from his stoutly bred sire Giant’s Causeway. My Sunshine probably isn’t cranked to win — trainer Patrick Gallagher strikes at just a 2% rate with first-time starters — but this colt has the breeding to be a capable runner down the road. 

#4 Provost

Conditioned by John Sadler, Provost has been training up a storm at Los Alamitos. He’s breezed half a dozen times over five or six furlongs since Nov. 11, most recently going six furlongs from the starting gate in a bullet 1:12 2/5. A son of Street Boss, who sires 15% debut winners, Provost sold for $210,000 as a yearling and will have talented jockey Joel Rosario in the saddle for his debut. There’s a lot to like from this promising colt who appears set for a big effort.