Prospect Watch: Reeve McGaughey debuts well-bred filly
This weekend is shaping up to be a quiet one for 2-year-old racing. Falling after the Saratoga and Del Mar meets but before the reopenings of Belmont Park and Santa Anita, there isn’t a whole lot to cover on the dirt racing front.
But the popular Kentucky Downs meet will fill the void with a handful of quality turf tests for 2-year-olds, so let’s dig in and review a few promising prospects to follow:
Saturday, Sept. 12
Kentucky Downs Race 9: Juvenile Turf Stakes (6 1/2 furlongs, 5:32 p.m. ET)
#9 Outadore
Sold for $290,000 as a yearling, Outadore was an impressive debut winner on July 26 at Saratoga, tracking quick fractions in a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint before rallying to win by 2 3/4 lengths. A son of Wood Memorial (Grade 1) winner Outwork, Outadore is the fifth starter produced by the Tactical Cat mare Adore You, who counts the three-time G1-placed Piedi Bianchi and the stakes-winning router Mind Reader among her previous foals. Certainly the 6 1/2-furlong distance of the Juvenile Turf Stakes shouldn’t be an obstacle for Outadore, who has the breeding to stretch out over at least a mile and possibly further.
Monmouth Park Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (6 furlongs, 2:29 p.m. ET)
#1 Navy Lady
Conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who has gone 12-for-41 (29 percent) at Monmouth this summer, Navy Lady brings a solid work tab and a quality pedigree to her debut. Sired by 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Street Sense, Navy Lady is a daughter of the unraced Storm Cat mare Navy Gardens, previously the dam of Play the King (G2) winner Glenville Gardens. Since Glenville Gardens was best on turf, there’s a chance Navy Lady will ultimately thrive on grass too — Street Sense has sired a bevy of high-level turf performers in Australia. But first, we’ll see how Navy Lady handles the dirt at Monmouth.
Sunday, Sept. 13
Kentucky Downs Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (6 1/2 furlongs on turf, 2:19 p.m. ET)
A daughter of the underrated turf sire Temple City (already responsible for G1 winners Miss Temple City, Bolo, and Annals of Time), Amalfi Princess was produced by the Danzig mare Polish Flowers, who counts runaway 2011 Illinois Derby (G3) winner Joe Vann among her five winners from five starters. Trained by Mike Maker and set to be ridden by hot jockey Tyler Gaffalione, Amalfi Princess sold for just $40,000 earlier this year, but she’s shown speed in the mornings (breezing a half-mile from the Keeneland starting gate in :47 3/5) and could outrun expectations on debut.
Kentucky Downs Race 8: Maiden Special Weight (6 1/2 furlongs on turf, 4:59 p.m. ET)
#4 Persevering
It’s safe to say Persevering is bred to be a classy turf filly. A daughter of Ironicus, a three-time graded stakes winner who ran second in the 2016 Manhattan (G1) and Shadwell Turf Mile (G1), Persevering’s dam is the Citidancer mare Citi Pearl, who previously foaled the ultra-durable American Derby (G2) winner Workin for Hops. This is a pedigree geared toward late maturity, so Persevering might not fire her best shot on debut, even though up-and-coming trainer J. Reeve McGaughey (son of Shug McGaughey) is 2-for-4 so far with first-time starters. But with time, Persevering could develop into a talented turfer.
Kentucky Downs Race 10: Untapable Stakes (6 1/2 furlongs on turf, 6:04 p.m. ET)
#3 Red Ghost
Produced by the Elusive Quality mare Better Than Most, it seems reasonable to conclude Red Ghost is bred to be, well, better than most. The daughter of Ghostzapper is a half-sister to three Texas-breds who won multiple stakes races, including the speedy sprinter W V Jetsetter, third in the 2014 Saratoga Special (G2) and second in the 2015 Jersey Shore (G3). Trained by Wesley Ward, Red Ghost crushed her debut on Aug. 30 at Saratoga, wiring a 5 1/2-furlong, off-the-turf maiden event by 8 1/2 lengths. Speed will likely be Red Ghost’s forte, and there’s plenty of turf breeding in her pedigree, so the Untapable Stakes seems made-to-order for this talented filly.