Rattle N Roll surges to victory in Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity
Lexington, Ky.
Rattle N Roll came running around the far turn in the Grade 1, $500,000 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on Saturday, securing the lead and powering to the wire to by 4 1/4 lengths for trainer Kenny McPeek.
Entering the race, McPeek thought he was going to enter another colt, Tiz the Bomb. But after Rattle N Roll broke his maiden at Churchill Downs on Sept. 23, going the same 1 1/16-mile distance, he changed his mind due to rider issues and the fact Tiz the Bomb’s owner, Phoenix Thoroughbred, also had Double Thunder running in the race for Todd Pletcher.
“I think the older you get, you don’t force things like that,” McPeek said. “You say, OK, whatever, I’ll let Rattle N Roll stay in the Futurity, we’ll run Tiz the Bomb in the Bourbon (G2 on Sunday) and then let Todd run his horse here. Maybe we’ll win tomorrow too, fingers crossed.”
Classic Causeway took the early lead after breaking from the far outside of the 13-horse field under Jose Ortiz. Rattle N Roll commenced his move around the final turn, going three-wide beneath Brian Hernandez Jr.
McPeek said he knew before the race that the 2-year-old Connect colt could do well if things played out just as they did.
“I said, if the 13 horse goes, we got a real chance,” McPeek said. “I thought that horse really needed to learn how to run. Our horse knew how to run.”
Fractions for the race were 22.81, 46.74, 1:11.90 and 1:37.52. Rattle N Roll’s winning time was 1:43.78.
Double Thunder was second followed by 9-5 favorite Classic Causeway with American Sanctuary completing the superfecta.
After the race, Hernandez praised the colt’s intellect in the fourth race of his career.
“I was down on the inside and he was travelling so good,” Hernandez said. “I was kind of able to just read the race to where we needed to be. He found his path and when I finally got to the outside and let him cruise, he engulfed those horses around the far turn.”
The win gave Rattle N Roll a fees-paid berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Del Mar, should his connections choose to accept. However, McPeek said he was not certain he would be sending the colt to the race.
The trainer said he may keep Rattle N Roll, owned by Michael J. Mackin's Lucky Seven Stables, at home in favor of the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) on Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs.
“The configuration of (Del Mar) and a couple of things I want to see happen before, but it might be a season I might opt out,” McPeek said.
“I want to talk to the Mackins before we make any decision like that.”
Rattle N Roll, who earned 10 qualifying points towards next year's Kentucky Derby with the win, went off at 8-1 and returned $19.40.