Saratoga: 2-year-old Romeo races for new barn in Hopeful

In a new barn with a new owner, Romeo hopes for a repeat result as he tries for his second consecutive stakes win in Saratoga’s Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for juveniles Monday at 4:42 p.m. EDT.

Romeo, an Honor A. P. dark bay, captured the six-furlong Bashford Manor last out on June 29 at Churchill Downs for conditioner Jerry Robb. He subsequently was sold to Mahmud Mouni for $1.7 million at Fasig-Tipton’s July horses of racing age sale and transferred to Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen’s care with an eye toward this race. 

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Romeo will face the likes of Buetane, the 2-1 morning-line favorite and debut winner who was shipped east from California by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

In the Bashford Manor, Romeo set the pace en route to a driving 3 3/4-length victory in stakes-record time of 1:08.61 over the fast footing, registering a career and field-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.

“He’s coming off of a win in the Bashford Manor where he won in stakes-record time. He has trained very nicely since he’s been up here,” Asmussen said. 

Romeo, who is 3-1 on the morning line Monday, improved from a third in the Tremont in June at Saratoga to subsequent graded-stakes-winning filly Mythical, who finished fifth in the Spinaway (G1) on Saturday at the Spa.

Romeo dominated his debut by 10 1/4 lengths sprinting 4 1/2 furlongs on May 3 at Laurel Park. He is out of Not For Love mare Fancy Love and his second dam Fleet and Fancy is a half-sister to 2008 champion 2-year-old colt Midshipman and Grade 2 winner Fast Cookie, the dam of multiple Grade 1 victor Frosted. 

Asmussen also entered Soldier N Diplomat (6-1), who sat just off the top pair in his six-furlong debut July 26 at Saratoga before rallying to victory while bumping with Accost in the lane but keeping his neck in front.

The son of Carter Handicap (G1) winner Army Mule was a $950,000 purchase at the March 2025 Ocala Breeders’ Sale auction of 2-year-olds in training. He is out of Violence mare Diplomatic Miss, a daughter of multiple Grade 1-placed Miraculous Miss. 

“I thought his first race was solid, but he’ll need to do more, and I think there is more in there,” said Asmussen, who won this race in 2019, 2020 and 2021 with Basin, Jackie’s Warrior and Gunite.

Zedan Racing Stables’ Buetane, in post 5 with Flavien Prat, is another son of Tiz the Law to watch as he makes his second start for Baffert. The chestnut ships in from Del Mar where he stalked to win his six-furlong debut Aug. 3 by 3 1/2 lengths, earning an 83 Beyer.

Buetane, a $1.15 million purchase at the OBS sale, is a half-brother to stakes winner Let My People Go out of winning Forestry mare Taboo. His second dam is Grade 1-winning millionaire Dream of Summer, dam of Grade 1 winners Creative Cause, Vexatious and Grade 2 winner Destin.

Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher has entered Ted Noffey and Emphasis off local debut wins during the summer meet. Both contenders look to provide the race’s sponsor Spendthrift Farm with a Hopeful win.

In recent years, the Hopeful was won by current Spendthrift Farm stallions Basin, 2021 champion male sprinter Jackie’s Warrior and 2022 champion 2-year-old colt Forte.

Ted Noffey got some laughs on debut as his name was inspired by a misspelling of Ned Toffey, general manager of his owner Spendthrift Farm. The colt’s performance was nothing to joke around about when winning a 6 1/2-furlong maiden at Saratoga on Aug. 2. 

The Into Mischief gray, with Hall of Famer John Velázquez up, stalked from the four path through a half-mile in 46.35 seconds on the fast main track. He took the lead under a drive in upper stretch and held off Criteria by 1 1/2 lengths under steady urging with a final time of 1:17.56. 

“I thought that was a good effort,” Pletcher said. “This horse had trained very well leading into it. It seemed like he did everything you would hope he would. He will need to make another move forward, but he’s trained well since then, and we’ve been pointing for the Hopeful since he broke his maiden.”

Ted Noffey was a $650,000 purchase at the September 2024 Keeneland yearling sale out of dual graded-stakes-placed Old Fashioned mare Streak of Luck. Pletcher has won the Hopeful with Circular Quay, Shanghai Bobby, Competitive Edge and Forte.

Repole Stable and Spendthrift Farms’ Emphasis (12-1) wired his six-furlong debut July 19 at Saratoga. The Yaupon dark bay edged Growth Equity by one length with confident handling from Ricardo Santana Jr. with a final time of 1:11.83, and heavily favored Asmussen trainee Stradale finished third after a rough start. 

“He is a horse that has natural speed,” Pletcher said. “I don’t see any reason he couldn’t carry it out to seven furlongs.”

Emphasis, a $625,000 purchase at the September 2024 Keeneland yearling sale, is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Curly Jack out of Grade 1-placed Roman Ruler mare Connie and Michael, a half-sister to graded winners High Ridge Road and Señor Rojo.

West Point Thoroughbreds’ Curtain Call (9-2) in post 1 with José Ortiz has a fitting name to run in the final Grade 1 of the meet. His last performance suggests he is a leading contender as well. Trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, the Tiz the Law dark bay graduated by 8 1/2 lengths after stumbling at the break sprinting six furlongs over sloppy and sealed footing on July 12 at Saratoga.

The performance earned a career-best 82 Beyer and avenged a 7 1/2-length debut second in June at Churchill Downs to Asmussen-trained Obliteration.

“I was a little disappointed in his first start at Churchill, but he came back and won impressively,” Casse said. “Since then he’s trained like he’s a nice horse, so we go into the Hopeful with high expectations.”

Obliteration subsequently dominated the local Sanford (G3) and finished second to Casse-conditioned Ewing in the Saratoga Special (G2). 

“Ewing is already a graded winner here at Saratoga. I want to take Ewing to the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland just to see if he’ll go two turns,” Casse said. “Both horses, if they continue to progress and go forward, are Breeders’ Cup-type horses, so that’s always on my mind.”

Curtain Call, a $325,000 purchase at the OBS sale, is out of Into Mischief mare Deep Trouble. 

“So many of our horses improve in their second start, and he did,” Casse said. “I think he’ll like a little more ground as well. He’s just a class act.”

Aye Eye (15-1), in post 4 with jockey Javier Castellano, weaved through traffic from 19 lengths back in last of eight starters to win his restricted, six-furlong, maiden debut Aug. 8 at the Spa for trainer Joe Orseno.

Dominant second-out winner Flyin Hawaiian (20-1), in post 2 with Luis Sáez, races Monday for conditioner Butch Reid.