Tu Endie Wei following in Biofuel's footsteps

Trainer Reade Baker does not make it a practice of sending out 2-year-olds in stakes races for their debuts, but Tu Endie Wei was an exception.

“I have done it a couple of times, but never had one come out of the 13 hole and win easy,” Baker said of Tu Endie Wei, a half-sister to 2010 Canadian Horse of the Year Biofuel.

Owned by breeder Brereton Jones, Tu Endie Wei followed her victory in the My Dear Stakes with a score in the Ontario Debutante and has brought her perfect record to Keeneland, where she will face 13 rivals in Friday’s opening-day Darley Alcibiades (G1) at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Regular rider James McAleney will be aboard Tu Endie Wei, who will break from post position four.

Tu Endie Wei, which means point between two waters in the Wyandotte native language, is named for a state park in West Virginia. The daughter of Johar arrived at Keeneland from Woodbine on Sunday night and put in her first exercise over the Keeneland track Tuesday morning.

“The first few times we breezed her, she was OK,” Baker said. “Then I worked her out of the gate with a 3-year-old and she started off six lengths behind. Then she went by him so fast, I thought he had broken down and he went in 1:01. I never had one like that.”

In her debut, Tu Endie Wei rated off a wickedly fast pace of :20.70 and then swept to the lead en route to a 4¾-length victory in :56.93 for five furlongs, a time that was two-fifths of a second (.52) off the track record. In the Ontario Debutante she raced closer to the pace in winning the 6½-furlong test by a half-length.

“She’s got great temperament. She’s very ratable  and you can put her anywhere you want,” Baker said. “I think she will be the same as Biofuel later on.”

But first things first. The Darley Alcibiades is a “Win and You’re In” race for the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to be run November 4 at Churchill Downs and the race is a stop Baker hopes to make with the Johar filly.

“She has never made a mistake and I don’t expect her to this time,” Baker said of the Darley Alcibiades. “I would hope to move on from here (to the Breeders’ Cup).”