Horse Racing

The 5 people behind the upcoming trio of crowns


By J. Keeler Johnson (“Keelerman”) Twitter: @J_Keelerman


Every year, in the days or weeks after the Breeders’ Cup, I want to learn about the minors racing scene and highlight upcoming Kentucky Derby (G1) and Triple Crown competitors who haven’t yet. attention.


Not all appear, but past minors who have appeared on Unlock Winners before they entered the stake scene include Gun Runner, Drefong, Olympiad, Dortmund, Gift Box, Irish War Cry, Mor Spirit, Roadster and Om.


I’ll try to stay motivated by mapping out a group of five promising positions to follow in 2023 and beyond:


Arab Knights


Anyone who watched the full Breeders’ Cup Saturday card at Keeneland is familiar with the Arabian Knights. The son of successful male and female two-year-old champion Uncle Mo made the top of the weekend’s most impressive winners.


In a $2.3 million auction led by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the Arabian Knights were backed to win a special seven-hair maiden weight, and a horse The fly did not disappoint. Rushing to the top under jockey John Velazquez, the Arabian Knights put in quick scores of: 22.47 and: 45.78 before taking the lead to beat 10 opponents in an accelerated fashion.


The Arab Knight finished with a score of 1:21.98 while pulling 7 1/4 lengths away from his closest pursuer. His final time was just 0.37 behind the 1:21.61 ratio Goodnight Olive required to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) two races later on the card. With this eye-catching debut, there’s no telling how good the Arabian Knights can be.


Secondary Anejo


The wildly successful stallion Into Mischief has picked two winners in the Kentucky race (Authentic and Mandaloun, though his post-disqualification victory is still disputed), and he will lead the standings. North American stallion for the fourth year in a row.


Into Mischief has several promising sons that I will discuss this week. The first is Extra Anejo, an intern of Steve Asmussen that was acquired for $1.35 million. The flying puppy did a series of quick workouts in preparation for his October 13 debut in Keeneland and definitely ran to those workouts, setting the ratios: 22.57 and :45, 19 before gaining clear energy under a small urge to win the special maiden weight 9 1/2 length.


Extra Anejo completed the seven-feathers and 184-foot run in 1:27.17, a respectable time. Asmussen hasn’t won the highest percentage with first-timers in the past few years (he’s on 11% in 2022), so Extra Anejo’s margin of victory is immeasurable. remarkable. He looks like an exceptional pony.


Giant naughty


Four of the five ponies I’m highlighting are the ultimate maiden winners. The only exception is Giant Mischief, a son of Into Mischief piloted by two-time Eclipse Award-winning coach, Brad Cox.


Giant Mischief suffered quite a bit of traffic trouble on his September 22 debut in the 5 1/2 long hair specials at Horseshoe Indianapolis, but overcame the odds to get home. legally fast finish and win in the long two and a half. Giant Mischief achieved 2 3/4 length in just the last game and was never asked for his best run.


Giant Mischief followed up with a crushing victory in the seven-reward stretch option tournament on November 4 at Keeneland. After tracking fractions: 22.35 and :45.84 from third place, Giant Mischief went over the rails to beat Arabian Lion, Bob Baffert’s favorite intern by 3/4 longs.


The final time was a quick 1:22:30 and the Arabian Lions were way ahead of the finisher in third place 17 1/2 way, so it can be said that Giant Mischief ran a race huge. He is posing as an interesting horse to follow the Road to the Kentucky Derby.


Signer


A son of Tapit escapes a mare by Searching for Gold? It’s a pedigree toward lasting success, so it was amazing to see Signator run second in his first sprint with six grips for Hall of Fame coach Shug McGaughey. Facing half a dozen competitors in the women’s special weight class in Belmont at the Big A, Signator rose strongly from fifth to finishing second at 1 1/4 lengths, increased 2 1/4 lengths in the final while pulling 7 1/2 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher.


Followed by Signator with an impressive win in the Belmont one-mile women’s special weight class at Big A. Reclaiming the greater distance, Signator settled a few lengths after modest fractions of being :24.09, :48.73, and 1:13.93 before selling his tickets last 1/4 mile between :23.70 to clear drag and dominate the 4 1/2 length.


It’s rare to see hatchlings post finishing touches below: 24 long runs across the land, so Signator seems to have a world of potential. He’s scratched from a tentative start in Nashua (G3) at the Aqueduct last weekend, but I expect we’ll see the gray pony back in action soon.


Victory formation


Referring to horses bred to run for a long time, have you noticed Victory Formation? Son of Belmont (G1), Tapwrit winner out of mares thanks to Smart Strike fitness resources (sire of Curlin, English Channel, Lookin At Lucky, etc.), Victory Formation posted a flash win on May 21st. 10 at Keeneland.


The race in question was a special 6 1/2 long-haired girly weight class, and Victory Formation received some betting support even when it debuted with 11 competitors. Starting at 3.82-1, Victory Formation made a quick start and produced fractions: 23.03 and: 46.91 before kicking under coach Luis Saez to dominate 4 3/ 4 lengths in 1:17.94.


Trained by Brad Cox, Victory Formation was bred top to bottom to improve in maturity and thrive on classic distances, so it’s unlikely we’ve seen the best of him yet. that. I expect Victory Formation to improve over the winter and develop into a classic contender.


Now it’s your turn! Which upcoming minors have caught your eye?

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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as “Keelerman”) is a writer, cinematographer, voice actor, amputee, and horse racing enthusiast. A huge fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager the greatest racehorse ever made in America, but considers the Zenyatta his all-time favorite.

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