By William Humphrey ©
What a time to be alive! The final round of Kentucky Derby and Oaks preps start this weekend, as does the British flat season and we have the Dubai World Cup meeting just around the corner. With so much going on, it’s easy to miss these interesting races and runners on Friday…
The fifth race at Aqueduct on Friday – an allowance race over one and one eighth miles, features a couple of talented horses who are looking to get back to winning ways. #5 SHIPSATIONAL (8/1) made quite a splash as a two-year-old, breaking his maiden on debut before comfortably winning two NY bred stakes on his third and fourth starts. Ed Barker’s runner then racked up Kentucky Derby points with a second-place finish in the 2022 G3 Sam F. Davis Stakes and a third-place finish in the G2 Tampa Bay Derby. Unfortunately, a 210-day layoff forced him to miss the Triple Crown races and since the Tampa Bay Derby, he has only hit the board in one of his eleven subsequent races. Following a gelding operation last December, Barker now removes the blinkers in an attempt to get SHIPSATIONAL back into the winner’s circle for the first time in 874 days. Drawn next to SHIPSATIONAL on Friday, is #6 MR. RIPPLE (8/5). Christophe Clement’s four-year-old colt also started his career with a bang, by beating subsequent GSW Il Miracolo, in a 9 1/4 length romp on debut. Following that, MR. RIPLE went on to finish 4th behind Forte in the 2023 G1 Florida Derby. After a layoff of 293 days and a barn switch from Saffie Joseph Jr to Christophe Clement, Mr. Ripple has been turned over twice as the favorite in allowance races in Florida. Clement now brings his charge up to New York for the first time today in an attempt to gain MR. RIPPLE his second career victory and he looks the class of the race.
Race six at the Fair Grounds on Friday – a MSW sprinting on the turf, features a couple of very smartly bred runners who are worth highlighting. #1 JALOUSE (10/1), is a Hard Spun filly, trained by Bret Calhoun and out of two-time stakes winning mare, A Jealous Woman, making her a half-sister to four-time G2 winner By My Standards and stakes winner Gentle Soul. The family has tended to excel over longer distances than today’s trip and A Jealous Woman hasn’t produced any first out winners. Nevertheless, with the strong pedigree intact, it will be interesting to see how JALOUSE gets on today, with the view of siding with her down the line. To her outside in the starting gate on Friday will be #7 MUNGEN (6/1), who goes out Steve Asmussen and owner Koji Maeda. Having been sold for $1.2m as a yearling, this daughter of Into Mischief is out of G1 winning mare Paola Queen, however she is yet to live up to her mother’s standards. A decent debut run at Saratoga last July, saw her finish third behind subsequent G1 placed runner, Alys Beach and G2 winner, Life Talk. Following that, MUNGEN went to Churchill Downs, where she was only a 1/2 length behind future Silverbulletday Stakes winner, West Omaha. Despite this early promise, MUNGEN has since only managed to beat home three horses in her latest two starts and has been beaten a combined distance of 27 1/2 lengths. On Friday, Asmussen will try her on turf for the first time and has employed Brian Hernandez Jr, for the ride. Considering the early promise that MUNGEN showed, coupled with her price tag and pedigree, it will be interesting to see if the surface switch can help bring her potential out.
Staying with the maiden theme, Laurel’s third race on Friday looks like it has the potential to throw up a decent type. #1 THIELEN (8/5) goes out for leading trainer Brittany Russell, with Eclipse Award winning jockey Victor Carrasco, booked for the ride. By leading sire Curlin, THIELEN is out of G1 winner Angela Renee and cost a cool $1.8m as a yearling. With such a strong staying pedigree, it’s unsurprising to see THIELEN make his debut around two turns and with Russell’s first-time starters hitting at 24% in the past year, this three-year-old colt could be worth watching. Todd Pletcher also sends out a rare runner at Laurel in this race, with #2 CAROLO RAPIDO (9/5). Like THIELEN, CARLO RAPIDO is by Curlin and is out of 2016 Kentucky Oaks winner, Cathryn Sophia. Despite having taken money in his first two starts at Aqueduct, Pletcher’s colt has only managed to beat a total of three horses home and so Pletcher is seemingly now seeking calmer waters in Maryland. The blinkers will be removed on Friday and Michael Sanchez will get the leg up. Both THEILEN and CAROLO RAPIDO may have to fend off a strong challenge from #5 INTREPID’S LEGACY (9/2). A half-brother to three-time stakes winner Intrepid Daydream, Gary Capuano’s runner was highlighted in this space a few weeks ago when making his debut. He ran respectably to finish third over six furlongs and now steps markedly up in trip, which he should be ready for, having recorded two recent one-mile breezes. Capuano is hitting at a solid 24% strike rate in 2024 but only 10% with first time starters in the last five years, and so one can expect another step forward from INTREPID’S LEGACY, which will make him very competitive.
Trainer Wesley Ward will likely be disappointed not to collect the prize in the seventh race at Turfway Park on Friday night, as he fires a two-pronged attack at the six-furlong allowance race. Heading the morning line is #5 OUTADORE (2/1), who gets Abel Cedillo up. Now a six-year-old, OUTADORE started his career strongly by breaking his maiden on debut and followed up on his second start, with a comfortable 1 3/4 length win in the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint. Following that, OUTADORE ran third in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf over one mile before returning to sprint distances, which has seen him add two more stake victories to his résumé. A three-time stakes winner with a career record of 8-2-2 from 15 career starts, would typically be good enough to win this race, however he will have to hold off a late rally from his stablemate, #9 ARREST ME RED (3/1). Also, a six-year-old gelding, ARREST ME RED has had a very successful career, with five stakes victories, including the G3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational and G2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs, as well as a 1/2 length defeat in the 2022 G1 Jaipur Stakes. Unlike his stablemate, ARREST ME RED has already had a run this year, finishing second in Turfway’s Forego Stakes, over six- and one-half furlongs, 48 days ago. He drops back into allowance company for only the third time in his career on Friday, meaning that lasix go on and Walter Rodriguez is set to retain the ride. Also in the lineup is stakes winner #8 SMOKIN JAY (15/1), who finished 5 1/4 lengths behind ARREST ME RED in the 2022 G1 Jaipur and faces that same foe again on Friday. He will have to recapture his spark to win this race though, and a Wesley Ward exacta looks on the cards.
Out on the West Coast, Santa Anita’s opener is a six runner MSW over six furlongs on the turf, which is certainly worth watching. Drawn on the rail is #1 J B STRIKES BACK (12/1), who goes out for Doug O’Neill, with Edwin Maldonado aboard. Owned by Purple Rein Racing, J B STRIKES BACK only cost $52k, which is surprising when you consider that he is a half-brother to two-time stakes winner and G1 placed performer, Reincarnate. Reincarnate excelled on the main track but did start his career on the turf and their dam, Allanah, was a stakes winner on the synthetic so it’s understandable as to why, J B STRIKES BACK, will start his career here. He has a pedigree to suggest that he will appreciate longer distances in time, but it will be interesting to see how he fares on debut. Frankie Dettori and Tim Yakteen have won four of the eight times that they have teamed up together and they are represented by #2 ALL THAT GLORY (5/2). A $250k purchase, ALL THAT GLORY finished second on debut before a fifth-place finish behind the highly regarded Maymun, next time. Yakteen puts the blinkers on today and switches to the turf with his runner, which could make him dangerous, considering that his dam’s sole victory came on the grass. Flavian Prat is booked to ride #3 WE’RE IN TROUBLE (4/1), for trainer Michael McCarthy. Making his debut today, WE’RE IN TROUBLE is a son of G2 winner, The Niagara Queen and with Prat and McCarthy hitting at 40% together in the last year, this runner must be respected. John Sadler is doubly represented in this race by #4 METRO (8/5) and #6 WESTERN POWER (12/1). A half-brother to stakes winner Feeling Mischief, METRO cost an eye-watering $2.5m as a yearling and will be making his debut today, with Juan Hernandez booked to ride. Meanwhile, #6 WESTERN POWER was a comparatively cheap purchase, at only $350k! He is a half-brother to G3 winner Chanteline and two-time stakes winner, Kell Paso. Considering that the six runners have a combined price tag of $3,221,000 and some strong pedigrees to boot, this maiden could be worth a watch.
Good luck to everyone having a bet today!
