Prospect Watch: Battle of Midway’s bro set for debut – Horse Racing Nation

Photo: Benoit

On a huge weekend of racing in North America, with six Grade 1 events and 15 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races on the schedule, there’s also a maiden special weight at Belmont Park that you simply won’t want to miss.

Scheduled as the seventh race on the Saturday card, this one-mile test for two-year-olds is packed with well-bred youngsters eligible to become stars of tomorrow. Plus, it’s opening week at Keeneland in, which brings a few more competitive maiden races into the fold.

Let’s check out seven juveniles with the pedigrees and connections to shine this week:
 
Friday

Keeneland Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (6 furlongs)

#7 Selleck

Remember Caleb’s Posse? A beastly one-turn specialist, he nearly nabbed champion 3-year-old honors in 2011 after winning the King’s Bishop Stakes (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile during a productive campaign. Now Caleb’s Posse’s younger half-brother Selleck is ready to debut. A son of Pioneerof the Nile (the late sire of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah), Selleck has top-class breeding and sold for $300,000 as a yearling. He’ll be a longshot in the wagering on Friday, perhaps in part because trainer Joseph Petalino is winning at just a 4% rate in 2019. But with his pedigree, Selleck might be one to watch at a price.

Gulfstream Park West Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (1 mile)

#1 Fort McHenry

This $1.1 million half-brother of California Chrome is trained by Todd Pletcher for Coolmore connections. The gray or roan colt is by Tapit and out of the familiar Love the Chase, thought he did little running on debut at Saratoga when last of five back on Aug. 17. Perhaps a change of scenery and a softer spot than America’s premier summer meet will do him good, as Fort McHenry shows two works at Palm Beach Downs, where Pletcher stables his top horses in the winter. Leading Gulfstream rider Edgard Zayas has the mount and a rail draw.

Saturday

Belmont Park Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (1 mile)

#2 Jedi Master

As a son of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker out of the Concerto mare Rigoletta, Jedi Master boasts a terrific stamina-oriented pedigree. His dam won the 2010 Oak Leaf Stakes (G1) going 1 1/16 miles and is already renowned for producing the late Battle of Midway, winner of the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and third in the 2017 Kentucky Derby. In terms of breeding, Jedi Master is cut out to be a star for trainer Bill Mott and should relish the one-mile distance of Saturday’s race. The big question is whether Mott will have this Thor-bred Stables homebred cranked to win on debut.

#6 Vintage Print

OXO Equine paid $1.8 million to acquire Vintage Print from the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale, so you know this Chad Brown-trained colt is coming to his debut with high expectations. A son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Vintage Print is the first foal out of Molly Morgan, a tough daughter of Ghostzapper who ran 29 times over the course of five seasons, most notably winning the 2015 La Troienne Stakes (G1). Considering both Curlin and Molly Morgan won Grade 1 races at Churchill Downs, perhaps Vintage Print is a particularly well-bred candidate for the 2020 Kentucky Derby. In any case, a lengthy series of workouts at Saratoga and Belmont should have him ready to roll on debut.

#8 Sonneman

Although Sonneman has been beaten twice while sprinting, this son of Curlin could show improvement while stretching out to a mile. His dam is Zardana, who famously upset Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the 2010 New Orleans Ladies Stakes, and Sonneman is thus a half-brother to Smart Transition, winner of the 1 1/8-mile Curlin Stakes at Saratoga. Purchased for $375,000 as a yearling, Sonneman has knocked heads with some nice colts in his first two starts (including Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes runner-up Shoplifted) and might be the best of the experienced runners in Saturday’s race.

Keeneland Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (1 1/16 miles)

#11 Whisky Man

This Steve Asmussen-trained son of Into Mischief showed promise on debut at Ellis Park. After dropping back to last place in a seven-furlong sprint, nearly 10 lengths off the pace, Whisky Man rallied late to finish fourth by four lengths. A quick pace and slow finishing fractions aided his chances, but Whiskey Man comes from a fine family and might have more to offer. His dam, It’s True Love, was a stakes winner, and she’s already produced a couple of stakes winners in Pangburn and Ain’t Got Time. Amussen wins at a 23% rate with second-time starters, so Whisky Man might show improvement while stretching out in distance at Keeneland.

#13 Lucky Curlin

As an also-eligible, Mark Casse’s Lucky Curlin might not get to compete, but this John Oxley homebred will be a major contender if he does draw in. A son of Curlin out of the Hard Spun mare My Lady Luck, Lucky Curlin has cracked the superfecta in all four of his starts at Churchill Downs and Saratoga while competing against the future graded stakes winners By Your Side and Basin, plus the promising maiden winners Three Technique and Enforceable. Lucky Curlin is scheduled to add blinkers on Saturday, and if this equipment change sharpens his focus, perhaps he’ll improve his results.