Arctic Beast towers over New York Breeders' Futurity rivals
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Arctic Beast was beast-like making his stakes debut at Finger Lakes last month. His performance has seemingly put the freeze on those with aspirations to face him. Unbeaten in two starts, and towering over the field on Beyer Speed Figures, the colt is the heavy favorite in a field of five for the $155,667 New York Breeders’ Futurity for statebred juveniles on Monday at Finger Lakes.
The six-furlong Futurity anchors one of the richest cards of the year at Finger Lakes. The nine-race Monday program at the Farmington, N.Y., track also includes the $50,000 Genesee Valley Breeders’ Stakes and $50,000 Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes, both 1 1/16-mile races for older statebreds.
The Futurity has been won by local legends Proud Puppy (1988), a member of the Finger Lakes Hall of Fame; multiple stakes winner Jack Betta Be Rite (1989); and Say Florida Sandy (1996), who earned more than $2 million.
Arctic Beast has a long way to go to reach those heights, but he looms large in the Futurity – which comes up early, as race four – for Mike Maker and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. In his debut, going six furlongs Aug. 15 at Saratoga, he pressed the pace, was clear in the stretch, and then held on to win by a head. In the Futurity’s local prep, the Aspirant on Sept. 22, he cut back to 5 1/2 furlongs and showed he could handle sloppy track conditions. The colt sat close before drawing off to win by 7 1/4 lengths.
Arctic Beast has earned Beyers of 82 and 85. No one else has come anywhere close. Diamond Child, a second-out maiden winner at Finger Lakes, has improved his figures in each of his starts for Melanie Giddings. However, in earning his top number, a 67, he was a well-beaten second in the Aspirant after setting the pace while pressed by Arctic Beast. Diamond Child has not yet run beyond 5 1/2 furlongs.
Arctic Beast is one of five stakes winners this season for leading freshman sire Yaupon, a Grade 1 winner at up to seven furlongs. Arctic Beast is from a productive family of New York-bred stakes winners and is out of Frostie Anne, a half-sister to Freudie Anne.
Party in the Army, still a maiden after two starts, was second on debut and third in the Aspirant, with a 62 Beyer in both outings. Rounding out the field are the two-start maiden Hey Pal, fourth in the Aspirant; and Pepper J, a three-start maiden for Giddings.
◗ In the Genesee Valley Breeders’, Mo Trump is the morning-line favorite as he returns to Finger Lakes, where he is a four-time winner. The gelding has most recently been competing in statebred, middle-distance turf allowances on the New York Racing Association circuit, including a 1 1/16-mile win over a next-out winner in July at Saratoga.
Rhymes Like Dimes and Zeebear were one-two in an allowance/optional-claiming race last month at Finger Lakes. The improving Zeebear had won back-to-back races before that.
Allure of Money is a three-time stakes winner at Finger Lakes, including the 2023 New York Derby.
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◗ The Jack Betta Be Rite has drawn a number of fillies and mares coming off statebred allowance-level wins on the NYRA circuit. Midtown Lights, who was second in the 2024 Jack Betta Be Rite, is stakes-placed against New York-breds on the NYRA circuit. Most recently, she won a one-mile allowance/optional-claiming race at Saratoga.
Boxed Wine is coming off a 1 1/8-mile win at Saratoga, while Sweet Anniversary is coming off a one-mile win at Aqueduct. Of these three last-out winners, Boxed Wine is the only one to go the two-turn configuration of Monday’s race.
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