Bodenheimer romps in debut, headed to a stakes

Mr. Jagermeister made his career debut in July 2017 at Canterbury Park and won a 2-year-old maiden race by 11 1/2 lengths, earning an 81 Beyer Speed Figure. Valorie Lund trained Mr. Jagermeister, a son of Atta Boy Roy, whom Lund got to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in 2010.

On July 29, Lund sent out another 2-year-old Canterbury first-time starter by Atta Boy Roy, a colt named Bodenheimer. Now, Mr. Jagermeister has gone on to win 11 of 24 starts and nearly $600,000, but Lund believes Bodenheimer could be at least as good. Racing in an open turf sprint maiden race, Bodenheimer showed excellent early speed and never slowed down, winning by 11 1/4 lengths and earning an 82 Beyer. That’s the fifth-highest figure for a North American 2-year-old so far in 2020, and Lund thinks Bodenheimer is actually a dirt horse at heart.

“When I watch him train, I don’t see a grass horse,” Lund said. “He’s better on dirt.”

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Bodenheimer is out of the A.P. Indy mare Beautiful Daniele, who produced multiple turf stakes winner King of Speed. Last week’s grass race at least opened the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint as a year-end option for Bodenheimer, but his next race will come on dirt, Lund said. Lund is deciding between the $50,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile on Aug. 22 or the $200,000 Iroquois over one mile on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.

“Going a mile second time out, he’s so fast, I don’t know how much he’s going to be able to slow down,” Lund said.

Meanwhile, Lund is looking for a race to suit Mr. Jagermeister, who, for the first time in his career, lost a Minnesota-bred race when last seen June 21, when he was second at odds of 1-10 in the 10,000 Lakes Stakes.

“There was something wrong with the horse that day – he was so distressed after the race we hung fluids on him. He never came up with a temperature, but he wasn’t himself at all that day,” Lund said.