Desormeaux loaded in the juvenile department

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A year ago this week, trainer Keith Desormeaux appeared to have plenty to look forward to with Texas Red, who had recently won his maiden at Del Mar. The colt went on to romp in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Texas Red recently won the Jim Dandy Stakes after being forced to skip the Triple Crown series due to injury, and now he is preparing for a showdown with superstar American Pharoah in Saturday’s Travers Stakes. Whatever the result, Desormeaux still appears to have plenty to look forward to, targeting a quartet of fall Grade 1 events with the 2-year-olds in his care.

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Desormeaux reiterated that Exaggerator, who impressively came through tight quarters to win the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 16, will skip the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes on closing day at Saratoga. Instead, the colt will target the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 3 at Keeneland, giving him a race on the same surface and at the same distance as the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile later that month.

Desormeaux said he will point to the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes on Oct. 2 at Keeneland with Decked Out, a Santa Anita maiden winner who has already had a busy schedule. The filly has made three stakes appearances in New York, finishing second in the Astoria, third in the Grade 3 Schuylerville, and fourth in the Grade 2 Adirondack.

“I can’t wait to try her at a distance,” Desormeaux said. “She’s growing up nicely.”

Desormeaux added that he has “two awesome babies” based at Del Mar who are targeting meet-end stakes – Swipe aiming at the Del Mar Futurity and the filly Right There the Del Mar Debutante. Swipe finished third in the Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park before returning to California to win the Summer Juvenile Championship Stakes at Los Alamitos and finish second in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes. Right There won her maiden in the Landaluce Stakes in her second start, then finished fourth in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes.