Impressive maiden winner He Is No Lie shipping to Kentucky for stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – The flashiest 2-year-old winner this spring at Santa Anita is headed to Kentucky for his next start.

He Is No Lie, trained by Doug O’Neill and sired by hot first-crop stallion Early Voting, will target the $225,000 Bashford Manor Stakes on June 28 at Churchill Downs following his eight-length romp May 15 at Santa Anita.

“The Bashford Manor in June, if all goes well,” O’Neill said Wednesday. “That stallion is impressive, huh?”

O’Neill was referring to Early Voting, whose first five starters produced three debut wins, a second, and a third. Early Voting winners include He Is No Lie and Early Encore, a California-bred who won his debut by 6 3/4 lengths for trainer John Sadler on May 24 at Santa Anita.

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Racing 4 1/2 furlongs, He Is No Lie won his debut in 51.88 seconds; Early Encore won his debut in 51.76. Those times were the fastest 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita since May 2, 2021, when 2-year-old Big City Lights won his debut by more than 12 lengths in 51.63.

The lack of stakes and allowance opportunities for young horses continues to be a source of frustration for California horsemen. The first unrestricted stakes for 2-year-olds in California is the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 8 at Del Mar. The wait is even longer for 2-year-olds on turf.

Shadow Nation, a smashing 6 1/2-length debut turf-sprint winner May 31, also is a local 2-year-old without a race in which to run. A turf horse, Shadow Nation is trained by Mike Puype. His hands are tied.

“I have to sit until the end of Del Mar. I don’t have a choice,” Puype said. “The first turf race anywhere is at Saratoga on Aug. 27. There’s no way I’m going to [ship] with a 2-year-old.”

Puype was referring to the $200,000 Skidmore Stakes.

Instead, Puype will bide his time with Shadow Nation and aim the colt to the Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 5. Shadow Nation is an Irish-bred sired by Sioux Nation.

“It’s a pedigree that’s loaded to route, and he’s a very smart horse,” Puype said. “He looks like an older horse, he trains like an older horse, doesn’t turn a hair, looks great in the paddock. It’s all there. He’s a package deal.”

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