The Lieutenant, half to Justify, can pad stud credentials in Pacific Classic

DEL MAR, Calif. – A lot has changed for The Lieutenant over the past few months, much of it none of his doing.

Yes, he’s progressed into a Grade 3 stakes winner, and on Saturday he’ll take a shot at a Grade 1 victory in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar. But the residual value of The Lieutenant has gone up and can skyrocket further if he wins on Saturday, all owing to his very famous younger brother.

The Lieutenant, 5, a son of Street Sense, is out of the Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic. Two years after The Lieutenant was born, Stage Magic gave birth to a Scat Daddy colt. Earlier this year, that colt – who was given the name Justify – won the Triple Crown.

So, as of June 9, The Lieutenant found himself the half-brother to an unbeaten Triple Crown winner.

“Life has been good for him,” said his trainer, Michael McCarthy. “He’s going to go to stud.”

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Just how attractive an offer owner William Warren ends up getting for The Lieutenant will depend on how well The Lieutenant does for the rest of his racing career.

Much like his trainer’s fortunes, The Lieutenant is certainly ascending. After being outrun in a pair of stakes at Santa Anita and Oaklawn Park earlier this year, The Lieutenant has finished third in the Grade 2 Californian at Santa Anita, captured the Grade 3 All American at Golden Gate, and last time out ran the best race of his career, finishing second to Diversify in the Grade 2 Suburban at Belmont Park in his first try at 1 1/4 miles, the Pacific Classic distance.

“He’ll run as far as they run races,” McCarthy said. “Second to Diversify, one of the best older horses in the country. We won a race over this track last summer. Why not give it a whirl?”

Indeed, why not? Though headed by Accelerate, the winner of the Santa Anita Handicap and Gold Cup at Santa Anita, this Pacific Classic has far from the deepest field in its history. The Lieutenant won a one-mile allowance race here last year, his second start after a 16-month layoff.

“He’s a maturing horse who’s getting better,” McCarthy said. “He had a hiccup as a 3-year-old, so he needed time off. Since he’s come back, he hasn’t run too many bad races.”

Besides the same mother, The Lieutenant shares some personality traits with Justify, who is not a petting-zoo candidate.

“He’s a tough horse, confident in himself,” McCarthy said of The Lieutenant. “He’s tough on the people around him, but he’s generous on the racetrack.”

The Lieutenant is one of several stakes-class runners in McCarthy’s barn, the best of whom is two-time Grade 1 winner City of Light, also owned by Warren. City of Light is bound for the Forego at Saratoga on Aug. 25. McCarthy will run Axelrod, winner of the Indiana Derby, in the Travers Stakes that day, too. And on the same card as the Pacific Classic, he’ll send out Paved in the Del Mar Oaks, giving him chances in four Grade 1 races over eight days.

This represents the best collection of horses McCarthy, 47, has had in his care since he went out on his own 4 1/2 years ago after working as an assistant, primarily in New York and Kentucky, to Todd Pletcher for nearly 12 years. McCarthy is a native of Southern California, as is his wife, Erin, so this circuit was desirous – for both professional and personal reasons – when he decided to be his own boss.

Michael and Erin McCarthy have a daughter, Stella, who is now 7 1/2. “Don’t forget the half,” he advised, laughing. “She doesn’t like being called just 7.”

Warren – best known for campaigning 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam – is one of several high-profile owners who employ McCarthy. Paved is owned in part by Eclipse Thoroughbreds, which campaigned the Grade 1-winning turf filly Illuminant with McCarthy.

“First and foremost, he’s a good person,” Aron Wellman, the president of Eclipse, said of McCarthy. “He has good family values. With our horses, you know you’re getting the truth, no matter the circumstances. The ideals and organizational skills during his tenure with Todd, you see them applied out here.

“You’re just now seeing him find his stride. The results on the big days are showing. He’s been able to deliver big wins with comparatively little opportunity.”