Midnight Mystery ready to get started

CYPRESS, Calif. – He is built like a Kawasaki and will begin his career on dirt, but grass is already under consideration for Midnight Mystery, the speedy 2-year-old who makes his debut Friday at Los Alamitos.

“I wanted to run him on the turf, being by War Front, but by the time I had him ready there was no race,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

No problem. If he runs well Friday in race 4, Midnight Mystery could aim for two big turf sprints this fall. One is the reconfigured Speakeasy Stakes, which is now a five-furlong turf race for 2-year-olds on Oct. 6 at Santa Anita. There is more at stake in the Speakeasy than the $100,000 purse.

The Speakeasy is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race for the new $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint scheduled for Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs. So, yes, the maiden dirt race Friday at Los Alamitos could have national repercussions.

First things first. Midnight Mystery was not quite ready for the only 2-year-old turf sprint for colts and geldings last month at Del Mar, but he is ready now.

“He’s quick, he’s been working well,” Baffert said. “He’s sort of stocky, stout, and short-coupled. He’s built like a dirt bike, like a Quarter Horse.”

Midnight Mystery faces seven rivals Friday at 5 1/2 furlongs. The first foal produced by Baffert-trained Grade 1 winner Midnight Lucky, Midnight Mystery is the 2-1 favorite on Los Alamitos linemaker Russ Hudak’s preliminary line.

Rivals include 5-2 second favorite Gleyber, who pressed the pace and finished fifth in his career debut. His trainer, Doug O’Neill, also entered Tut, a $500,000 yearling making his debut off a 47.60-second gate work last week. Tut is 4-1.

The maiden race shares the Friday spotlight with a statebred allowance sprint, race 7. Lightly raced Older Brother is likely to vie for favoritism with trouble-prone King Abner.

Ed Freeman trains Older Brother, runner-up last out in a similar race. The fourth-place finisher was King Abner, compromised by a stumble at the break and a four-wide trip through the turn. Freeman also entered Hardcore Troubador, runner-up last out in a turf sprint.

KEY CONTENDERS

Midnight Mystery, by War Front

◗ Other than color, Baffert said the gray shares no physical similarities with his dam, Midnight Lucky. She won 4 of 5 starts including the Grade 1 Acorn and Grade 1 Humana Distaff. Midnight Mystery is her first foal.

◗ Baffert is 11 for 14 this year with debut 2-year-olds. Joe Talamo rides Midnight Mystery, owned by breeders Mike Pegram and Hill ‘n’ Dale Holdings.

Gleyber, by Goldencents
Beyer: 57

◗ He pressed the pace and finished fifth in his debut. His rider is Rafael Bejarano, who rode the colt’s sire to successive wins for O’Neill in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2013 and 2014.

Tut, by Cairo Prince

◗ His work Saturday was the fastest gate work of the day. Mario Gutierrez rides.