Moro Said Ready gives Caldwell fourth 2-year-old winner of meet

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Moro Said Ready became trainer J.R. Caldwell’s fourth 2-year-old winner of the Lone Star Park meet last Sunday when he won his maiden in the $65,000 Staunch Avenger division of the Texas Stallion Stakes.

The Staunch Avenger was the first 2-year-old stakes of the meet for colts and geldings. Caldwell’s other juvenile winners have come in maiden special weight races, starting with Midknightwar on May 25. Caldwell also won with Tap and Spin on May 27 and Tick Tack Mo on June 13.

“It’s one of those years we’ve been blessed with a lot of young horses,” Caldwell said. “We put them in our program and it’s all coming together.”

Caldwell has 16 juveniles in training at his Lone Star base. He said last year he had several groups of owners that wanted to buy yearlings, and he secured 11 at Keeneland. He also bought at auction in Texas, and received some young runners from one of the region’s winningest owners, Danny Keene.

Moro Said Ready races for his breeder, Kevin Clifton, and Penn Family Racing. He’s a son of Moro Tap and for his three-length wire-to-wire win in the Staunch Avenger earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 66. The number ranks as the best Beyer put up by a 2-year-old this meet. Moro Said Ready was making his second start, following a fifth-place finish in his debut May 25.

“He broke a little slow and made a nice late run,” Caldwell said, adding he was hoping the horse would make a significant move forward in the Staunch Avenger.

Caldwell said Moro Said Ready will now target the $100,000 colts and geldings division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity on July 14 at Lone Star.

“He came out of the race great,” Caldwell said. “If we can make that work, we’ll make that work.”

Caldwell said Tick Tack Mo, who was an 8 1/2- length maiden winner, also will target the colts and geldings division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity. He is a son of Uncle Mo who races for Keene.

“He was a great buy by Mr. Keene,” Caldwell said of the $16,000 purchase at the Texas Thoroughbred Association’s 2-year-olds in training sale in April.

Midknightwar was a head winner in his debut, and was flattered when Tick Tack Mo, who ran third, came back to score. Midknightwar races for Lonestar Thoroughbreds and Caldwell.

“He’s a nice Violence colt we bought at Keeneland last September,” said Caldwell.

He said Midknightwar is headed for the Prairie Gold Juvenile at Prairie Meadows. Caldwell won the race last year with Lone Star maiden winner The Gray Dehere.

Tap and Spin, a 2 1/4-length winner in her debut, will be pointed for the $100,000 fillies division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, said Caldwell. The race also will be run July 14. Tap and Spin is a daughter of Tapiture who races for Keene.

Caldwell on Sunday has a pair of promising 2-year-old fillies in the entries at Lone Star. Flat Precious, by Flat Out, and Lone Star Lady, by Verrazano, figure to start as the top two choices in a maiden special weight at five furlongs that goes as the second race.

Caldwell will head to Remington Park following the close of the Lone Star meet on July 21.