A slew of promising juveniles set to debut at Del Mar
Dazzling stakes winner Big City Lights (by Mr. Big) set the bar high for the California juvenile division. Trained by Luis Mendez, who won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity last year with Dr. Schivel, Big City Lights’s 93 Beyer Speed Figure first out, and 85 in the Fasig-Tipton Futurity at Santa Anita, are the highest and third-highest figures by a U.S. juvenile this year.
But the water gets deeper in summer at Del Mar, when the best bred and most expensive 2-year-olds arrive in waves. Del Mar runs about three open maiden special weight races for juveniles each week. Who will challenge Big City Lights? Below are top unraced prospects, based on works and interviews, and listed by trainer. Let the fireworks begin.
Bob Baffert
Recent controversy aside, Baffert enters summer in a familiar role – he trains the state’s deepest string of 2-year-olds. Baffert nominated 32 juveniles to the Del Mar Futurity, a race he has won 14 times.
Baffert declined to comment on his current juveniles, citing ongoing litigation. Based on workouts, many are close to a debut and likely will be well-meant. Baffert-trained juvenile first-time starters won 29 of 76 (38 percent) the past five Del Mar summers.
The colt list includes Barossa (Into Mischief); Dubrovnik (Union Rags), related to Grade 1 winner Paradise Woods; Flying Drummer (Gun Runner), an $850,000 2-year-old by a hot first-crop stallion; and Kendall Square (Quality Road), related to multiple Grade 1 winner Abel Tasman.
Others are Anaheim (Twirling Candy), Lazer Beam (Bernardini), Montebello (Curlin), Murray (Street Sense), Pinehurst (Twirling Candy), and Rockefeller (Medaglia d’Oro). The $1.5 million 2-year-old Corniche (Quality Road) is up to a half-mile in his works.
Fillies include the impeccably bred, sharp-working Mirasol (Arrogate), a sibling to graded winners Mohaymen and New Year’s Day. Midnight Memories (Mastery) has posted fast workouts, as has Captaire (Uncle Mo), a sibling to California Chrome.
Richard Baltas
Two-year-olds trained by Baltas usually debut later in the season, but the filly Bicameral (Constitution) has been working like she could make an early splash. Initially purchased as a pinhook prospect, she was bought back at a 2-year-old sale and reportedly has shown above average ability in workouts at San Luis Rey Downs.
“I think I have a good crop,” Baltas said, adding that others may begin their careers “halfway through the meet.”
Top prospects include Vulin (Kitten’s Joy) and an unnamed filly by Exaggerator whose dam Sluice is a sibling to a Grade 1 winner.
Simon Callaghan
A filly with a two-turn pedigree and summer precocity is Callaghan’s top early prospect. Urban (Quality Road) was produced by a sibling to multiple Grade 1 winner Abel Tasman, who began her career with Callaghan.
Urban “seems way more precocious than a typical Quality Road, she might run in the first book,” Callaghan said.
Callaghan has won juvenile stakes three of the past four Del Mar summers with Run Away, Moonshine Memories, Bellafina, and Amalfi Sunrise.
Two well-regarded fillies had their training interrupted. Celestia (Uncle Mo) is nursing a tender shin, Belle Cherie (Nyquist) has stopped working. The colt Ikigai (Bayern), third in his debut, also is sidelined.
Phil D’Amato
Based on her eight-length debut victory at Santa Anita, Elm Drive (Mohaymen) is an early contender for the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes. More are on the way.
D’Amato trains two well-regarded juveniles by a top sire – the filly Ain’t Easy (Into Mischief) and the colt Classically (Into Mischief). D’Amato said Ain’t Easy has shown promise at Los Alamitos; Classically might want two turns. Both could debut in August.
Others for later in the year include the filly Loma Vista (Midnight Storm) and colts Orneta Code (Honor Code) and Big Beno (Violence).
Peter Eurton
Well-regarded filly Queen of Thorns (Violence) is likely to be the first 2-year-old starter this season for Eurton, followed later by Weemissgrammy (Nyquist).
“Those are the two prominent ones,” Eurton said. Others are a “little behind.”
Mark Glatt
Since she breezed 10 seconds at a 2-year-old sale, was purchased for $575,000, and sent to California, Dance to the Music (Maclean’s Music) had done everything right.
“She’s been able to train right along without interruption,” Glatt said. “She’s very laid back, so she’s been a little bit tough to gauge until I worked her from the gate” in early July.
The work woke up Dance to the Music, who could start soon. Another from the same 2-year-old sale is well-regarded colt One Time Mark (Hard Spun), whose debut will be down the road.
“He’s a big colt who has been all class,” Glatt said. Stay tuned.
Craig Lewis
The filly Warren’s Showgirl (Clubhouse Ride) will begin her career in the shadow of her graded stakes-winning 4-year-old full sister Warren’s Showtime. Early indications are positive for Warren’s Showgirl.
“She appears to be a two-turn horse, Lewis said. “I like the way she moves, but she hasn’t done enough yet” to accurately assess.
In addition to Warren’s Showgirl, Lewis has at least two other promising fillies likely to debut soon – Warren’s Queen Bee (Clubhouse Ride) and Abhita (Clubhouse Ride).
“They’re all Cal-breds, they’re all Clubhouse Rides,” he said. And all three have shown potential.
Richard Mandella
He is loaded with 2-year-olds, though many will not be cranked first out.
“I don’t put the pressure on them I used to,” Mandella said. “I realized I was taking races away by overdoing it. It doesn’t hurt to leave a little room to grow, and not overcook them.”
Recent examples – Beholder and Omaha Beach both raced at 2, neither won first out.
Mandella identified two colts with promise. Sumter (War Front) is expected to debut early; Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) is not far behind.
Mandella’s roster of fillies includes Hemmerle (Tapit), Honor It (Tapit), Infinite Empire (Empire Maker), and Wicked (Ghostzapper).
Man Among Men (War Front) might be a grass colt later, while others are delayed. The colt Laforgia (Into Mischief) is nursing a tender shin; filly Karin With an I (Curlin), the second foal from Beholder, was turned out with what Mandella said was a “little problem, no big deal.”
George Papaprodomou
Cabo Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) breezed in a sharp 20.80 seconds prior to a spring 2-year-old sale and was purchased for $575,000. The colt has not missed a beat since he arrived in California.
“He looks like he’s going to be fast,” Papaprodomou said. “He’s kind of stocky.”
Cabo Spirit blazed three furlongs from the Santa Anita gate in 35.80 on July 4, and is expected to run early. Papaprodromou also trains the filly Violet Storm (Violence), whose future may be long on turf.
Shelbe Ruis
Union Strike put Ruis on the map by winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in 2016. This year, Ruis returns with the filly Classic Coyne (Pioneerof the Nile), a sibling to Union Strike.
“Mentally, she started a little bit behind, so [we thought] okay, she’s not going to be an early 2-year-old. But now she’s starting to pick it up and kind of putting it together,” Ruis said. “We’re a little more hopeful” for a summer start.
Unlike her sibling, Classic Coyne is a rangy, two-turn type, according to Ruis. Another worth following is an unnamed filly (by Nyquist) produced by Seattle Grey. She was purchased as a yearling for $510,000 but will not make the summer meet.
John Sadler
:: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports
Something different this summer is that Sadler’s initial juvenile starters will be California-breds. Two precocious types are expected to start early in the meet – the colt Hay Juan (Danzing Candy) and filly Dendera (Shaman Ghost).
“We’ll probably come in the second week with some of the Kentucky-breds,” Sadler noted. Those could include colts Real Fire (Street Boss) and Frost Alert (Frosted). Both have shown early promise, according to Sadler.
The fillies Spun Beautiful (Hard Spun) and Electric Ride (Daredevil) have worked in company and may debut later. Breakfast Ride (Distorted Humor), a half-brother to Grade 1 winners Overanalyze and Meadow Breeze, also is a potential runner in late summer. Worth noting: Sadler is 7 for 23 (30 percent) with debut 2-year-olds the past five summers at Del Mar.
John Shirreffs
Summertime races for 2-year-olds are not usually a high priority for Shirreffs, but he enters 2021 with a host of prospects.
Colts include Clutch Hitter (Uncle Mo), who Shirreffs said “has the potential to be a nice horse.” Storybook Ride (Candy Ride) is “very precocious, and won’t require a lot of training.”
Union Train (Union Rags) is a “big, rangy colt that is probably further along than all of them.” Union Train, purchased at a 2-year-old sale, already has 10 workouts.
Fillies include Lady T (Into Mischief), who Shirreffs said “looks really precocious.” Talented Lady (Tapit) “is nice, she might be more of a distance horse.”
Cliff Sise
The filly Mitigation (Into Mischief) has posted fast workouts at San Luis Rey Downs and could run early. Three colts from the family of Grade 1 winners Life Is Sweet and Sweet Catomine are in steady training – Honor Award (Medaglia d’Oro), Life On the Nile (Pioneerof the Nile), and Precedent (Into Mischief).