Talented trio meet in Del Mar Futurity
DEL MAR, Calif. – There’s going to be an old-fashioned shootout at Del Mar on Monday featuring the fastest young guns not just in the West but in the country.
Chasing Aces, who owns the highest Beyer Speed Figure among 2-year-olds in the nation this year, and Straight Fire, who has the second-highest figure, will face stakes winner Klimt over seven furlongs – not 20 paces – in the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Futurity, the highlight of the closing-day card.
Chasing Aces and Straight Fire met the first weekend of the meet, going five furlongs on July 17, with Chasing Aces romping by 5 1/4 lengths, earning a lofty 101 Beyer, and drawing interest that led to a majority share being sold.
Straight Fire, the runner-up that day in his debut, came back Aug. 6 and turned in the most eye-catching maiden win of the season, a 10 1/2-length victory that earned a 98 Beyer.
“He’s had nice spacing between his races,” said Keith Desormeaux, who trains Straight Fire. “To go as fast as he did in his first race, you’re concerned that rating might end up being an issue because the goal is to eventually go a distance. But in his second race, it was exciting to see him go that fast and to rate as well as he did. It makes you dream a little.”
Peter Miller, who trains Chasing Aces, said the win by Straight Fire encouraged him in that it franked Chasing Aces’s form, but it also made him realize that he’d have a formidable opponent come Labor Day.
“A little bit of both,” Miller said. “It was flattering to see that horse come back and do what he did, but it gave me pause. He’s a good horse, too.”
Klimt, whose résumé would be good enough to earn favoritism in this race in most years, will be the third choice. He won the Futurity’s major prep, the Grade 2 Best Pal, going 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 13, giving him two wins in three starts. He is the most-experienced horse in the race.
“It’s a pretty tough race,” said Klimt’s trainer, Bob Baffert, who has won the Futurity a record 12 times in the last 20 years. “That Desormeaux colt is pretty damn fast, and the other horse ran fast, too. There’s a much stronger group of 2-year-olds on the West Coast. We haven’t seen anything like that on the East Coast this year.”
Three others were entered, including Midnight Pleasure, a winner of his lone start July 24. Dynamic Ruler and Vegas Itch, last-minute entries, were both well beaten in their only starts and will be decided longshots if they run.
“It’s short on numbers but high on quality,” Miller said.
The Futurity goes as race 5 on the 10-race card, so it will kick off the pick six, which must be paid out since it is closing day.
Preceding the Futurity is the $75,000 Pirate’s Bounty, for older sprinters at 5 1/2 furlongs, which goes as race 3. Later in the day is the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, which goes as race 8 and is headed by the Desormeaux-trained With Honors, currently ranked the best 2-year-old female grass runner on this circuit.
First post time is the usual 2 p.m. Pacific.
KEY CONTENDERS
Chasing Aces, by Flatter
Last 2 Beyers: 101-73
◗ After finishing second in his debut at Santa Anita on June 25, he showed marked improvement the second time out when racing at Del Mar.
◗ He has been in steady training at San Luis Rey Downs, where Miller is based, and has worked five times since his maiden win, including a seven-furlong drill in 1:25.40 on Aug. 25.
“He pulled up a mile in 1:39 and change,” Miller said. “He’s trained super. He’s doing very well.”
Straight Fire, by Dominus
Last 2 Beyers: 98-87
◗ With Chasing Aces drawing the rail and Straight Fire right alongside him in post 2, they should be battling right from the start.
“They’re exciting horses,” said Desormeaux, whose colt has the advantage of being drawn outside his primary rival.
Klimt, by Quality Road
Last 3 Beyers: 82-75-66
◗ He has steadily improved with every start, his figures climbing as the distances of his races have increased.
“He’s always shown us he wants more distance,” Baffert said. “He moves like a good horse.”
Midnight Pleasure, by Midnight Lute
Beyer: 65
◗ He was a solid winner of his debut as a 20-1 shot, but this is a far tougher assignment.