Trendsetter looks to prove he belongs in Peter Pan
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trendsetter has evolved from a restricted sprint stakes winner on dirt last summer to a graded stakes winner around two turns on dirt this spring. At what level he fits in the 3-year-old dirt route division for the summer is to be determined.
Trendsetter passed his first test in graded company last month when he upset the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at 32-1 at Keeneland. Trendsetter figures a much shorter price against four modestly accomplished opponents in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct.
The Peter Pan drew six but will run with fewer as Bull by the Horns is expected to scratch for a potential try at the Preakness. The Peter Pan is typically the local prep for the Belmont Stakes to be run June 6 at Saratoga. Trendsetter is one of three horses in the field who are not Triple Crown nominated but could be supplemented to the Belmont for a $50,000 fee. The top three finishers in the Peter Pan get their entry and starter fees – totaling $30,000 – waived for the Belmont.
Trainer Ben Colebrook said he wants to see how Trendsetter does Saturday before making any decision to supplement. Colebrook said he had in the back of his mind last year that Trendsetter could eventually be a two-turn horse, but he said the horse wasn’t ready for such a challenge as a 2-year-old.
“Last year, had I tried him two turns on the dirt, I don’t know that he would have been as effective as he is now,” Colebrook said. “He’s kind of grown up and gotten stronger mentally and physically. He’s a real laid-back horse, you kind of have to make him do everything. He’s certainly put it all together the last two races.”
Under Kazushi Kimura, Trendsetter got a nice trip behind the speed in the Lexington. He won by 2 1/4 lengths in part because Kimura rode the horse out to the second wire when the race ended at the first.
“He actually galloped out a mile and an eighth and was rolling and getting farther in front,” Colebrook said. “Last race was kind of almost like a mile-and-an-eighth race, which may be a good thing in hindsight. He’s like a bicycle, you got to keep pedaling.”
Trendsetter, owned by Davant Latham, is a son of Modernist, who recorded two of his three career wins in 1 1/8-mile races at Aqueduct, including the then Grade 3 Excelsior in 2021.
Talk to Me Jimmy won the Withers going 1 1/8 miles here in February, taking advantage of a speed-biased track to win by 11 lengths. He was a bit rank pressing the pace in the Wood Memorial, where he ultimately ended up finishing eighth, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by Albus.
Trainer Rudy Rodriguez said he didn’t want to be challenging for the lead in the Wood, and he hopes jockey Manny Franco can get a different type of trip Saturday.
Growth Equity, a son of Nyquist, won a one-mile maiden race for trainer Chad Brown here March 20. Brown isn’t sure how far Growth Equity wants to run but sees the Peter Pan as a good place to find out.
“When you look at the horse, he’s not a big horse, he’s a compact horse, but he’s running like a horse that wants more ground,” said Brown, who trains Growth Equity for Seth Klarman.
Neither Azam nor Gulfy are nominated to the Triple Crown. Azam, a son of McKinzie trained by Jose D’Angelo, is coming out of a maiden win at Gulfstream going a one-turn mile April 18, so he is running back in three weeks. Gulfy, claimed out of a winning effort for $50,000 by trainer Gus Rodriguez on Feb. 27, won a starter allowance by a head here March 27. Both of the races came at a one-turn mile.
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