Wilson Q enters Bashford Manor off victory in key race

The recent past could be key to unlocking this year’s renewal of the $225,000 Bashford Manor Stakes for 2-year-olds on Sunday at Ellis Park, as several of the juveniles entered are exiting key maiden races.

A field of seven is entered, six of them maiden winners. The likely favorite is Wilson Q, well drawn on the rail to use his speed under Reylu Gutierrez. The son of Constitution earned the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the field, a 76 for his debut win by a neck on May 18 at Churchill Downs.

That race has come back with strong form, led by close runner-up Gold Sweep, who won the Tremont Stakes by nine lengths in June at Belmont Park. Third-place finisher Works for Me was a next-out maiden winner at Belmont, while Rhyme Schemes, who finished sixth, won by 9 1/2 lengths next out at Ellis while finishing .51 off a track record. Top of the Street, who finished seventh, was a much-improved second in his next start.

The second-highest Beyer in the Bashford Manor belongs to Magical Mark, a son of young classic sire Good Magic who ran a 74 for his 10-length debut win on May 11 at Lone Star Park for trainer Karl Broberg. Runner-up Emily’s Bullet was a next-out maiden winner at Lone Star.

Call Me Andy and Go Otto Go were both maiden winners at Churchill Downs, while The Wine Steward is coming off a win at Belmont against New York-breds.

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Lou’s Legacy is still a maiden after three starts, but boasts a runner-up finish in the Kentucky Juvenile in May to the promising filly Youalmosthadme. The Kentucky Juvenile third-place finisher, Tranche, came back to win the Fasig-Tipton Futurity at Santa Anita. Lou’s Legacy was most recently fourth behind Call Me Andy at Churchill.

The Bashford Manor was first run in 1902, and was won in its early years by Worth (1911) and Black Gold (1923), both of whom went on to take the following spring’s Kentucky Derby. In more recent history, the race has been won by subsequent classic winner Summer Squall (1989), and by divisional champions Boston Harbor (1996), Favorite Trick (1997), and Classic Empire (2016). Classic Empire went on to be classic-placed.

Earlier on Sunday’s card, the $225,000 Debutante Stakes, for fillies, features the return of the exciting debut winner Hibernacle. She was a 7 1/2-length maiden winner on April 12 at Keeneland as a homebred for trainer Wesley Ward. A few weeks later, she sold for $310,000 to Heider Family Stables at the Keeneland April horses of racing age sale. Hibernacle was subsequently transferred to trainer Brendan Walsh.

V V’s Dream, from the first crop of champion sprinter and promising young stallion Mitole, was a 6 1/4-length debut winner on May 19 at Churchill for Kenny McPeek. She earned a 76 Beyer.

Brightwork was a debut winner at Keeneland for John Ortiz, with Crimson Advocate finishing third in that race. Crimson Advocate has come back to win a pair of stakes, including the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot.

Maiden winners City Ghost, Easy Red, and George’s Honey round out the field.

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