One And One Sixteenth Miles – Purse $300,000
We’re gearing up for the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity in sunny Cypress, California. This event features two-year-old horses, potential contenders for the 2024 Kentucky Derby. The mile & a 16th contest awards Kentucky Derby qualification points on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis to the top five finishers.
The ongoing impact of the Futurity can be attributed in part to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who won the race a dozen times between 1997 and 2019. Notably, many of Baffert’s victors have gone on to win or place in Triple Crown races. Examples include Point Given, the winner of the 2001 Preakness and Belmont Stakes, and Lookin at Lucky, victorious in the 2010 Preakness.
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The Contenders
We start with the Bob Baffert trained Muth, the runner-up in the BC Juvenile, who appears to be the strongest of the Bob Baffert entries and is likely the favorite. However, reflecting on the race, he performed well; nonetheless, he was outpaced down the stretch by Fierceness.
The G3 Best Pal at Del Mar on August 13th adds an interesting dimension, as it came down to Muth and stablemate Prince of Monaco. Prince of Monaco looked much the best that day. Although he subsequently ran 5th in the BC Juvenile after a 54-day layoff, positioned inside just off the pace and into the stretch, he failed to mount a rally. His prior win at the Del Mar Futurity was another impressive effort, with stablemate Mirahmadi finishing 2nd.
I like what I’m seeing from Nysos so far. His Maiden win at Santa Anita in October was impressive. He went right to the lead at 6f & decimated a field of 10. The speed he shows in the stretch is quite a sight. He wheeled right back at 7f in the G3 Bob Hope & destroyed a 4 horse field that included a couple of good horses in Stronghold & Mission Beach.
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Searching for Value
Phillip D’Amato’s Stronghold, sired by Ghostzapper, the 2004 BC Classic winner, ran well in the Bob Hope; however, he was clearly 2nd best. Ace of Clubs is a Doug O’Neil trained colt with 5 races under his belt making him one of the more experienced horses in the field. He went back to back after breaking his maiden at Del Mar.
I’m sure trainer Tim Yakteen would like to make it back-to-back wins with his colt Rothschild, following his victory with Practical Move in 2022. His colt sired by Uncle Mo is Rothschild. He also has 5 starts w/ two lackluster grade ones & a grade 3 where he came in 3rd.
Lord Bullingdon, trained by Mike McCarthy, will look to move from turf to dirt after an impressive maiden breaking win on Breeders’ Cup Friday at Santa Anita. With jockey Umberto Rispoli delivering a text book ride after stumbling leaving the gate, he managed to get the 3 horse into position & closed with a fury to score the win.
Peter Miller trains Tejon Pass, sired by Justify, ran a distant 3rd in the G3 Bob Hope we viewed already. After wiring the field to break his maiden at 6 and a half on the fast Santa Anita track, he had no shot in the stretch vs Nysos & Stronghold during the 7-furlong test.
Wine Me Up, coming off a 2nd place finish to stablemate Muth in the G1 American Pharoah, caved in the BC Juvenile, beaten over 28 lengths. Baffert has been working him hard since, including a 5 f bullet going 59.6 – ranked 1st of 64 works that day. I think we could get some value on this one.
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