Churchill Downs, Race 2 – Wednesday, May 1, 2024
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By The 2YO EdgeMan
CD2:050124 – 4 1/2f on Dirt. Purse = $120K. Ten boys (eight colts and two geldings) will bang heads in this first baby race of the year at Churchill and it looks to be a dandy. Both Jack L. Hancock and Steve Asmussen will saddle two, with other notable trainers being Mark Casse, Chapman, Ward, and Pletcher. On the sire side, we’ve got the likes of Bernardini, Tapit, and Practical Joke. Add to that, three debut sires Tiz the Law, Game Winner, and Complexity. Let’s take a closer look at half the field…
#1 – Sing Sing (8/1) – Tiz the Law will send out his second starter in search of his first winner. This colt is by a Galileo mare who was one for seven in her racing days, winning $38,000 in purse money. She has two other foals, but neither has been dazzling on the track. This dude brought only $25,000 as a yearling (60/77) but turned into a decent pinhook when he sold earlier this year in March as a two-year-old down in Ocala for $90,000 (11/16). Trainer Mark Casse (four for 32 – 12.5% – at CD Spring Meet over the previous five years in 2YO MSW events) kept this fella in Florida for three official morning workouts at his facility which totaled 11 total furlongs. Jose Ortiz will be his pilot.
#3 – Johnny Come Lately (3/1) – The Morning Line favorite is bred and trained by Wesley Ward (two for 28; 7.1% with babies in MSW at the Churchill Spring Meet over the previous five years), but he sold his ownership in a private deal to David Gruskos. Ward’s Hootenanny is the sire and the Irish-bred dam (two for 18; $30,000) is by Mujadil. Mama has thrown five other foals of racing age and three of them were winners at age 2, including one who won at first asking at Keeneland in April flashing an 86 Equibase Speed Fig and another who won at Belmont in May, posting a fantastic 90 EBSF. Today’s combatant was originally entered last week at KEE, but was subsequently scratched. His work tab shows six workouts over the Lexington strip and his first three were all three furlong bullets with sub 36 second times. Walter Rodriguez has been named as his jockey.
#5 – Mitwajid (4/1) – Pletcher will cinch the girth on this Bernardini colt whose winless dam (0 for three) is by Medaglia d’Oro and she only has one other foal of racing age. This guy is a Shadwell Farms homebred and it is interesting that that powerhouse typically doesn’t race their babies before the summer (only one 2YO MSW runner prior to July over the past five years). Todd started drilling this guy down at Palm Meadow Downs where he worked four times (14 furlongs) and he earned a small bullet in his first work on 3/29/24 when he went three panels in 37.8 seconds (1/6). He also has one 4f spin on the Churchill oval. Irad will be in charge on top of this colt.
#6 – Predecessor (5/1) – This colt is Asmussen’s first of two in this affair and he’s by the great Tapit. Mama is by Pioneerof the Nile and she was two for eight as a race mare, banking $45,000. She only has one other foal of racing age. This fella was never sold at public auction and he’s been working over at Keeneland where he’s been out on four morning occasions. His times are nothing to write home about, but that is not abnormal for Asmussen juveniles. He’s logged 15 furlongs in his four drills. Tyler will slip his boots into the stirrups on this guy.
#7 – Complex Music (6/1) – First-Crop Sire Complexity will send out this colt who is by a Malibu Moon mare. Mom only started once and didn’t find the Winner’s Circle, but she’s thrown five other foals, one who was a winner at age 2, however that victory came at Canterbury Park. Today’s runner initially sold for $62,000 as a yearling (45/84) and then was pinhooked as a 2YO for $110K (11/24). Asmussen also trains this guy and he’s been working him down the road at Keeneland where he’s been out for three morning spins. His best was on 4/14/24 when he went three panels from the gate in 36 seconds flat (3/43). Steve will hand the reins to his son Keith.
Pick – #6 Predecessor – Asmussen has won more than twice as many 2YO MSW races (24) at Churchill in the Spring over the past five years than his nearest competitor. He accomplished this by saddling 106 starters for a 22.6% strike rate. His sire/dam cross of Tapit/Pioneerof the Nile shows two 2YO starters in MSW affairs of $30,000+ over the past 12 years with one winner. Even though he’s not show a bunch in the morning, I’m a big fan of Winchell and, as you know, also of Tyler.
Check back into PastTheWire.com tomorrow for a piece on Thursday’s Race 3 at CD. Until then, stay safe, be well and start getting fired up for Derby!
