Churchill Downs, Race 2 – Wednesday, May 3, 2023
By 2YO EdgeMan
Life is good! No, we are not talking about the horse by that name – we are excited that it’s Kentucky Derby Week AND we also get our first two-year-old race of the year today at Churchill Downs.
CD2:050323 – 4 1/2f on the dirt. A field of 11 colts are entered and set to do battle. Trainers John Ennis, Luis Mendez and Ismael Bahena each have two in and Mike Maker, William Walden, John A. & Jack L. Hancock will each saddle one runner. Darley’s First-Crop Sire – Enticed – will send out his first ever competitor. Six of the 11 entered in this one have seen previous, live racing action and five will go at it for the first time in their young career. This should be a good one, let’s rock n’ roll…
#2 – Laugh Now (15/1) – Spendthrift Farm’s 1CS Vino Rosso will send out this guy after just having made his debut less than a week ago on Keeneland’s turf track. He hammered down for $20,000 as a yearling – 110th most of the massive 128 of his sire’s yearlings that sold in 2022. His Tiznow dam won once in four races earning a meager $13,000. He has one half-brother who is unraced. Trainer John Ennis (only two for 32 – 6.3% – at CD in the spring over the past five years in these baby races) has not had time to work him since his last run. Jack Gilligan will be in the irons.
#4 – Favoritism (15/1) – This is the first of two runners for Luis Mendez (likely the better of his pair) and, as mentioned above, is by the 1CS – Enticed. He was a $75,000 Yearling (7/73) and then didn’t reach his reserve six weeks ago in the OBS March 2YO sale (RNA $140K) and will be a first-time starter today. Mom won 3 of 15 starts, but only amassed $30,000 in earnings on the track. The mating of his sire / dam earns a ‘A’ rating from TrueNicks. He has a few decent half-siblings; one that went 1/6 $50,000, another that was 2/11 $82,000 and a third that was 3/21 $74,000. He started his morning work regime with three, ½ mile breezes at Dixie Downs and then, most recently, he worked 3f at KEE in 36.8 seconds from the gate (3/22) back on 4/26. Edwin Maldando will handle the riding duties.
#7 – Vitement (10/1) – John Hancock (one winner in 11 tries – 9.1% – in these 2YO MSW races at CD in the spring over the past five years) will tighten the girth on this FTS by Mizzen Mast who has never been sold at public auction. His dam had a racing record of one win in 10 tries and she only brought home $17,000 to her owners and this is her first foal. He’s had five morning works with the first two at Turfway Park and then his last three were a half mile each from the gate at Keeneland. His best was his most recent – on 4/22/23 he went in 47.8 seconds (3/30). Reylu Gutierrez will climb aboard.
#8 – Sonofaship (8/5) – This dude returns to afternoon competition after running a solid second three weeks ago at Keeneland. Conditioner Mike Maker is 2/13 (15.4%) in 2YO MSW events at CD’s Spring Meet since the 2018 meet with one of the two wins coming last June. This colt is by Midshipman out of an Elusive Quality mare (True Nicks didn’t love the mating tho, giving it a ‘D’ rating). He has a ½ brother that went 3/15 earning $172K (including a runner up finish in a G2), while winning as a FTS 2YO at GP, posting a roasting fast 102 EBSF (although it was in December of his 2YO season). Today’s runner sold down at the 2022 Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale for $80,000, which was in the top quarter of his sire’s yearlings that sold last year (9/42). Maker has put one work into this colt since his last race, it was a 3/8 mile move on 4/29 at CD’s Training Track and he did it in 38.4 (1/3). Tyler Gaffalione gets the return assignment.
#10 – Loudermilk (6/1) – Also has experience having run in one juvenile event at KEE back on 4/20/23. In that race, he showed some early speed, but had to settle for 5th place. The late, great Bernardini is the sire of this fella who sold as a yearling last July at Fasig-Tipton for $80,000. He is the first foal from his dam – Ascot Day – who is by Street Sense. She was a fine, stakes placed race mare scoring in four of the 15 races that she ran in and banked nearly a quarter million dollars. No workouts since his last race have been published. Trainer William Walden (one for two in these 2YO MSW races in the past five springs at CD – the one winner was last May 13 at odds of nearly 8/1) looks to Ramon Vasquez to be the pilot.
#11 – Let’s Go Mark (4/1) – This guy ran a fine first race at KEE on 4/13/23 at 14/1, battling for, and earning the lead at the head of the stretch, ultimately succumbing to finish 3rd (this was the same race that Sonofaship ran second). He’s out of an unraced Majesticperfection mare and sired by American Freedom (2023 stud fee is $3,500). TrueNicks puts the mating that produced this colt at a ‘B’. Last October at Fasig-Tipton, he brought $10,000 as a yearling (7/18). Additionally, he does have a couple half-sisters who were good runners. One was 1/7 on the track with $135K in earnings. That filly’s lone win came at first asking here at CD in late November of her 2YO campaign. Another was 5/19 and banked $210K. Trainer John Ennis had him stretch his legs once in the morning since his last racing effort – 4f completed in 51.4 (34/39) at KEE. First call rider Luis Saez gets the nod to ride.
Pick – #8 Sonofaship – I always try not to pick the favorite, but this one stands out having a race under his belt and we can never over look Mike Maker. Gaffalione is a terrific young jockey and he’ll have the benefit of having ridden this colt in his prior event. We look for this son of Midshipman to move forward and graduate today, albeit at a pretty short price.
The first 2YO stakes race of the year (at least of any significance) will be run on Thursday, 5/4/23 as Race 4 at CD. Belmont also has their first baby race of the year on Thursday, but it only drew five entrants and only includes three unique trainers, so we are not going to cover it. Hopefully the BEL juvenile fields will be more robust, soon. In the meantime, have fun with this one under the Twin Spires, my Edgie collegues. More soon…
