Ellis Park, Race 2 – Thursday, June 15, 2023
By 2YO EdgeMan
ELP2:061523 – 5 1/2 furlongs on the dirt. The maximum number of 16 – all colts – have been entered to throw down against one another, but of course four have been pushed to the Also Eligible (AE) list. Seven of the 12 that made the main field sold at public auction for more than $200K. Nine are brand new to the racing game, two have one prior outing and one has done the racing thing three times prior to today. Trainers? What do you think of this list? Amoss, Norm Casse, Maker, Calhoun, Walsh, Lukas, McPeek, Asmussen, and Cox. Sires? Terrific line up on this, too – Ghostzapper and Into Mischief (Spendthrift Farm) each have two in the main draw, along with one each from Bolt d’Oro (Spendthrift Farm), Sharp Azteca, and Hard Spun. Add to that a First-Crop Sire – Cooper Bullet. You say that you want more? OK, how about Spendthrift Farm’s #1 First-Crop Sire – Omaha Beach (three winners from six starters) with one on the AE list. As you can tell, I’m a tad fired up about this one. So, away we go…
#1 – Pass the Hat (5/1) – Trainer Tom Amoss has been absolutely cleaning up in the spring at Churchill Downs as he went 8 for 21 (38.1%) with an incredible ROI of $7.09 from 2018 thru 2022 with 2YO MSW first-time starters and an even higher strike rate of 12 for 26 (42.6%) and ROI of $6.95 overall in our events during this same time period4. This colt is sired by Collected, out of a Mizzen Mast mare that was unraced, but brought $800K at the KEE Nov Breeding Stock sale in 2020. She’s produced six foals, four that have raced and three winners including a colt named Nashville, that you may remember. He garnered nearly $1/4 million on track going 4 for 8 and setting the track record at Keeneland for six furlongs – 1:07.89. Today’s participant sold for $300K as a yearling last September, $90,000 more than the second-highest-selling yearling from the other 82 that sold last year by his sire. He’s been out seven times in the morning, four at Keeneland and three at Churchill, and has put in some fine efforts – on 5/4/23 at KEE he buzzed a ½ mile in 47 seconds flat (1/37), and then at CD, he went the same distance in 48.0 from the gate on 5/26 (5/71). These fast works are consistent with live FTSs from Amoss’s barn, plus he’s tapped Edgar Morales to ride – the same guy who was in the saddle for three of Amoss’s four 2YO MSW first-out winners last spring at Churchill.
#4 – Mi T Caden (8/1) – This FTS by Ghostzapper hammered down for a pretty penny – $450K (2/10) – after zipping a furlong in 10.0 at OBS in March. Mike Maker signed the ticket and he is the conditioner for the current ownership group. Mom is by Kantharos and she was an accomplished racehorse herself, winning $266K with a record of four wins from 11 starts. In fact, she won in her second start in July of her two-year-old campaign down at Gulfstream P with an 81 E-Speed Figure. She has three other foals of racing age, two that have competed and both were winners. Mike has had her out for seven morning moves, all over at Churchill’s training center, with his best coming on 5/10/23 covering 4f in 48.2 (2/21). Luis Saez will be on board.
#6 – Omex (8/1) – Brendan Walsh will tighten the girth on this racing newbie who is by Spendthrift Farm’s Bolt d’Oro and out of a Scat Daddy mare who was foaled in Ireland. Although she only earned $45,000 on track for her owners by going 3 for 9, two of those wins were in her 2YO year while racing across the pond. She’s only thrown one other foal of racing age and he is 2/9 with $119K in his bank account so far and boasts a top EBSF of 102. $225K was the final price for today’s colt at the Keeneland September yearling sale (17/60). He’s got eight workouts in the books – half at Churchill and the other half on the All-Weather surface at Turfway Park. His best effort came on the synthetic back on 5/10/23 when he went a flat 36 seconds for three furlongs (3/10). Tyler Gaffalione has agreed to ride.
#7 – Beaudacious Colton (6/1) – This homebred brings by far the most experience into this race having been out in the afternoon three times. Last time out, on 5/25 at Churchill, he was the runner-up to an exciting colt – Go Otto Go – however, he finished four lengths behind. Previously, he only got beat by less than two lengths will finishing third to Vitement on 5/3/23, also at CD. Trainer Jack L. Hancock has sent him out for one work over the Ellis Park track – 48.0 for four panels (4/19). The leg up will again go to Walter Rodriguez, who rode him in his last two races.
#8 – Cowboy Code (15/1) – A cool $1 million dollars was the price required for BC Stables to buy this colt by Spendthrift’s Into Mischief when he was offered for sale last September at Keeneland (9/77). Although mom was a bust on the track (only banking $2,000), as a daughter of Unbridled’s Song she brought $500K at the KEE Nov Breeding Stock sale in 2021. This guy has a full sister who is three years old and 1/7 on the track with earnings of $108K with her win coming in her second race last year as a 2YO at Churchill in October when she flashed a 92 EBSF. D. Wayne Lukas has been entrusted to the training duties and as part of that, he’s sent him out for five morning works, all at Churchill, but none too fast. Gabriel Saez will be this colt’s pilot.
#12 – Timberlake (7/2) – The morning line favorite is another Spendthrift Into Mischief colt who will also be making his first start and he’s being prepped by Brad Cox. Another high-priced yearling, this guy demanded $350K as a yearling at KEE in Sept (53/77) and his dam, by Lookin at Lucky, earned $63K going 2/10 while a race mare. Her first foal brought $1.2 million as a yearling back in 2018, but he only went on to cash in for $45,000 in purses on track. Cox has had this dude out for work in the morning seven times – the first was at Winstar’s Training Facility, the next two came at Keeneland and her four most recent efforts were at Churchill. He’s been working fast with his most impressive being a bullet move two back at CD on 5/31/23 going a ½ mile in 47.2 out of the gate (1/34). Florent Geroux will be guiding him from his outside post.
Additionally, there are two AEs of note…
#13AE – Normandy Hero (7/2) is a FTS by Spendthrift’s top First-Crop Sire Omaha Beach. His connections are conditioner Rodolphe Brisset and owner Naoya Yoshida. Additionally, this guy is up for auction in the Game of Silks.
#15AE – Balta (6/1) – Was purchased for $685K back in March down at OBS. He’s sired by Munnings, trained by Paulo Lobo, and owned by Larry Best’s OXO Equine.
Pick – #1 Pass the Hat – This race is a classic example of why many other prognosticators pick three or four horses each race – but that ain’t me. While there are many interesting colts in this one, Pass the Hat is just impossible to pass up. A ½ brother to Nashville that was by far the highest-selling yearling from his sire last year trained by a guy who is absolute money at CD in the spring with these babies and ridden by a fella who he’s partnered with for great success with 2YO MSWs? At morning line odds of 5/1? Yes, please, sign me up! And, best of luck to Vshakerfarms who is the lucky owner of this colt in the exciting Game of Silks.
I’m hoping that the two AEs that I mentioned above don’t get in, hence don’t have to go head-to-head with my pick, and the others.
A quick heads up – we will absolutely continue writing our ‘Sum Up and Learnings’ piece for every race that we cover (these are important), but going forward our plan is to combine them all into one article each week and publish them every Monday. There are also baby races scheduled at Belmont on 5/15 and 5/16, but they are both restricted to NY breds, so I’ll likely pass on them, but anxious to again do my world-famous ‘Picks, Plays and Pontification’ piece for Friday’s 8th race at Ellis Park, posted right here at ‘Past The Wire’. So, until then, be well and be safe, my brilliant Edgies.
