G3 Peter Pan Could Be Springboard To Bigger Things for Bishops Bay

May 12, 2023

Bishops Bay after his Feb. 18 debut win over Preakness contender First Mission (Hodges Photography)

Options Open for Kingsbarns After Derby Try

Belmont Derby, Saratoga Derby Possible for Major Dude

NYRA Press Office

ELMONT, N.Y.— The undefeated Bishops Bay will make his graded stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, at Belmont Park.

The Peter Pan is the traditional local prep for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on June 10. For information and details on hospitality offerings, ticket packages and pricing for the 2023 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which features 16 stakes events from Thursday, June 8 through Saturday, June 10, visit BelmontStakes.com.

Trained by Brad Cox for owners Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing, Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, Rick Kanter, Michael J. Caruso and WinStar Farm, the Uncle Mo colt enters from two consecutive wins at Fair Grounds Race Course.

Bishops Bay earned a field-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure in his career debut going six furlongs on February 18, turning back a deep stretch challenge from eventual graded stakes-winning stablemate First Mission by three-quarters of a length. He returned one month later to defeat winners going a two-turn mile-and-70-yards, where he clipped heels going into the first turn. The talented bay established tactical position down the backstretch and was able to fend off stablemate Demolition Duke for a narrow neck score.

A strong performance from Bishops Bay could make him a candidate for high-caliber events in the summer, according to Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey.

“He’s a horse we’ve been really excited about even prior to his first start and he’s shown a ton of talent,” Toffey said. “The thought is to try and stretch him out in preparation for some of these Classic-type races that second half of the year and the Peter Pan seemed like the right spot to try to do that. So far, he’s been very exciting. He handled the stretch out with no problem, so we’ll see how he handles that big track at Belmont. What he’s been running against, what he’s been beating and the numbers he’s been running have been very, very impressive. He’s a very exciting horse that could be any kind.”

Toffey spoke volumes of Bishops Bay’s multiple Champion-producing sire Uncle Mo, who was a Champion in his own right. The 2010 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt also produced Spendthrift’s Kingsbarns, who captured the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 25 en route to a tiring 14th in last Saturday’s Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“[Uncle Mo] is a nice horse and both himself and Kingsbarns are nice individuals themselves. They happen to be very athletic, correct and very talented,” Toffey said.

Acquired for $450,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Bishops Bay is out of the Grade 1-placed Pioneerof the Nile mare Catch My Drift.

Bishops Bay breaks from the outside in the nine-horse field and will be piloted by regular rider Florent Geroux.

Kingsbarns preps for Derby 149 (JennyPhoto/Past The Wire)

Kingsbarns was undefeated going into the “Run for the Roses.”  He was a close second to the outside of pacesetting Verifying, who set torrid opening fractions in the Derby, but ultimately dropped out of contention nearing upper stretch and finished 25 1/2 lengths behind the victorious Mage.

“We’ll play it by ear and see how he comes out of the race,” Toffey said. “As one might guess, he was pretty tired coming out of it. He’s still a fairly lightly-raced horse. I think we’d be inclined to take a breather, regroup and go from there.”

Toffey said he remains hopeful that Kingsbarns could be a major contender in important two-turn races for sophomores this year, based off his run in the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby.

“He’s proven he can run two turns at a distance of ground. I think the Derby is a race that you throw out,” Toffey said. “He just went too fast too early. After a first half like that, he pretty much had no shot. I don’t think he’s a horse we have to cut back on. We’ll look at all options, but we know he’s capable of running a mile and three-sixteenths. He proved that in the Louisiana Derby.”

Kingsbarns, an $800,000 purchase, is out of the Tapit mare Lady Tapit, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Gozzip Girl.

Major Dude superior in the Kitten’s Joy (G3) Feb. 4 at Gulfstream Park (Ryan Thompson)

Toffey added that the Pletcher-trained Major Dude, a last-out third in the Grade 2 American Turf on May 6 at Churchill Downs, is not out of the question for the 10-furlong Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational on July 8 or the Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational at 1 3/16-miles on August 5.

“We’ll see how he is over the next week or so and figure out a game plan from there. But I certainly wouldn’t rule those out,” Toffey said. “I haven’t talked to Todd about that yet. We’ll just see how he came out, but by all accounts he’s come out of the race nicely.”

Major Dude saved ground along the rail under Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the American Turf and was asked in upper stretch when in the clear, but was outfinished by one-two finishers Webslinger and his stablemate Far Bridge.

“He was working with Kingsbarns and working really well. He ran a really nice race and I thought we had it at the top of the stretch,” Toffey said. “He had a great ground-saving trip and things opened up for him. He was able to split horses and he just ran into some hot horses and didn’t quite get it done. He’s another one that we can have a good rest of the year with.”

Major Dude is by second crop sire Bolt d’Oro, who stands at Spendthrift for a $35,000 stud fee.

“They seem to perform well on any surface, which isn’t too surprising with him being a son of Medaglia d’Oro,” Toffey said of Bolt d’Oro. “Medaglia got plenty of really, really nice dirt horses, and yet he was hugely successful internationally. I think Bolt seems to be filling those shoes nicely.”

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