Dixiana Breeders' Futurity Racing Roundup

Trainer Todd Pletcher will send Tizracer to the starting gate Saturday as the 4-1 morning line favorite in the 99^th running of the $400,000 Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity Stakes (G1) at Keeneland racetrack.

Tizracer comes into the Dixiana off of an impressive 10½-length romp, and earned a 100 Brisnet Speed Figure, in his maiden-breaking win at Belmont Park on September 8. Despite that effort, though, there are other horses I like better in this overflow field of 16 young Thoroughbreds.

Four horses I like best are: Balance The Books (5-1), Craving Carats (12-1), Java’s War (12-1) and Joha (6-1). However, Balance The Books, Craving Carats and Joha are also entered in the Bourbon Stakes (G3) which will be ran at Keeneland on Sunday.

If any of those horses run in the Bourbon Stakes (preferably Joha) that would simplify my wagering in the Dixiana.

Craving Carats is a horse that I have been following for some time and he appeared to be improving with each race. However, in his last race – the With Anticipation Stakes (G2) – he failed to run to his previous form and finished in eighth place, eight lengths behind the winner Balance The Books.

Craving Carats had previously defeated Balance The Books and I was a bit surprised that he did not run well considering his improving form and that he most likely is (was) the horse that Donegal Racing hoped would be their Kentucky Derby horse.

In the past, Donegal Racing used the With Anticipation Stakes as the stakes debut for two of their Derby horses – Paddy O’Prado and Dullahan. Both horses finished third in the With Anticipation Stakes and they would go on in their three-year-old season to finish third in the Kentucky Derby.

Despite his poor performance, I’m willing to overlook Craving Carats last race. Craving Carats’ pedigree suggests that he may have classic potential but I have seen many horses with nice pedigrees that never earned classic honors. Only time will tell if Craving Carats can live up to his breeding.

Trainer Dale Romans makes a jockey switch to Kent Desormeaux and a recent bullet work out at Keeneland – the only bullet he’s ever fired – could have Craving Carats primed to run a good race.

In his maiden debut, Balance The Books only lost by a half-length to Craving Carats on August 4 at Saratoga Race Course. Later that month at Saratoga, Balance The Books made a strong rally in the stretch of the With Anticipation Stakes to defeat runner up Joha by a head.

Balance The Books appears to have the will to win and with Lemon Drop Kid as his sire and Seeking The Gold as his damsire, he has a pretty good pedigree too. His Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile of 71.25 is the second highest in the field next to Craving Carats’ Profile of 82.5.

If Balance The Books continues to improve, he’ll be tough to beat in the Dixiana.

In July, Java’s War finished fifth in his maiden debut at Churchill Downs. He was only beaten by two lengths in that race and since then he’s put together two back-to-back wins including a narrow victory by a neck in the Sunday Silence Stakes at Louisiana Downs on September 8.

Java’s War earned a 90 speed figure for his effort in the Sunday Silence stakes and his time of 1:36.73 for the mile is the kind that I like to see in a young colt that may have classic potential.

War Pass, the sire of Java’s War, was a brilliant 2-year-old colt that won the Champagne Stakes (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1). As a 3-year-old, War Pass finished second in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) and was later taken off the Derby Trail because of an injury.

Rainbow Quest, the damsire, and Blushing Groom, the second damsire of Java’s War, were both Classic Champion Thoroughbreds.

Java’s War is a sire-line descendant of Cherokee Run and in my July 3, 2009 blog I wrote about the importance of keeping an eye on young colts that are descendants of Cherokee Run when they stretch out in route races.

The Cherokee Run sire line has produced numerous young Thoroughbreds that proved to be pretty good middle-distance horses: Kafwain, Sir Cherokee, Chelokee, Zanjero, War Pass, Recapturetheglory, Yonaguska, The Pamplemousse and Musket Man.

If Java War lives up to his breeding, he’ll be competitive in the Dixiana.

In five starts, Joha has never been out of the money.

In May, Joha broke his maiden on his third start at Belmont Park and followed that up with a narrow win by a head in the Colin Stakes at Woodbine on July 14. A month later, Joha followed up that victory with a narrow loss by a head to Balance The Books at Saratoga on August 30.

Johar, the sire of Joha, was a pretty good middle-distance runner that was able to stretch out and win in a dead heat with High Chaparral the 12-furlong Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and he narrowly defeated The Tin Man by a head in winning the 10-furlong San Marcos Stakes (G2) in a record time of 1:47.92.

If Joha repeats the form of his previous races, he’ll be competitive in the Dixiana.

The Dixiana, along with the Champagne Stakes (G1) which will also be ran Saturday at Belmont Park, and the Grey Stakes (G3) at Woodbine on Sunday, are Kentucky Derby qualifying races. The winner of those races will receive 10 points each, the second-place finisher will receive four points, the third-place finisher will receive 2 points and the fourth-place finisher will receive 1 point.

After those races, I’ll post the updated list of Kentucky Derby qualifying leaders at the end of this blog.

Good luck!

Kentucky Derby 2013 Leaderboard

(Updated October 6, 2012)

Individual Leaders, total points

Joha, 10

Power Broker, 10

Shanghai Bobby, 10

Steeler, 10

Artigiano, 4

Dynamic Sky, 4

Goldencents, 4

Know More, 4

Al Waab, 2

Capo Bastone, 2

Fortify, 2

Java’s War, 2

Archwarrior, 1

Carving, 1

Birdman, 1

Pataky Kid, 1

Royal Lodge Stakes (Group 2), Newmarket, September 29, 2012

1. Steeler,10

2. Artigiano,4

3. Al Waab,2

4. Birdman,1

Frontrunner Stakes (G1), Santa Anita Park, September 29, 2012

1. Power Broker, 10

2. Know More, 4

3. Capo Bastone, 2

4. Carving, 1

Foxwoods Champagne Stakes (G1), Belmont Park, October 6, 2012

1. Shanghai Bobby, 10

2. Goldencents, 4

3. Fortify, 2

4. Archwarrior, 1

Dixiana Breeders’ Futurity (G1), Keeneland, October 6, 2012

1. Joha, 10

2. Dynamic Sky, 4

3. Java’s War, 2

4. Pataky Kid, 1

Frontrunner Stakes Racing Roundup

Today at Santa Anita Park, trainer Doug O’Neill will send Know More to the starting gate as the 3-1 morning line favorite in the debut of the $250,000 Frontrunner Stakes (G1) which was formerly known as the Norfolk Stakes.

The Frontrunner is an important prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes (G1) later this fall at Santa Anita Park. It also is the first race of the new grading system used by Churchill Downs to determine eligibility for the Kentucky Derby (G1) next spring. The winner of the Frontrunner will receive 10 points, the second-place finisher will receive four points, third-place finisher will get two points and the fourth-place finisher will get one point.

In the months to come, I’ll be keeping a chart of the points that each horse has accumulated on the Kentucky Derby Trail and it looks like it will be easy to keep track of the leaders – time will tell.

In August, owner J. Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill sent the first-time starter Know More to the starting gate at 8-1 odds in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar racetrack and the gamble paid off with a win for the nice looking son of Lion Heart.

They brought Know More back a month later at the same track and, after trailing mid-pack for most of the race, he rallied in the stretch to finish second to Rolling Fog in the Del Mar Futurity (G1).

Know More was my long shot pick in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) and I liked him in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) too. If Know More continues to move forward, he should be competitive in today’s race.

Lion Heart, the sire of Know More was competitive as a two-year-old, winning the Hollywood Prevue (G3) and Hollywood Futurity (G1). The damsire of Know More is the Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and the dam, Seattle Qui, has four winners from five starters and two stakes winner.

Spectacular Bid, the sire of the second dam Qui Bid, won the Young America Stakes, Laurel Futurity, Worlds' Playground Stakes and Champagne Stakes (G1) as a 2-year-old. As a 3-year-old, Spectacular Bid won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes (G1) and finished third in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

In addition, Spectacular Bid also sired the 1993 Norfolk winner Shepherd’s Field.

Trainer Bob Baffert has won the Norfolk Stakes a record five times and it looks like he’s aiming to be the first winner of the Frontrunner Stakes (G1). Baffert sends three horses to the starting gate today – Power Broker (4-1), Carving (6-1) and Den’s Legacy (12-1). Of those three, I like Power Broker the best.

Power Broker has yet to break his maiden and he comes into the race with a narrow loss in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf Stakes at Del Mar on September 5. The time of 1:35 for the race is what I like to see in a young competitor and if he repeats that performance he should be competitive in today’s race.

Pulpit, the sire of Power Broker, also sired Essence of Dubai who won the 2001 edition of the Norfolk Stakes and later went on as a 3-year-old to win the UAE 2000 Guineas Stakes (G3), UAE Derby (G2) and Super Derby (G2).

Wild Again, the damsire of Power Broker, won the 1984 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

Dry Summer (6-1) comes in to the race with a narrow win by a neck over Power Broker in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf Stakes. Both horses earned a 90 Brisnet Speed Figure for that effort which is the highest speed figure of all the young horses entered in today’s race.

As a 2-year-old, Any Given Saturday, the sire of Dry Summer, was a decent middle-distance horse who won an 8½-furlong allowance race at Keeneland and finished second at the same distance in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2).

Dry Summer is a descendant of the Mr. Prospector sire line which has produced the most winners of the Norfolk since 1990: Supremo (1994), Souvenir Copy (1997), Roman Ruler (2004), Street Hero (2008), Lookin at Lucky (2009) and Jaycito (2010).

If Dry Summer continues to move forward, he should be competitive in today’s race.

A long shot I like is Dirty Swagg who comes into the race at 12-1 morning line odds. In his first three starts, Dirty Swagg struggled as a competitor finishing off the board in all three races. But in his last outing, Dirty Swagg finally broke his maiden to win by a half-length going a mile at Del Mar racetrack on September 1.

Dirty Swagg will have to improve his game and continue to move forward if he is going to win the Frontrunner and he has the breeding to do that.

Street Hero, the sire of Dirty Swagg, won the 2008 running of the Norfolk Stakes (G1) and he’s also a descendant of the Mr. Prospector sire line.

Dirty Swagg’s damsire, Tabasco Cat, and Conquistador Cielo, the sire of the second dam, were both Classic Champion Thoroughbreds.

If Dirty Swagg looks good in the paddock, he could be worthy of a wager.


Addendum

I got my schedule messed up and thought that the Royal Lodge Stakes was next weekend. Here are the Kentucky Derby leaders:

Kentucky Derby 2013 Leaderboard

Individual Leaders, total points

Power Broker, 10
Steeler, 10
Know More, 4
Artigiano, 4
Capo Bastone, 2
Al Waab, 2

Carving, 1
Birdman, 1

Royal Lodge Stakes (Group 2), Newmarket, September 29, 2012
1. Steeler
2. Artigiano
3. Al Waab
4. Birdman

Frontrunner Stakes (G1), Santa Anita Park, September 29, 2012
1. Power Broker
2. Know More
3. Capo Bastone
4. Carving

Del Mar Futurity Racing Roundup

Last month, owner J. Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O’Neill sent the first-time starter Know More to the starting gate at 8-1 odds in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar racetrack and the gamble paid off with a win for the nice looking son of Lion Heart.

Today, Reddam will send Know More to the starting gate in the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity (G1) as the 5-2 morning line favorite.

Know More was my long shot pick in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) and it looks like O’Neill, who is on suspension, and Reddam know how to pick good spots for their young colts to be successful competitors – they are the connections of this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner I’ll Have Another.

Assistant trainer Leandro Mora will prep Know More for today’s race.

As a two-year-old, Know More’s sire Lion Heart won the Hollywood Prevue (G3) and Hollywood Futurity (G1). The damsire of Know More is the Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and the dam, Seattle Qui, has four winners from five starters and two stakes winner.

If Know More repeats his performance in the Best Pal, he’ll be tough to beat.

Trainer John Sadler sends Capo Bastone, the 3-1 morning line second-choice, and Scherer Magic (8-1) to the starting gate in today’s race.

Of the pair, I like Capo Bastone the best. He comes into today’s race with a nice maiden win at Del Mar on August 4 and a recent bullet work out could have him ready to run a good race.

Street Boss, the sire of Capo Bastone, is ranked fourth on the Thoroughbred Times Freshman Sire List with 10 winners in 31 starters for a 32 percent strike rate.

Scherer Magic was undefeated in two previous starts and the favorite going into the Best Pal Stakes. He easily won his maiden debut by 7¼-lengths at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 14 and followed up that romp a month later at the same track with a 2½-length win in the Hollywood Juvenile Championships Stakes (G3).

But Scherer Magic did not race to his previous form and finished in a disappointing fifth-place, 5¼-lengths behind the victor Know More.

Since that race, jockey Joe Talamo has been replaced by Corey Nakatani and while I’m not looking for a win from Scherer Magic in today’s race, if he looks good in the paddock and post parade, he could be worthy of a wager in the exotics.

A long shot I like in this race is Pure Loyalty (30-1) who closed from 8-lengths off the pace in his maiden debut to finish second to Tree Of Life who is another nice looking son of Lion Heart.

With Simon Pure as his sire and Arch as the damsire, Pure Loyalty should like the increase in distance to 7-furlongs. A recent bullet work out could indicate that he is ready to run a good race for trainer Mark Glatt.

Good luck with your picks!

Hopeful Stakes Racing Roundup

Owners George and Lori Hall will send the coupled entry of Bern Identity and Vegas No Show to the starting gate today as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the 108^th running of the $300,000 Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course.

Bern Identity comes into the race with a 1¼-length win in the Sanford Stakes (G2) last month at Saratoga. Vegas No Show comes into the race with a one-length win in one mile maiden race at Delaware Park on July 26.

Both horses are trained by Kelly Breen who, with a recent bullet work out for both colts, could have them ready to run a good race.

Of the two, I look for Bern Identity to be the most competitive. I don’t think he’ll win but he could be a factor in the exotics.

The young horse I like best in this race is the Distorted Humor colt Fortify (4-1) who was an impressive 5½-length winner in this maiden debut on August 4 at Saratoga.

He showed a lot of speed in his debut and he still had a lot left at the end of the race. Since then he’s fired an impressive bullet work out for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and if he repeats the winning performance of his debut, Fortify will be tough to beat.

I also think Fortify has the best pedigree of this bunch. His sire Distorted Humor sired the classic champions Funny Cide and Drosselmeyer and he’s the grandsire of I’ll Have Another.

Fortify is a descendant of the Mr. Prospector sire line and that line has produced the most Hopeful winner since 1990: Dublin (2009), Vineyard Haven (2008), Circular Quay (2006), Afleet Alex (2004), Silver Wagon (2003), Came Home (2001), City Zip (2000, dead-heated with Yonaguska), Smoke Glacken (1996) and Great Navigator (1992).

A long shot I like in this race is Majestic Hussar (8-1) who comes into the race for trainer Eddie Kenneally off of an impressive 6¼-length win in 6-furlong maiden race in the slop at Saratoga on August 11.

Majestic Hussar showed good speed from the gate and looked professional down the lane in his maiden win. If he repeats that performance, Majestic Hussar could be competitive in the Hopeful.

Another long shot I like is Show Some Magic (6-1) who finally broke his maiden after his fourth attempt for trainer Steve Asmussen with a win in a 5½-furlong sprint at Saratoga on August 16.

Prior to his maiden victory, Show Some Magic had been racing in good company with a second-place finish to Circle Unbroken who went on to win the Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) and another second-place finish to Spurious Precision who later won the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2).

Distorted Humor is the grandsire of Show Some Magic whose sire Any Given Saturday finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) as a 2-year-old. On the 2007 Kentucky Derby Trail, Any Given Saturday was a competitive colt that won the Sam Davis Stakes, finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and third in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1).

Real Quiet, the damsire of Show Some Magic, won the 1998 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) and lost the Belmont Stakes (G1) by a nose to Victory Gallop.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends the coupled entry of Lawn Man and Shanghai Bobby to the starting gate for Starlight Racing as the 7-2 morning line third choice.

Lawn Man comes into the Hopeful off of a 4½-length maiden win at Saratoga on July 28 and in his last race Shanghai Bobby won the 5½-furlong Track Barron Stakes at Belmont Park on June 27.

Lawn Man has a pretty decent pedigree with Flatter as his sire and classic winner Go For Gin as the damsire.

Harlan’s Holiday, the sire of Shanghai Bobby, was competitive as a two year old winning the Iroquois Stakes (G3), Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes, Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes and the Hoover Stakes.

Jockey Rosie Napravnik had the mount on Shanghai Bobby in his previous two starts and she retains the mount for today’s race.

Good luck with your picks!

With Anticipation Stakes Racing Roundup

The With Anticipation Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course has proven to be an important Kentucky Derby prep race and harbinger of things to come for Donegal Racing and trainer Dale Romans who sends Craving Carats (8-1) to the starting gate today in the $200,000 graded stakes race.

In 2009, Paddy O’Prado finished third for Romans and team Donegal in the fifth running of the With Anticipation Stakes. Dullahan carried the Donegal colors to a third-place finish in the 2011 With Anticipation Stakes.

The With Anticipation Stakes was a key race for both Paddy O’Prado and Dullahan who would go on in their three-year-old season to finish third in the Kentucky Derby.

With that history, I’m anxious to see how well Craving Carats performs in today’s race. I have been following Craving Carats since June and I believe that he could have the potential to be the best performer that Donegal Racing has put on the Triple Crown Trail.

He’s improved his game in each of his previous four starts and he finally broke his maiden earlier this month in an 8½-furlong turf race at Saratoga – both Paddy O’Prado and Dullahan broke their maiden on their fifth attempt.

His pedigree is pretty good and suggests that Craving Carats may have classic potential. Time will tell.

Joha (7-2), a narrow winner of the Colin Stakes at Woodbine on July 14, is moving up in class and he’s yet to run in a route race. However, if he’s anything like his sire, Johar, he could be competitive in the With Anticipation.

Johar was a pretty good middle-distance runner that was able to stretch out and win in a dead heat with High Chaparral the 12-furlong Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and he narrowly defeated The Tin Man by a head in winning the 10-furlong San Marcos Stakes (G2) in a record time of 1:47.92.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends Charming Kitten to the starting gate as the 3-1 morning line favorite for owners Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey.

Charming Kitten, like Craving Carats, is one of the few horses in the field that has raced 8½-furlongs. He comes into the race with a maiden win at Saratoga on July 28 and if he repeats that performance he should be competitive.

Two long shots I like are Notacatbutallama  and Hightail – both at listed at 15-1 on the morning line.

Notactabuallama has run in two solid 8½-furlong races at Saratoga in the month of August. He won his last race on August 20 by an easy 6½-length margin and the time of 1:43 and change for his two previous starts is pretty decent.

Todd Pletcher trains Notactabuallama and he’s wheeling him back into competition off of ten days rest, so he could be ready to run a good race.

Hightail is also moving up in class and he’s yet to run in a route race. But he ran the best race of his career finishing second in his last race when trainer D. Wayne Lukas switched Hightail to the turf.

If Hightail looks good in the paddock and post parade, he could be worthy of a wager because his pedigree suggests that he should be able to easily handle the distance.

His sire, Mineshaft, was a good middle-distance runner that stretched his speed out to win the 10-furlong Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and the Suburban Handicap (G1).

Saratoga Special Stakes Racing Roundup

Trainer Todd Pletcher will be looking to earn his first win today in the $200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2), when he sends Drum Roll (6-1) and the 2-1 morning line favorite Shanghai Bobby to the starting gate the 107^th running of the prestigious stakes race at Saratoga Race Course.

Of the pair, I like Shanghai Bobby the best. He comes into the race undefeated in two starts and in his last outing he won the 5½-furlong Track Barron Stakes at Belmont Park.

His sire, Harlan’s Holiday, was competitive as a two year old winning the Iroquois Stakes (G3), Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes, Cleveland Kindergarten Stakes and Hoover Stakes.

Jockey Rosie Napravnik has had the mount on Shanghai Bobby in his previous two starts and she retains the mount for today’s race.

Spurious Precision, trained by Richard Violette, could be tough to beat if he repeats the performance of his maiden debut win last month at Saratoga.

His Brisnet E1, E2 and LP figures are on par with the figures for today’s race and his 101 Speed figure is the second fastest in the field next to the 103 speed figure Shanghai Bobby earned in the Track Barron Stakes.

“It’s a little bit quick back, not ideal, but he’s doing very well,” said Violette in a track news story. … We have an opportunity to run here, and if the stars align, look ahead to a race like the Champagne [Stakes, G1].”

High Cotton, the sire of Spurious Precision, finished second in the Iroquois Stakes (G3) and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) as a two year. His best 2-year-old to date is Currency Swap who showed promise last year in winning the 7-furlong Hopeful Stakes (G1) but faded toward the end of the season.

A bullet work out at Saratoga on August 7 could have Spurious Precision ready to make the jump to graded stakes competition.

Two long shots I like in this race are In Harm’s Way (6-1) and Dan The Tin Man (8-1). Both colts finished fourth in their maiden debut but made a big improvement in their next start to win by open lengths.

In Harm’s Way has the best breeding of the bunch but it remains to be seen if he will live up to his breeding. His Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile is 63.75 making it the highest profile of the colts entered in the race.

Dan The Tin Man fired a bullet work out at Woodbine on August 5 and he could be ready to run a good race.

If both colts continue to improve, they should be competitive.

Good luck!

Best Pal Stakes Racing Roundup

Undefeated Scherer Magic heads a field of eight 2-year-old Thoroughbreds who will go to the starting gate Sunday in the 42^nd running of the $150,000 Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar racetrack.

Trained by John Sadler, Scherer Magic easily won his maiden debut by 7¼-lengths at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 14 and followed up that romp a month later at the same track with a 2½-length win in the Hollywood Juvenile Championships Stakes (G3).

Jockey Joe Talamo who’s ridden Scherer Magic in his previous two starts retains the mount in the Best Pal. A bullet work out on July 30 should have Scherer Magic primed and I look for him to run another good race.

Two horses I especially like in this race are Heir of Storm and Moreno who faced off in their maiden debut last month at Betfair Hollywood Park. Heir of Storm won the 5½-furlong contest by only a half-length and Moreno made a nice move in the stretch to narrow the three-length lead of Heir of Storm and finish third.

Here’s the chart call:

HEIR OF STORM off a bit slowly, moved up inside to stalk the pace then was shuffled back into the turn, came out into the stretch, rallied under urging to the lead in deep stretch, inched away and held gamely. … MORENO was bumped and squeezed at the start, settled off the rail, went outside on the turn and four wide into the stretch and finished well between foes late.

Ghostzapper, the sire of Moreno, is a good sire but he’s yet to get an outstanding 2-year-old runner in his previous five crops. However, I like the move Moreno made in his debut and if he improves off of that start, he should be competitive in the Best Pal.

Moreno also has a nice pedigree and if he lives up to his breeding he should be competitive in the summer and fall stakes races.

Moreno’s sire, Ghostzapper, was an outstanding, fast runner who dominated in his sprint races and was able to carry to his speed to a 3-length victory in the 10-furlong, 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic – in a record-setting time of 1:59.02.

Awesome Again, the grandsire of Moreno, won the 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic and he also won the Canadian Classic Queen’s Plate Stakes. The damsire line is reinforced with the influence of the Classic Champion Thoroughbreds A. P. Indy and Seattle Slew – winner of the 1977 Triple Crown.

The tail-female line of Moreno descends from the outstanding Canadian-bred Reine-de-Course mare No Class, the dam of outstanding champions Sky Classic, Regal Classic and Grey Classic.  Dancethruthedawn, the second dam of Moreno, was a Classic Champion Thoroughbred winner of the Queen’s Plate Stakes and third dam Dance Smartly was a Canadian Triple Crown winner. Danceinthesunlight, the dam of Moreno, was unraced.

The Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile of Moreno is 77.5, which is pretty good. Only time will tell how well Moreno fares in his juvenile season of racing.

Honorable mention goes to Miss Empire, a filly trained by Peter Miller, and the first-time starter Know More who is trained by Doug O’Neill and owned by Reddam Racing LLC – the same connections of the 2012 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) winner I’ll Have Another.

Miss Empire showed promise in her stakes debut winning the Cinderella Stakes by 4¾-lengths. However in her last race, the Landaluce Stakes, Miss Empire finished third, 4 ½-lengths behind the winner Executiveprivilege.

Miss Empire also has good breeding. Her Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile is 86.25 but she has yet to live up to her breeding and she’ll need to improve her game if she’s going to win the Best Pal.

One never knows how first-time starters like Know More will fare in their maiden debut. However he has some nice breeding in sire Lion Heart who won the Hollywood Prevue (G3) and Hollywood Futurity (G1) as a 2-year-old.

The damsire of Know More is the Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew and the dam, Seattle Qui, has three winners from four starters and one stakes winner.

If Know More looks good in the post parade, he might be a nice long shot.