Maxfield received the 2019 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in his second begin for owner-breeder Godolphin and coach Brendan Walsh and headed west as one of many favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Park.
However he was scratched from the race and underwent surgical procedure for an ankle chip a few weeks later, costing himself a championship alternative.
5 years later, it is likely to be time for a California do-over for these similar connections — they’ve one other gifted colt in East Avenue, who scored a front-running victory within the $594,063 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Oct. 5 at Keeneland Race Course, enhancing to 2-for-2 after an preliminary maiden win in Kentucky.
Although these parts are the identical, how East Avenue received was totally different. Whereas Maxfield scored from off the tempo, East Avenue busted out to the result in safe place in Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile race, shed rivals in a tough run to the primary flip, and cruised dwelling as a 5 1/4-length winner over favored Ferocious.
The drama would come after the race, when Luis Saez, rider of Ferocious, claimed foul towards East Avenue, alleging interference into the primary flip as a number of runners tried to safe place. Stewards by no means posted the inquiry signal however reviewed replays for over 5 minutes following the objection. They made no change to the order of end.
“He was a lot the perfect. It will have been theft if he had been taken down,” mentioned successful coach Brendan Walsh, including that he believed it was Optical, who was later outrun, that made early contact with Ferocious.
Saez disagreed, saying East Avenue, underneath Tyler Gaffalione, “got here down and bumped us fairly onerous.”
It was fairly an eventful jiffy for Ferocious, the Hopeful Stakes runner-up, who reared within the beginning gate, unseating Saez. He was backed out from the within publish place of the beginning gate, examined by a observe veterinarian, and reloaded. After being shuttled again approaching the primary flip, he stalked the tempo inside, taking dust in his face earlier than grabbing second.
Filoso was a well-beaten third.
The Breeders’ Futurity was a part of a rewarding afternoon for Gaffalione, who a half-hour later piloted Carl Spackler to a front-running victory within the $1,065,625 Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes.
East Avenue accomplished 1 1/16 miles on a quick observe in 1:43.17 after setting quarter-mile splits of :23.18, :46.76, and 1:11.20. He paid $7.56 to win because the second favourite.
“I had loads of horse left,” Gaffalione mentioned.
The Breeders’ Futurity additionally capped a profitable opening two days of racing at Keeneland for the Godolphin, who received the Darley Alcibiades Stakes a day earlier than with the Brad Cox-trained Immersive.
“An unbelievable weekend, successful the 2 Grade 1s at Keeneland, our dwelling observe,” Godolphin USA director of bloodstock Michael Banahan mentioned.
Godolphin’s Darley stallion division is in Central Kentucky. Maxfield stands at stud there, as does the Cox-trained Important High quality, who gave Godolphin a second Breeders’ Futurity victory in 2020. So, too, does East Avenue’s sire, 25-year-old Medaglia d’Oro, the sire of 27 Grade 1 winners. The latter stood for $75,000 this previous breeding season.
East Avenue is out of the Ghostzapper mare Dance Music , a half-sister to Godolphin’s 2023 Horse of the 12 months and Darley stallion Cody’s Want.
As a part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Problem Sequence, East Avenue earned a paid, automated berth within the Nov. 1 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile introduced by TAA at Del Mar. The highest 5 finishers from the Breeders’ Futurity additionally earned 2025 Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve factors on a 10-5-3-2-1 scale.
Six Breeders’ Futurity winners have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile: Tasso (1985), Boston Harbor (1996), Favourite Trick (1997), Basic Empire (2016), Important High quality (2020), and Forte (2022).
A Good Swing From Carl Spackler in Coolmore Turf Mile
Whereas the Europeans are at all times tough to beat within the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Staff USA shall be represented by a formidable contingent come Championship weekend. Carl Spackler, a gate-to-wire victor of the Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes, shall be one of many People main the house crew cost.
Carl Spackler has at all times been a particular horse to jockey Tyler Gaffalione. The son of Lope de Vega has carried the rider to 5 graded stakes wins, together with two Grade 1s, however can also be owned by Bob Edwards, Gaffalione’s father-in-law.
“We strive to not combine an excessive amount of enterprise with household however this one sort of fell into place,” Gaffalione mentioned. “It’s at all times particular [to win for the family]. Particularly with [Carl Spackler] being a homebred. That they had the mare, too, and that was their first stakes winner, so it’s throughout an incredible story.”
Bred in Eire by Edwards’ Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, Carl Spackler is out of 2016 Goldikova Stakes victress Zindaya. The Extra Than Prepared mare has produced three winners however Carl Spackler has been the standout amongst her progeny to this point together with his $1,568,475 in earnings.
Recent off his first Grade 1 triumph within the FanDuel Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga Race Course, Carl Spackler didn’t disappoint as the favourite in Keeneland’s Coolmore Turf Mile. The race, which supplied an elevated purse of $1.25 million (with $250,000 obtainable completely to Kentucky-breds by way of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Growth Fund), is a Breeders’ Cup Problem Sequence “Win and You’re In” occasion for the Nov. 2 $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Introduced by PDJF. Though Carl Spackler had already earned an automated berth to the Mile by way of his Fourstardave victory, the one-mile contest served as the right prep for his upcoming check at Del Mar.
Lower than an hour after piloting East Avenue to a front-running rating within the Breeders’ Futurity on the Lexington oval, Gaffalione would make use of comparable ways with Carl Spackler. Hustling from the far outer publish within the area of 9, Gaffalione had the speedy chestnut to the entrance very quickly. Angling over, the colt held a snug lead as he cruised by way of early quarter-mile fractions of :23.93, :47.28, and 1:10.91.
Turning for dwelling, there was just one horse Gaffalione was frightened about, Fourstardave runner-up Extra Than Seems, and he positive got here operating.
“I knew he was going to be coming late,” Gaffalione mentioned. “I undoubtedly wished to verify I bought the leap on him. He’s bought a powerful closing kick however I’ve bought numerous belief in my horse.”
Rallying powerfully from the again of the pack, Extra Than Seems would play bridesmaid to Carl Spackler as soon as extra, falling a size wanting catching his rival this time. The Coolmore Turf Mile marked the third assembly between the 2 gifted 4-year-olds.
“He belongs [with these horses],” coach Cherie DeVaux mentioned of Extra Than Takes care of the race. The son of Extra Than Prepared, a a number of stakes winner in his personal proper, could possibly be one other robust American contender heading to the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Extra Than Seems was 1 1/4 lengths away from Aidan O’Brien trainee Mountain Bear in third.
“[More Than Looks] ran superior,” mentioned DeVaux. “He did the whole lot he may however win and was simply unfortunate to not get there. You possibly can’t fault the horse for operating that approach.”
Carl Spackler ($4.14) accomplished the mile in 1:34.23 on the agency turf course. Gaffalione has been aboard Carl Spackler in all however three of the colt’s 10 begins relationship again to his first stakes win within the 2023 Nationwide Museum of Racing Corridor of Fame Stakes at Saratoga.
“We had been actually excessive on him final yr however he had just a few hiccups. We had been really going to run on this race final yr however one thing got here up,” Gaffalione mentioned. “However he got here again nice this yr and he’s beginning to show what we thought he was all alongside.”—Molly Rollins
Gina Romantica Leads Residence Brown Trifecta in First Girl
Gina Romantica received the First Girl Stakes Introduced by UK HealthCare a second yr in a row as she continued her successful methods on the Keeneland turf whereas her coach, Chad Brown, continued his dominance of the mile race for fillies and mares in most spectacular trend.
With the two-length win, Peter Brant’s Gina Romantica secured her third Grade 1 victory in 4 begins on the Keeneland inexperienced because the 5-year-old daughter by a number of main sire Into Mischief received final yr’s First Girl by a head over stablemate In Italian and as a 3-year-old received the 2022 Queen Elizabeth II Problem Cup Stakes.
On Saturday Gina Romantica tracked the early leaders, moved to the lead out of the far flip and shortly opened a transparent benefit, after which held off late-running stablemate Chili Flag for the victory. Gina Romantica led dwelling the highest three horses for Brown as Fluffy Socks completed third.
It’s the seventh yr in a row that Brown has received the First Girl as In Italian received in 2022 after Blowout scored in 2021, Uni received in 2020 and 2019, and A Raving Magnificence in 2018. Dayatthespa’s 2014 victory offers the coach a complete of eight wins within the race.—Frank Angst
Zeitlos Secures First Graded Win in Thoroughbred Membership of America Stakes
Incremental steps ahead all season lengthy paid off in an enormous approach as Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel’s Zeitlos acquired her first graded stakes with a last-to-first win within the $340,125 Thoroughbred Membership of America Stakes.
Beginning off the yr in allowance firm, coach Steve Asmussen labored the 4-year-old daughter of Curlin up the ranks, selecting up a pair of allowance wins together with three stakes victories.
“[Zeitlos] constantly will get higher,” Asmussen mentioned. “That is by far the perfect race [of hers] I imagine.”
Breaking behind the sector of six, jockey Jose Ortiz bided his time behind stablemate Clearly Unhinged’s fast tempo of :21.54 and :44.57. The dust observe at Keeneland had been enjoying noticeably fast over the primary two days of the meet, with a number of winners taking the sector gate-to-wire.
Ortiz picked off rivals across the far flip whereas touring alongside the rail, discovering himself simply behind the leaders on the quarter-pole as the sector turned for dwelling. Zeitlos shot by way of a gap inside Clearly Unhinged and Spirit Wind earlier than kicking away to win by 2 3/4 lengths on the end line. She accomplished the six furlongs in 1:09.52.—Sean Collins
Our Shot Fires Finest Shot to Win Woodford Stakes
Our Shot bought his shot within the stretch run of the Woodford Stakes Introduced by FanDuel when jockey Luis Saez bought him operating room and the 5-year-old Kantharos gelding responded with a 1 3/4-length victory.
The judges examined the photograph intently earlier than anointing Charcoal as runner-up and Arzak as third in a multi-horse blanket end.
Our Shot took his customary early slot, tucked away amongst a stable area, by way of the early levels of the 5 1/2-furlong turf dash. It was solely as they straightened for dwelling that the seas parted and he discovered his finest stride. The gelding stopped the timer in 1:02.36 for the 5 1/2 furlongs on a agency turf course.
He returned $13.66 for a $2 win ticket.
“We actually favored him for this race. His final two races at Saratoga had been a bit of tough. We had numerous hassle however we couldn’t wait to be right here immediately and had been fairly comfy that he was going to do a fairly good race,” Saez mentioned.
Our Shot bagged his first stakes win, though coach John Terranova II famous, “We’ve been shut a few occasions. He’s been doing properly all summer season. He had a few tight runs at Saratoga.”—Bob Kieckhefer
