Breeders Futurity (Grade 1) (BC)- $600.000 Purse
KEE- For Two Year Olds
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
October 5, 2024

At the end of the Breeders Futurity, a photo finish was declared between horses that are trained by one trainer who has won over 1,000 graded stakes and another that has less than ten. On such a big racing weekend with plenty of impactful races, it would be one for the “little guy” as Williams9’s Decal prevailed in the head bob. That victory will ensure Decal’s spot in the BC Juvenile, and don’t worry about Mb Stables, he’ll be just fine. Decal was not among out picks, and went off as a 20/1 longshot as bettors were probably still scratching their heads over why the horse was moved to the grass last month. Chances are, now, that’s never going to happen again, at least not for a while as now Williams9 and Decal can prepare for the BC Juvenile at DMR next month. It’s the first win in the race for both the trainer and for jockey A A Gallardo. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:41.87, the second quickest in the race’s history. Let’s take a look at it now:

(1/4 Mile- :22.95)- It’s a two horse breakaway at the start of the race, and Consumed By Fire, owned by Big Guns Stables will hold a half-length advantage over the winner’s stablemate, Food Man. Behind them, they are five wide battling for the third spot, and the two horses that are in the middle of that group, Asgar’s Smitten and TwinTowersRacing’s Without Warning have the edge in that group. Comanche Smoke, running in the second lane, is fifth for Mb Stables, with Fractious- owned Powerful next on the rail. On the outside here, it’s Bronze Hamilton, from Mb Stables. Stalking this five wide group in the middle of the pack is where we find our eventual winner from Williams9, Decal. He’s positioned in the third lane, right behind Smitten. It’s a length then to Valley Of Death (Riggins Racing), and another to Archaeology (Winning Link Stables). After a length and a half, they run in pairs, first being Inoue (Royalty Stables) and Maymun (D J C Racing Stables), then Banned (Mb Stables) and Point Given (Fractious).

(½ Mile- :46.40)- Moving down the backstretch, Food Man takes the lead from Consumed By Fire and inches away from him by a length. Behind them, what had been the five wide group at the start has now become just two, as the pair that had been closer to the rail, Comanche Smoke and Powerful end up being a little better than the others, but the rest of them are not far behind. Smitten is still within a length, and near to him are both Valley Of Death and Without Warning. Archaeology has lost some ground but isn’t out of it yet. As for Decal, he is no longer following Smitten and moves to the rail for the backstretch run. He’s officially scored in ninth, and five lengths back. Bronze Hamilton is a length behind him, and there’s a bigger gap to the rest of the field.

(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Things tighten up considerably midway through the turn, and as we enter the stretch, there were at least eight horses that seemed to be positioned very well and who knows who might be making a charge from further back. Food Man is still the leader, but he is clinging to a length lead over Consumed By Fire and Comanche Smoke, the latter of which had been gradually reeling them in over the second half of the turn. Smitten, as well as Without Warning are caught wide but try to stay in the mix. Closer to the rail, Decal was one to watch, as he pulled up to the outside of Powerful and was now only about two lengths from the front. Powerful cannot be written off, and Valley OF Death is still in the mix. Archaeology was backing out and Bronze Hamilton was lacking response. Point Given was swung to the outside to potentially make a bid, and if any of Banned, Inoue, and Maymun were saving something, they needed to show it now.

(Finish- 1:41.87)- With a furlong to go in the stretch, Comanche Smoke would take the lead from one Williams9 horse but had another one to worry about right behind him. Decal had been gradually gaining and had room to come right between these two horses. A momentary lane switch that was corrected by A A Gallardo could have been disastrous for our eventual winner, but it would not be anything to worry about in the long run. Approaching the wire, Decal was coming, and Comanche Smoke was trying to hang on. In the middle of the track, Point Given was in an all-out drive and could not be overlooked either. At the wire, it was close between the three of them, but a tight photo between Decal and Comanche Smoke would end up showing that Decal had taken down his rival, barely, to get the big win and secure his spot in the BC Juvenile. Comanche Smoke will settle for second, and the late charge by Point Given was interesting to watch and results in third. Banned, another late runner, ends up fourth over Food Man, and Smitten, one who seemed destined for a little better earlier in the stretch, can only do sixth. It’s a length and a half to the rest of the field, with Inoue finishing ahead of Valley Of Death, Consumed By Fire, Powerful, Without Warning, Maymun, Bronze Hamilton, and Archaeology.

About The Winner- Decal, trained by Williams9 and ridden to victory by A A Gallardo, is a two-year-old gelding by Decima and is out of Alaouite. He was bred as a yearling by Team 7 Illusions and was acquired by Williams9 in private sales for $34.500 in April of this year. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fourth in seven starts, third stake win and second graded win. His career earnings are now $527.800.

Track: Fast
Time: :22⁴  :46²  1:10³  1:41⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 5 – 2 Paid 3,383.00
$1 Trifecta: 5 – 2 – 12 Paid 1,827.60

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES