KD Juvenile Sprint- $500.000 Purse
KD- For Two Year Olds
Six and a Half Furlongs on the Turf
September 8, 2022

Don’t want to wait until the weekend for exciting racing? KD’s got you covered as the second running of the KD Juvenile Sprint takes place on Thursday. There are not many races out there to get points for the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint, so what happens here is going to be very meaningful. A field of ten will be going to the starting gate, hoping to duplicate the race of Dereliction Of Duty, who won the inaugural race last year in a very tight photo for Alydar Stables. He would not fare that well in the BC, however, and the gelding with a short femur has struggled as a three year old. Not many horses in this race are very well known yet, which also adds a layer of excitement to it. Here is our field!

#1- Obfuscator (Jerry Garcia Racing, ridden by F Geroux)- Fared well in two triple digit maiden’s at CD, winning in June before being sent to the west coast six weeks later for the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes at DMR. Ran a bittersweet fifth there, as he only missed by a length, and now will try his luck on the grass. Looked very good in a work at a mile at DMR before heading back to KY for this race.

#2- Spider Shadows (Our Athletes, ridden by P Lopez)- Broke his maiden at ELP in his second start, and would end up staying at the race track for the running of the ELP Juvenile. Like Obfuscator, he had to settle for being fifth but only missing by a length and his story remains similar in that this is his turf debut. Doesn’t have a recent public work on the grass and doesn’t have any public works at all since the beginning of August, so it’s hard to get a feel for him.

#3- Luna Dream (Asgar, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- This one just wanted to get to the grass, needing four starts to break his maiden, but winning the first time he was on this surface. Following that race, which came at DMR, he was sent north of the border for the $125.000 Soaring Free Stakes, where he was second in a tight photo to Big Papa Pump, who is also in this field.

#4- Believe Me Natalie (Aarons Hosses, ridden by U Rispoli)- After a couple two furlong races, this Commanding filly broke her maiden at GG. Last month, she was at the CTBA Stakes, for CA-bred fillies but struggled. Since then, it looks like she has been preparing for this turf debut, and has turned in good work times. Her weight allowance is three pounds, but I am unsure about this placement right now.

#5- Fight Event (Williams9, ridden by J S Rocco Jr)- He did not show a lot in his first three starts, but part of that may have been the difficulty in finding a dry track. When he eventually did, he won a $50.000 maiden claimer at DMR in late July. For now the trainer is happy that he did not get claimed that day, but I may have opted for a smaller stake first instead of this one.

#6- Indian Summer (Diablo Diablo, ridden by R M Hernandez)- One of only two horses in this field that has won more than one race. In June, he went up to WO and won a $123.200 maiden and followed that up with an ungraded stake that offered just $1.800 more in its purse. Was second there, and made his turf debut in the Skidmore at SAR which went successfully for him, grabbing the win. So far, Indian Summer had not run a bad race and had a very good looking work at WO before heading here. These races are always up for grabs, but he checks all the boxes you would want, and will be my pick.

#7- Whiskey Drink (First Flight Stable, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Broke his maiden at WO in June, also in one of those $123.200 maidens. Off of that, the trainer tried his luck at the Spa in the Grade 3 Sanford, but that did not go well at all. This led to a couple of changes, the first being the trashing of the shadow roll, and then a move to the turf. Whiskey Drink responded well at was second in a SAR allowance at over a mile. Cuts back to a sprint, but I could see this going either way with him.

#8- Citizen Kane (Arindel, ridden by J R Velazquez)- After making his debut in April, Citizen Kane found himself gelded and moved to the turf as soon as Arindel was able to do so. It wasn’t immediate success, as he was only fourth in an ELP maiden, albeit less than a length from the winner. He would head to SAR in mid-August, and would break his maiden against NY-breds and this is his first race since then. Has some works to be excited about in preparation.

#9- Asia Minor (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by L Saez)- One of the more lightly raced horses in the field, as this is just his third start. His prior two starts came at FL, where the trainer is particularly strong year after year. In May on debut, he was third, and had about three months of rest before breaking his maiden last month. This is his turf debut, and first time facing top notch company when the rest of the field has some sort of experience doing so already.

#10- Big Papa Pump (Dmc Racing, ridden by D E Centeno)- Made his debut in May in a $10.000 maiden claimer, where he was picked up by Dmc Racing. But instead of breaking his maiden in a $123.200 race, he went to PEN and won without collecting a penny. The trainer liked what he saw enough to run him in the $125.000 Soaring Free Stakes at WO, and he would win that as well. Not the conventional start to one’s career, but he’s looking good now.

Prediction: 6-3-8-1

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded