Weekend Eye Catchers - December 7-8, 2024

By Will Humphrey

This is a follow up email to clean up the previously sent newsletter with an outdated version of Will’s Eye Catchers. Please enjoy this week’s edition and apologies for the confusion. We understand and appreciate how much you all value these future winners!

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During another informative weekend of high-quality winter racing, there were several standout performances in both victory and defeat. Here are a few horses who recently caught the eye and will be worth keeping onside in the near future.

Saturday, Gulfstream, R5: VERSUS (4th)

We’ll kick off this week’s Eye-catchers review by looking back at what was a good debut effort from VERSUS in the fifth at Gulfstream on Saturday - a one-mile MSW for two-year-olds on the turf.

Listed at 20/1 on the morning line, the Kelly Breen trained son of TIZ THE LAW broke alertly from gate four at odds of 32/1 under David Egan, but was quickly restrained by the leading British rider, eventually settling around five lengths behind a moderate pace early. Then, at a rare time for interference to occur in a race, Micah Husbands, a 7lbs apprentice riding the Saffie Joseph, Jr trained CULPA, forced Egan to check VERSUS sharply, causing the pair to lose ground and momentum after making a hard and unnecessary left dart from the four path down to the rail at the nine-sixteenths pole. VERSUS recovered well though and proceeded to gradually creep back into contention as the field hit the home bend, from where, he was swung wide by Egan, right around the entire field before making a sustained bid down the lane to finish a solid fourth. As you can see for yourself here, VERSUS responded nicely to his rider’s encouragement and showed a wiling attitude while maintaining strong and fluid strides alongside the Juddmonte Farms owned 3/2 favorite, SALAMIS. What you don’t see in this clip, however, is how VERSUS then went ahead and galloped out well ahead of the field.

Considering that the betting indicated that not much was expected of this colt on debut, this was a really promising effort with little to dislike, especially considering the trip that he endured. As a half to G3 winner MONEY SUPPLY, with plenty of further black-type form in his pedigree, VERSUS is bred to be a decent type also. And so, although the speed figure (61 Beyer) didn’t come back overly fast, at this early stage of his career the future is looking bright and with a projected step forward from this effort now in store, he should be competitive once again in a similar contest next time, hopefully scoring at a decent price.

Saturday, Aqueduct, R8: BALLERINA D’ORO (2nd)

As Florent Geroux said here, the Big Girl did it! MUHIMMAwas bet hard in the 1 1/8 miles Demoiselle S. (G2) at Aqueduct on Saturday and rightly so. She took her rivals gate to wire with a commanding performance that earned her ten points towards the Kentucky Oaks, where one would imagine that, at this premature stage, she’ll be among the top betting choices. As convincing as the success was, however, Chad Brown’s BALLERINA D’ORO made her work hard in the closing stages and going forward, she too looks one to keep onside.

Following three prior turf starts that yielded one maiden breaking score (her only ITM finish) and a modest Beyer speed figure pattern of 53,57 and 67, the $320k daughter of MEDAGLIA D’ORO was making her dirt debut with blinkers on for the first time in the Demoiselle S. on Saturday - changes that, having been made in a Kentucky Oaks points race rather than an allowance, Brown presumably felt the filly would respond well to. And he was right - she more than stepped up to the plate. Settled toward the rear, where she initially looked a little taken aback by the kick-back, she traveled strongly through the race, scythed her way in between tiring horses on the home bend and then courageously attempted to run down the never-before challenged 2/5 favorite, who had been allowed to set her own leisurely pace on the lead. In an eye-catching effort that saw her cover the final 3/8 miles over a half-second (0.53) faster than the winner, BALLERINA D’ORO crossed the wire just one length behind in second, over six lengths ahead of the third place finisher, with a huge career best Beyer of 88 - 21 points faster than her prior start - as well as five points towards the first Friday in May.

Whether it was the surface switch, application of blinkers, a little bit of both, or simply the fact that she’s a young, relatively unexposed and improving filly, it was hard not to be impressed with this dirt debut from BALLERINA D’ORO, especially when you consider the regard that MUHIMMA is held in, and the fact that she had to overcome a wide post to finish where she did. Here’s a video of the stretch run, although I’d encourage you to pull up the full replay, if possible, to compare the trips of the top two finishers. Who would you bet next time?

Having now racked up some KY Oaks points and shown an affinity for the surface, one would expect connections to now continue down the Road to the Kentucky Oaks with BALLERINA D’ORO; considering the rate at which she continues to improve, with a better draw next time, she’ll be worthy of respect wherever she next shows up. Her pedigree is littered with high profile stakes winning dirt routers, suggesting that this effort was no fluke, and with Brown at the helm, it would be no surprise to see her continue to develop, improve, and run well in similar contests going forward. With a likable and willing attitude to boot, she looks a filly to keep onside in some way, shape or form, as we march towards the Kentucky Oaks.

Saturday, Oaklawn, R10: LA HOULIGAN (2nd)

The large and competitive fields at Oaklawn make for a great racing product and also, throw up plenty of eye-catching performances in defeat. One of those came in Saturday’s tenth - a MSW going one mile - where LA HOULIGAN once again caught the eye.

Unlike on debut in October, the Greg Compton trained $50k son of WAR OF WILL broke slowly from gate two on Saturday and trailed the field early, visibly resisting the kick-back that he’d never encountered in a race before. With his mount reluctant to stride properly and dropping himself further off the pace, Harry Hernandez angled LA HOULIGAN into the center of the track to keep his face clean and allow him to race more comfortably when they straightened down the back. That move worked; now fully focused on the task at hand, the colt jumped on the bridle and began to make a sustained advance on the leaders down the back stretch and around the bend, passing multiple horses with ease in the six path. When straightened for the drive, he changed leads efficiently and determinedly tried to catch the 30/1 winner, eventually crossing the wire 1 3/4 lengths behind in second with a 67 Beyer. Here’s the replay.

Although LA HOULIGAN is well bred, being out of a half to $1.3m G2 winner SUAVE and a grandson of 2x G1 winner/Kentucky Oaks runner-up, URBANE, it seems unlikely that he’s going to develop into a top-flight stake level performer. However, he’s the type of horse who should bekept onside regardless, because in two races now, he’s displayed a likable attitude both times and shown that he can perform well racing either on or off the pace, despite leaving plenty of visible room for improvement. With race fitness now under his belt (the factor that caught him out on debut) and this race now behind him, where he experienced kick-back and passed rivals for the first time, you’d be hopeful that he’ll be able to put it all together in one of his upcoming starts, regardless of whether he breaks running or not. More, having cost only $50k at auction, connections could drop him back into an easier restricted MSW contest should they so wish, as was the case on debut – he’d be tough to beat in there.

To summarize, in both of his career starts now, LA HOULIGANhas made a nice impression by significantly outrunning his odds and shaping with plenty of promise. He’s seemingly still has more to offer after just two starts and in the absence of high-profile connections attracting unwarranted money, here’s hoping that he’ll land at a square price before long.

Winners to Mention…

As always, I also want to name check a few impressive winners from the weekend who should be worth keeping onside in the future.

We’ll start off by discussing the Godolphin owned and bred THINK BIG, who successfully cut back from 1 1/8 miles on the dirt to 5 1/2f on the turf, earning a career best 88 Beyer with THIS convincing success at the Fair Grounds on Saturday. As his granddam was a G1 winner over 7f on the turf in Italy back in the day, sprinting on the weeds could well have been what he’d been longing for all along and with a firmer surface underneath him next time, (turf was listed as ‘good’ at FG, Saturday; visibly so in the video), THINK BIG could well have more to offer.

Sticking with the Godolphin, sprinting theme, how about THISsuccess from the Eoin Harty trained FINSTER at Turfway Park on Saturday! Having been boxed in for much of the journey, the lightly raced three-year-old powerfully punched his way through into the lead when finally getting clear late on, earning an 87 Beyer in what was his third success in four lifetime starts. Assuming that Harty now sticks to the turf and synthetic with him - his two seemingly preferred surfaces that brought so much success to his G1 winning relation, ATONE - he could be sitting on a profitable winter/spring with the potential to step forward again.

Back up at Woodbine on Saturday, and although I highlighted her in these lines after her facile debut score a month ago, I once again want to wax lyrical over the beautifully bred €1.4m purchase EARHART, who made her first start against winners a winning one in style. CHECK THIS OUT! All alone whileblending in with the snow-covered infield, Josie Carroll’s french bred daughter of SIYOUNI was hardly asked for an effort by Rafael Hernandez in the NX1 allowance but still scored by 11 lengths with a 96 Beyer. She’s a running son of a gun and will almost certainly be pointed towards bigger things from now.

And finally, I want to highlight this impressive debut performance from ANYBODY BUT YOU in the night-cap at Gulfstream on Sunday. The Brendan Walsh trained daughter of COTAI GLORY drew in off the AE list for this race and so therefore had to overcome an outside post and wide trip to score but ultimately did it with a degree of ease. Not only did she catch the eye on the track, but she’s well bred too, being a half sister to three talented turf runners in Europe, all of whom are/were graded/group stake winners, highlighted by recent G1 winner and current leading Irish two-year-old, SCORTHY CHAMP. Keep your eyes peeled for this filly, because she could be above average.

Out of the Tracker…

ITMEs exiting the tracker this week, to ensure that those with current entires highlighted in both these lines and Saturday’s ‘Horses to Follow’ email, are those I still believe to be worth keeping onside/given extra consideration when wagering, are…

➢ VOLT: Very nicely bred colt showed promise when finishing behind KEEWAYDIN second out; has disappointed greatly in two subsequent starts.

➢ READY FOR SHIRL: Impressive debut winner from one of the best turf routing families, has failed to build on early potential as expected.

➢ NIGHT BEACON: A precociously bred 2yo who broke maiden impressively over 4 1/2f on debut but now just looks precocious and could struggle as a 3yo.

Former ITM Eye-catchers With Current Entries

It was another profitable week for recent ITM Eye-catchers on the track last week, so make sure to keep your eyespeeled for these former ITME’s with current entries…

Wednesday

➢ TAM R9: INTO AMORE

Friday

➢ OP R7: BIG BOAT

Saturday

➢ GP R8: RANDOM HARVEST

➢ GP R11: PALM TREE

➢ TP R7: HOWARD WOLOWITZ

I hope that you had an enjoyable and successful past week at the windows, and good luck this week!