In his fourth lifetime start, Rattle N Roll ran like a seasoned pro, sitting midpack early and moving on the outside of horses to take the lead in the stretch and win the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. With this win, the 2-year-old son of Connect earns both his graded stakes victory and a spot in the starting gate for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Under jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr., Rattle N Roll stumbled slightly at the break, recovering his footing to sit eighth in the crowded field of 13 as they entered the first turn. On the backstretch, behind leader and favorite Classic Causeway, Rattle N Roll moved up a spot to seventh, content to sit behind horses until the far turn.
Hernandez took his colt to the outside on the far turn, picking off horses and pulling ahead of Classic Causeway entering the stretch. Over the first Keeneland track, Rattle N Roll was able to pass and then pull away from Classic Causeway, who tired late but was able to hold on to third. Double Thunder was second. The final time for the 1 1/16-mile Futurity was 1:43.78.
Rattle N Roll paid $19.40, $8.60, and $5.00. Double Thunder paid $7.40 and $4.60. Classic Causeway paid $3.00. Find this race's chart here.
The G1 Breeders' Futurity is a Win and You're In event in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. Winners of Challenge races receive a fees-paid, guaranteed spot in the corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.
“He made a start at Churchill in the spring and it was more of a test drive than anything, trying to teach him to finish and everything. The race at Saratoga – we were miffed by that. His left eye was closed the next morning and the only thing we could figure is that he got hit in the eye with a rock or something. So we were like, 'OK, that was a head-scratcher, what was that about?' and then we went back to work. He's never done anything (like that) before or since,” trainer Kenny McPeek said after the race.
“I'm just real happy for the Mackin family. I love having the opportunity to be able to buy horses for people like them. You can't go into a race with 13 horses and be overconfident, because so much can happen, and I told my wife before the race, 'If the 13 horse rolls out of there early I think we've got a real chance,' because that horse really needed to rate to win, and I think it set up well for us.”
“All the credit really goes to the horse, being only his fourth start, to be able to sit back there and read the race and let it develop in front of him. When I got him outside, he showed what a good horse he is. He engulfed those horses pretty easily, and turning for home he switched leads. He knows his job and he just kind of went on about it,” jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. told the Keeneland Communications Office after the Futurity.
Bred in Kentucky by St. Simon Place, Rattle N Roll is out of the Johannesburg mare Jazz Tune. The 2-year-old colt is owned by Lucky Seven Stable. He was consigned by Paramount Sales and sold to Kenny McPeek, agent, for $210,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With this win in the G1 Futurity, Rattle N Roll has two wins in four lifetime starts for career earnings of $379,460.
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