Be You | Horse Racing Free Tips

The student or the teacher? It was going to come down to one or the other as the second race at Saratoga Saturday, a six-furlong maiden special weight, developed into a stretch battle between the Wayne Lukas-trained Just Steel (Justify) and the Todd Pletcher-trained Be You (Curlin).

At the wire, it was Just Steel who had his nose in front, showing once again that the 87-year-old Hall of Famer still knows how to get it done.

“You can't let the kids beat you,” Lukas said. “You've got to get them out there. They're awful tough. Todd's horse ran beautifully. I would have given an extra $1,000 for the post position (the ten post). I love the post position, but then we ended up on the inside and it wasn't that great. He wears blinkers and it took a little while for them to get together, but they were banging around a little in the stretch. I don't know that we wouldn't have got it anyhow, but I'm glad we didn't have that decision to make. I think he's going to come around to be a good one.”

Just Steel, showed little in his debut when fifth at Ellis Park in June, but woke up in a July 15 maiden at Saratoga, finishing second. It was a promising sign for the $500,000 Keeneland September purchase, who is owned by BC Stables LLC. BC Stables is a partnership of John Bellinger and Brian Coelho, a pair that has showed unwavering confidence in Lukas and given him the type of budget that should allow him to bring home some promising talent from the yearling sale.

“We will try to build up a strong stable and try to capitalize on Wayne's expertise,” Coelho told the TDN last year.
Last year's group of BC Stables LLC-Lukas two-year-olds included TDN Rising Star Summer Promise (Uncle Mo), who broke her maiden at Churchill Downs and then was second in the GIII Schuylerville S.

The team got even more aggressive last fall at Keeneland, buying five yearlings for a combined $3,515,000. The most expensive purchase was Lady Moscato (Quality Road), a filly who went for $1,150,000. She has started twice, finishing second both times. Cowboy Code (Into Mischief), a $1 million buy, has been unplaced in two starts. The other two from the Keeneland Class of 2022 have yet to make their debut.

The betting public chose the Pletcher horse, sending Be You off at 3-2 in his career debut. Ozone (Mitole), making his second career start for Steve Asmussen, broke quickest and led by a half-length down the backstretch. Just Steel tracked him from the three path and took a narrow lead at the top of the stretch. Be You, in the six path on the turn, drew even with Just Steel in the stretch and briefly put his head in front. There was little separating the top two in the final 100 yards, but Just Steel fought back and managed to stick his nose in front at the wire.

Joel Rosario was aboard the winner, who paid 12.80 and covered the distance run over a fast track in 1:10.22.
It was the second winner at the meet for Lukas and both of them came in maiden special weight events. The first was Seize the Gray, a winner of a July 29 maiden.

The post Lukas Tops Protege Pletcher in Spa Maiden appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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2nd-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 1:07 p.m.

The action kicks off with a heavily-loaded maiden race on the Whitney undercard Saturday. A quartet of colts, all first-time starters, take to the dirt led by the inside draw BE YOU (Curlin), the first of a pair of starters for Todd Pletcher. Out of the graded-stakes winning mare Jacaranda, herself a $2,000,000 purchase by this colt's breeder Alpha Delta, Be You already has a stakes-placed full-sister in American West, a $925,000 Keeneland yearling herself. Jacaranda is out of the Distorted Humor mare Baffled, making her a half-sister to MGISW and leading sire Constitituion (Tapit) as well as GSW Boynton (More Than Ready). Further back in the family you'll find GISW Emcee (Unbridled's Song) and G1SP Surfer (Distorted Humor).

Pletcher's second starter, Locked (Gun Runner), brought $425,000 as a yearling at Keeneland last year. He is out of a half to MGSW Always a Princess (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) and MGISW Gabby's Golden Girl (Medaglia d'Oro).

Splitting the pair is Claude McGaughy runner Pentathlon (Speightstown), a Phipps Stable homebred who hails from the family of MGISW My Flag, the dam of champion 2-year-old filly Storm Flag Flying (Storm Cat).

Last of the quarter and the widest drawn of the four, Creek (Ghostzapper) will look to get trainer Bill Mott's day off to a winning start. The colt is out of a half to GSW/GISP Great Island (Scat Daddy) and to the dam of GSW Surprisingly (Mastery). Third dam Matlacha Pass also produced MGISW and sire Point of Entry (Dynaformer) and MGISW Pine Island (Arch). TJCIS PPS

1st-DMR, $82K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 5:00 p.m.

On the West Coast, Dagger Ranch (Curlin) will look to be the latest winner out of dual Eclipse champion Indian Blessing. The Bob Baffert trainee is already a half-brother to GISP Ten Blessings (Smart Strike) and draws the outside gate under Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza.

Breaking from gate three is another son of Curlin for Bob Baffert in Mission Beach, a $400,000 Keeneland September yearling who is out of a full-sister to GISW Taris, the dam of GSW King Fury (Curlin). He put up a best-of-53 work at five furlongs July 24, going from the gate in :58 4/5. TJCIS PPS

1st-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 12:35 p.m.

Opening the Saturday card at the Spa, Agate Road (Quality Road), bred by China Horse Club, was a $650,000 pick up by the prolific connections of Repole Stable and St Elias Stable for trainer Todd Pletcher. Out of GI Frizette S. winner Yellow Agate, already the dam of a pair of winners, the colt traces back to GSW/MG1SP Without Connexion (Ire) (Rainbow Quest). TJCIS PPS

11th-SAR, $149.5K, Alw, 3yo/up, 7f, 6:16 p.m.

Carded right after the Whitney, this race features the return of not one but two 'TDN Rising Stars' both racing for Claude McGaughey. Drawn further to the inside is Signator (Tapit), a $1.7m OBS April pick up last seen breaking his maiden at Belmont's Aqueduct meeting last Oct. Racing with Lasix for the first time, the grey hails from the family of champion 3-year-old filly Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold).

Lined up to his outside, Capture the Flag (Quality Road) earned his 'Star' tag at first asking with a three-length maiden win at this meet just over a year ago but hasn't raced since. This colt, a half to GSW Personal Best (Tapit), is out of a full-sister to Hong Kong's champion stayer Lines of Battle. His third dam also produced MGSW and late leading sire Dynaformer (Roberto). TJCIS PPS

3rd-MTH, $55K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:36 p.m.

Drawn furthest outside, Spendalot (More Than Ready) lived up to her name with a $650,000 purchase price as a yearling at Keeneland last Fall. She is a full-sister to Chad Brown's Consumer Spending who took last month's GIII Matchmaker S. over this same track.

And all the way to the rail is Madame Mischief (Into Mischief), a $550,000 OBS March grad who checked in second while sprinting five furlongs on the grass July 2. Her dam is a half-sister to MGISW and sire Divisidero (Kitten's Joy). TJCIS PPS

The post Saturday Insights: Coast-To-Coast Maiden Action Kicks Off Whitney Saturday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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