Drawn widest of all in post eight, the chestnut didn't get off to the sharpest of beginnings and raced five to three wide around the clubhouse turn. He was out in the clear and one from the back through fractions of :24.47 and :48.23. Under a ride by Jose Ortiz on the far turn, he made a flashy, five-wide sweep to hit the front at the top of the short stretch.

Locked looked well on his way to a runaway win, but the three-for-three The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) wasn't going out without a fight. The Wine Steward fought on gamely along the rail down the stretch, but Locked proved too much and forged clear late to win by a well-earned half-length. Generous Tipper (Street Sense) was third.

Locked was featured in Steve Sherack's Second Chances series after rallying smartly from last after getting steadied at the start to finish a very promising third sprinting on debut at Saratoga Aug. 5. He romped by 7 1/4 lengths to earn his diploma in 'Rising Star' fashion out of Saratoga's one-mile Wilson Chute Sept. 1. The distant runner-up that day Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) returned to break his maiden at Aqueduct on Friday.

“He's a colt that we always felt like the further, the better,” said winning trainer Todd Pletcher, who also captured this race with subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Forte (2022), Carpe Diem (2014) and We Miss Artie (2013). “He kind of got a little bit of two-turn experience in that sort-of two-turn mile race at Saratoga (his maiden win Sept. 1), which is always a difficult race. But I thought he was super-impressive at Saratoga, and he's just been a colt that's done everything right since day one.”

Pletcher added, “You like to think it moves them forward. He was hung out very wide on both turns. He didn't have a real easy trip, but he's talented enough to overcome it.”

Pletcher and winning co-owner Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners also got the money with Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the female equivalent GI Darley Alcibiades S. on Friday's opening day program at Keeneland.

Pedigree Notes:

Locked, a $425,000 Keeneland September graduate, becomes the seventh Grade I winner for his leading young sire. Gun Runner was also represented by Saturday's GII Chandelier S. heroine Chatalas. Malibu Moon is now the broodmare sire of nine winners at the top level.

Locked was produced by a winning half-sister to MGISW Gabby's Golden Gal (Medaglia d'Oro) and MGSW & GISP Always a Princess (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). The Gun Runner/Malibu Moon cross is already responsible for GSWs Shotgun Hottie and Runninsonofagun. Locked is also bred similarly to MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Taiba (Gun Runner), who is out of a Flatter mare.

Locked's dam produced a colt by Caravaggio in 2022 and a filly by Tiz the Law this year. She was bred back to Early Voting.

Saturday, Keeneland
CLAIBORNE BREEDERS' FUTURITY-GI, $580,750, Keeneland, 10-7, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.06, ft.
1–LOCKED, 122, c, 2, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Luna Rosa, by Malibu Moon
                2nd Dam: Gabriellina Giof (GB), by Ashkalani (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Paola Quatraro (Ire), by Cure the Blues
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($425,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm; B-Rosa Colasanti (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $358,050. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $428,400. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–The Wine Steward, 122, c, 2, Vino Rosso–Call to Service, by To Honor and Serve. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($70,000 Ylg '22 SARAUG; $340,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher; B-Sequel Thoroughbreds LLC, Lakland Farm & Mark Toothaker (NY); T-Michael J. Maker. $96,250.
3–Generous Tipper, 122, c, 2, Street Sense–Stopshoppingdebbie, by Curlin. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($130,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL). O-Walking L Thoroughbreds, LLC; B-Jeff Prunzik & Melissa Prunzik (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $57,750.
Margins: HF, 3 3/4, NK. Odds: 0.76, 3.96, 17.35.
Also Ran: Northern Flame, West Saratoga, Just Steel, Awesome Road, Baytown Chatterbox. Scratched: Timberlake.

Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Walmac Farm; B-Rosa Colasanti (Ky); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

@EclipseTBP has they key to @keeneland as #9 LOCKED ($3.52) rallies to win the $600,000 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity!

The colt by @Three_Chimneys's Gun Runner was ridden by @ljlmvel for trainer @PletcherRacing and co-owners @EclipseTBP and @WalmacLLC. pic.twitter.com/16pSjqqzrp

— TVG (@TVG) October 7, 2023

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A traditional $1 Pick 6 with a player-friendly 15% takeout, the Keeneland/Santa Anita Breeders' Cup Challenge Pick 6 will include the following Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifiers and be offered in this order:

Thoroughbred Club of America (KEE)–4:12 p.m. ET

Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (KEE)–5:14 p.m. ET

Coolmore Turf (KEE)–5:45 p.m. ET

American Pharoah S. (SA)

Chandelier S. (SA )

Rodeo Drive S. (SA)

“We are excited to offer a compelling bet for the horseplayer,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “It's going to be a can't-miss sequence combining Breeders' Cup Challenge Races at both Keeneland and Santa Anita with a player-friendly 15% takeout.”

Players are advised that the Keeneland/Santa Anita Breeders' Cup Challenge Pick 6 will be listed as a separate wager/track on all tote and ADW platforms as:  Keeneland Santa Anita Pick 6 (KEE/SAP Pick 6).

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The richest event is the $1-million GI Coolmore Turf Mile, while the purse for the GI Darley Alcibiades S. has been increased by $100,000 to $600,000. The Franklin S., raised to Grade II status for this running, will receive a $50,000 boost to $350,000. Of the 22 added-money events, 12 are slated for the turf and 10 on the dirt, with six programs offering multiple stakes. The Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund is contributing $1.3 million to Fall Meet stakes purses, pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

“The strength of the Fall Meet stakes schedule reflects our focus on providing the highest-quality racing for our horsemen and fans,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “With these additional increases, all Grade I stakes are now worth a minimum of $600,000; all Grade II stakes are $350,000; Grade III races are $300,000; and listed stakes are $250,000. We believe these purse levels will attract the best in the sport and make for an exciting fall season of racing.”

The traditional kick-off to the Fall Meet is 'FallStars Weekend' Oct. 6-8, with eight 'Win and You're In' qualifiers for various Breeders' Cup divisions. The opening day Alcibiades is complemented by the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. and the GII Jessamine S., sponsored for the first time by the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, taking place Nov. 7. The Saturday, Oct. 7 card features the Coolmore Turf Mile, the GI Breeders' Futurity–in its 10th year of sponsorship by Claiborne Farm–and the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. as Breeders' Cup qualifiers, while the GI First Lady S. and GII Woodford S. are also set for day two of the meet. All three races on the Sunday program offer Breeders' Cup berths: the GI Juddmonte Spinster S., the GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. and the Listed Indian Summer S.

The 40th running of the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Oct. 14 anchors the second week of racing and will bring together some of the world's top 3-year-old turf fillies over nine furlongs on turf in the race first contested in 1984 to commemorate the Queen's visit to Keeneland and Lexington. The GIII Sycamore S. and  Franklin are set for Oct. 13 and Oct. 15, respectively.

The GII Lexus Raven Run S. and GIII Rood & Riddle Dowager S. feature the weekend of Oct. 21 and 22, while the GIII Valley View S., the GIII Hagyard Fayette S. and GIII Bryan Station S. are slated closing weekend Oct. 27 and 28.

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Out of the handful that will go on Saturday afternoon at the cozy palm-laden oval that continues to breathe–we hope it does, because we need it to survive–you will see some major sale purchases strut their 2-year-old stuff. Historically, this race is Baffert's foregone conclusion, as he has netted 13 of them, starting with Real Quiet back in 1997. But last year, Reddam Racing's homebred, Slow Down Andy (Nyquist), ran contrary to his moniker by getting the best of Messier (Empire Maker) to end the Hall of Fame conditioner's streak at seven.

Baffert comes prepared this time and Messier's ownership group of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan is well represented with a pair of promising super colts in Carmel Road (Quality Road) and Fort Bragg (Tapit). The former went for $650,000 at the KEESEP sale last year, while the latter did him one better by $50,000 at FTKOTC. Tom Ryan, the Managing Partner of SF Racing, said when reached by phone, “We've got 10 nice 2-year-old winners on the board this year, and Bob and his team are very focused on 2023.”

Carmel Road, who has a half-brother named Ambition (Street Sense) out of Inspire who RNAd at FTNAUG this year, lost steam and ended up second-to-last at Keeneland as would-be 2-year-old champion Forte (Violence) nosed ahead for his score in the GI Claiborne Farm Breeders' Futurity Oct. 8. That poor showing was nothing like his maiden victory in the race prior when he won in a geared-down fashion by 8 3/4 at Del Mar Aug. 26. Ryan said about the letdown, “We ended up drawing the outside with Carmel Road in the 14 hole, and the 14 hole at Keeneland with a two-year-old, it's not ideal. So that race is a complete throw out. His last piece of work was a sparkling piece of work. Hopefully, he's ready for this.” Sporting some sharp recent breezes at Santa Anita (Dec. 9, 5f; .59, 1/30), we can expect him to be below his 2-1 morning-line by race time.

As for his stablemate, the 4-1-priced Fort Bragg comes calling after he was disqualified at Santa Anita Oct. 10 and placed second, and then officially broke his maiden Nov. 4 by 3/4 lengths over next out winner, Reincarnate. “He is a beautiful horse that just continues to develop,” Ryan said. “Flavian Prat breezed him last week, was impressed enough to want to ride him. He is coming back from a vacation in France to ride him here. It's a tough, demanding race, but we hope he's up to the challenge.”

Opposing this pair is the last of Baffert's trio, Zedan Racing Stables's $600,000 OBSAPR bay colt by Justify, Arabian Lion. Stretching out around two turns, this 4-5 morning-line favorite has posted a pair of Beyer Speed Figures that sparkled; 92 at Santa Anita with a first-out win Oct. 9, and then a second-place finish with a 93 at Keeneland against optional claimers Nov. 4. All three of these runners could be looking to grab the lead early, and hold off any would-be challengers.

As for Yakteen's Practical Move (Practical Joke), he is not without recent form, nor should he be underestimated. The $230,000 OBSAPR buy ran second to Fort Bragg in that race Oct. 10, despite a poor stumble at the start and getting bumped by his rival in the final furlong. The colt ran third to Havnameltdown (Uncaptured) in the GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 20. Recall, he is a horse that won at first-asking at Del Mar July 24, was the seized the GIII Best Pal S. Aug. 14, and was second in the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity Sept. 11. If he can solve his gate issues, then he might be a player if a pace reactor failure occurs.

The big tickets will try to fly early at Los Alamitos. Baffert may not have access to those Derby points yet, but what is assured is this is going to be an intriguing renewal of the Futurity.

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“I like the timing of the Fountain of Youth for his first race back,” Pletcher said in a text message.

Pletcher has won the Fountain of Youth three times. He said that after the Fountain of Youth he will look to run Forte in either the GI Blue Grass S. or the GI Florida Derby.

“I like the Grade I status of those races and the timing. As for the Blue Grass, he certainly seems to like the track at Keeneland,” Pletcher said.

In addition to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Forte won this year's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.

At 10-1, Forte was made the individual betting favorite in the first round of the Derby Future Wager bet.

Owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, Forte was a $110,000 purchase at Keeneland September. After breaking his maiden at Belmont, he finished fourth in the GIII Sanford S. before winning the GI Hopeful S. Facing Cave Rock (Arrogate), who was sent off at 2-5, in the Juvenile, Forte bested the previously undefeated colt at 5-1.

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The Kentucky Derby Future Wager will feature up to 40 betting interests. The first pool will have 38 individual horses, as well as a betting interest for “All Fillies from the 2020 Foal Crop,” and a separate betting interest for “All Other Colts and Geldings from the 2020 Foal Crop.”

Six Future Wager pools are scheduled in advance of the 2023 Kentucky Derby: Nov. 1-3 (Pool 1); Nov. 24-27 (Pool 2); Jan. 20-22 (Pool 3); Feb. 10-12 (Pool 4); Mar. 10-12 (Pool 5); and Mar. 30-Apr. 1 (Pool 6). The Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager will be held concurrently with Pool 2, while the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager will coincide with Pool 5.

A record total of $2,060,691 was bet on future wagers for the 2022 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. For more information, visit kentuckyderby.com/wager/future-wager.

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Though beaten by fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) last out at Keeneland, Loggins showed that he is one of the top juveniles in training. He was part of a three-horse battle for the early lead before being passed in the stretch by his rival only to fight back gamely in the late going to miss by just a neck. He was also put into tight quarters in the stretch, causing rider Florent Geroux to wage a claim of foul, which was not allowed.

“He ran a big race the other day, was running back in three weeks and he did all the heavy lifting that day,” Cox said. “He responded well and showed that he's a good horse and can be a top colt. But he was a little tired after the race and he had a right to be tired. We put our heads together and thought we want to get this horse to the Kentucky Derby and take a swing at some of the Grade I Derby preps and the Derby itself. So now is the perfect time to take a deep breath with him, kick him out for 45 days and kick him back up in the middle of December. He'll be sent to the Fair Grounds and that's where he'll prepare for his races next year.”

Cox said he might have tried another route if Loggins had not show signs of being tired after the big effort at Keeneland.

“If he'd bounced out of his last race and was, the term is tearing the barn down, we might think differently,” he said. “But I didn't see that. We saw a horse that was tired and to try to put him through two works to get him ready for the Breeders' Cup would have been tough. When you go to the Breeders' Cup you have to be on top of your game and I didn't see that happening with him coming out of the Breeders' Cup as tired as he was. It would have been three races in seven weeks and that's a lot.”

In his debut, Loggins won a maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs by 8 1/2 lengths to earn Rising Star status.

“I think he's a big-time talent,” he said. “That's why we did what he did. He's a very fast horse and has a big future. He's an exciting prospect for next year.”

Loggins may have set an unofficial record for having the most owners, in his case 10. They are Spendthrift Farm LLC, Steve Landers Racing LLC, Martin S. Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC and Winners Win.

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Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) and Harrell Ventures' Lost Ark (Violence), the respective winner and sixth-place finisher in the Oct. 8 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, breezed a half-mile together in :49.20 immediately after the track's second renovation break at 9 a.m. Both are candidates for the $2-million GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Keeneland clockers caught the two in fractions of :13.40, :25, and out in 1:02, 1:15.80 and 1:30.20. (Click here for a video of the work).

“That was a pretty standard breeze from them,” Pletcher said. “They're both solid work horses and are always willing. We were just hoping to see more of what they normally do.”

Pletcher was happy with the colts' performances in the Breeders' Futurity.

“We felt like [Forte] handled the added distance [of 1 1/16 miles] and the two turns; he certainly looked like he relished it,” Pletcher said. “Lost Ark had a rough trip into the first turn and that kind of took him completely out of position. He finished up with some interest, so that was encouraging.”

Also working Thursday, GI Frizette S. winner Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke) worked in company with Florida Sire My Dear Girl S. winner Atomically (Girvin) following the first renovation at 7:30 a.m. Pointing towards the GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, the pair clocked the half-mile in :49 flat (11/26).

Fractions for the work, according to Keeneland clockers, were :13.20, :25.20, and out in 1:01.80, 1:15.20 and 1:30.

“I thought it was perfect,” Pletcher said. “Went off nicely, finished up well, good strong gallop out. Both got over the track [as if] they like it. It was a well-executed breeze.”

Thursday's work tab at Keeneland also included GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint contender Slammed (Marking), who worked three furlongs in :36.80 (6/9) for trainer Todd Fincher.

“That was a good way to start the day. She was very happy out there,” said jockey Florent Geroux, who was aboard for the work.

Slammed earned a berth in the F/M Sprint with her victory in the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. at Keeneland Oct. 8.

Also Thursday, two Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” victors owned by Susan Moulton and trained by Wayne Catalano–Manny Wah (Will Take Charge) and Andthewinneris (Oscar Performance)–returned to the work tab following their victories during Fall Stars Weekend.

Manny Wah, winner of the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Oct. 7, worked a half-mile in :47.40 for the second-fastest move of 26 at the distance. Manny Wah is headed for the $2-million GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint, a race in which he finished fifth in at Keeneland in 2020.

The GII Castle & Key Bourbon winner Andthewinneris worked a half-mile in :48.60 (8/26) with splits of :12.40 and :24.40. Andthewinneris is a candidate for the $1-million GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf that will close Future Stars Friday Nov. 4.

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Undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Cave Rock (Arrogate) cemented kingpin status with a thorough shellacking of the GI American Pharoah S. field at Santa Anita.

But fellow 'Rising Stars' Forte (Violence) and Loggins (Ghostzapper) might have delivered the more nuanced performances with their length-of-stretch slugfest in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. at Keeneland, which supplied both colts with valuable race-over-the-track experience heading into the Nov. 4 championship race.

Unleashing a 104 Beyer Speed Figure in his two-turn debut while never once appearing close to being fully extended, the pace-controlling Cave Rock toyed with a field of unproven quality en route to a 5 1/4-length romp for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.

But even trainer Bob Baffert–whose juveniles are so consistently dominant that a 1-2-3-4 finish by all four of his entrants in Saturday's Grade I stakes seemed like a ho-hum occurrence–noted post-race that even though Cave Rock “keeps improving,” the immediacy of the Breeders' Cup, the colt's momentum, and a bit of luck at the post draw will all factor in to how the Juvenile unfolds.

“Right now, he's what you need. You need something that's right now, that's going to be good within the next 30 days,” Baffert said. “This horse had to run like that to go to the Breeders' Cup.”

Cave Rock, who races with his head slung low in a style reminiscent of his sire, confidently dictated the tempo through consecutive quarter-mile splits of :22.96, :23.86 and :24.25, with jockey Juan Hernandez throttling back just a bit on the far turn before asking for a more serious (but hardly overdriven) effort in upper stretch.

Cave Rock widened his winning margin without facing a credible challenger, rolling through the home straight in a fourth quarter of :25.49 with a :6.49 final sixteenth for a 1:43.05 final clocking.

Cave Rock was building on a Del Mar MSW sprint unveiling that yielded a 101 Beyer, and his GI Del Mar Futurity victory, even though it represented a slight regression to 98, was admirable for the deep-stretch visual of this colt leaving the field reeling while looking like there was plenty more left in his tank.

The knock against Cave Rock going into the Breeders' Cup will be that his path to the Juvenile has been on the soft side, and that he has yet to encounter or overcome substantial adversity in any of his races. The horses he beat in his first two tries have sputtered as a collective 0-for-6 in subsequent starts, and three of his seven rivals in Saturday's American Pharoah S. were maidens.

Keeneland's short-stretch configuration for the 1 1/16-miles Juvenile (starting and finishing at the sixteenth pole) should theoretically play into Cave Rock's speed-centric favor.

But he will likely encounter significantly more pressure on the front end in the Breeders' Cup, and as Baffert said Saturday, the track layout for that distance is a “tough, you have to draw, you have to be lucky at Keeneland. That post position is going to be a big factor there.”

Being able to carve out fortuitous trips while negotiating 14 horses worth of traffic were career-advancement boxes successfully checked by both Forte (owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable for trainer Todd Pletcher) and Loggins (carrying the colors of Spendthrift Farm in a 10-way partnership for trainer Brad Cox) at Keeneland on Saturday.

They earned 92 and 91 Beyers, respectively, while finishing a neck apart and 6 3/4 lengths ahead of the remainder of the field. (Fittingly, in a stakes sponsored by Claiborne Farm, the stallion Blame supplied the broodmare-sire exacta.)

Forte, like Cave Rock, will go into the Juvenile with two Grade I wins to his credit. But you can make a very credible case for runner-up Loggins being the “wiseguy” play in the Juvenile, because he uncorked the effort that was markedly above expectations.

Loggins, stepping up into Grade I company for his route debut off a MSW sprint win at Churchill, established strong early positioning near the inside amid a crush of first-turn traffic. He conceded the lead and looked well within himself while covered up in third at the fence on the backstretch run, then seized the top spot 4 1/2 furlongs from the wire–a bold move that at first had the look of being premature, considering the colt's relative inexperience and the presence of favored Forte building momentum from midpack.

Loggins confidently chugged homeward after consecutive quarters of :22.94, :23.42 and :25.27 before being accosted by Forte at the head of the lane. Forte had methodically picked off most of the pack with precision targeting through the far turn, but had been tipped outside for the drive with what appeared to be a full head of steam.

Forte and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., muscled in on the rail-running Loggins and Florent Geroux with one furlong left over the short-stretch configuration. But Loggins was not overtly intimidated and gamely responded by shoving back, even as Forte wrested a slight lead through a fourth quarter in :26.54.

With a sixteenth remaining, Loggins determinedly pulsed back ahead for about six jumps before Forte clawed back an incremental lead at the finish. They ran the last half-furlong in a lockstep :6.57 for a final clocking of 1:44.74.

“He's a young horse, and I had to start working really hard on him,” Ortiz said. “He started doing it little by little, but by the time I got there and hit the lead, he started acting a little green and laying in a little bit. I had to take a big hold of him the whole stretch. He didn't even let me ride him that well. The whole time I had to hold him [off of] that horse inside of me, take care of him at the same time as I win the race.”

Geroux saw it differently, lodging a foul claim that was disallowed by the stewards.

“It was a good race. I got squeezed a little at the eighth pole,” Geroux said. “[Forte] came in a little bit on me and my horse was shifting, and I think it cost me the win.”

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“I am not going to commit yet,” McPeek said. “My first instinct is to wait for the (Grade 2) Kentucky Jockey Club on Nov. 27. The Breeders' Cup is an 'away game,' and I know he likes Churchill a lot.”

Rattle N Roll made his career debut with a third-place finish on June 26 at Churchill and returned in September to win a 1 1/16th-mile maiden race. He was a clear winner at the same distance in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity.

“This colt wants even more distance,” McPeek said. “I think a mile and a quarter is what he is asking for.”

Rattle N Roll is a two-time graduate of Keeneland auctions. He was sold as a weanling for $55,000 at the 2019 November Breeding Stock Sale and was purchased by McPeek as agent at last year's September Yearling Sale for $210,000. McPeek said he saw a strong resemblance to the colt's paternal grandsire, Curlin, when he saw Rattle N Roll at the September Sale. As agent, McPeek purchased Curlin at the 2005 September Sale.

McPeek said Rattle N Roll also is reminiscent of Tejano Run, who won the 1994 Breeders' Futurity for him. Tejano Run evolved into a graded stakes-winning millionaire and Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up.

“Tejano Run was a big, scopey horse – tall with a lot of leg to him,” he said. “Rattle N Roll has a beautiful hip and big, deep shoulder. Beautiful horse overall.”

McPeek's family, crew, and friends had multiple reasons for festivities Saturday night at his traditional semi-annual barbeque and bonfire at his Magdalena Farm in Lexington. About 100 people attended to celebrate the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity triumph, the 21st birthday of McPeek's daughter, Jenna, and the University of Kentucky football team's win over Louisiana State University.

“We had birthday cake, and Jenna had champagne,” he said.

Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Double Thunder came out of his runner-up effort in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity in good order, according to Ginny DePasquale, assistant to Todd Pletcher.

Double Thunder broke last in the field of 13 and rallied to claim the second spot.

“The one hole in a big field; it's tough,” DePasquale said. “I thought he ran well.”

Pletcher said via text that Double Thunder would ship back to Belmont and “we will keep our options open.”

The post McPeek Considering Options For Rattle N Roll’s Next Start appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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