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Sunday Racing Insights: Hyped-Up Bezos Makes First Start for Avengers

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5th-SA, $61K, Msw, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 4:03 p.m. ET

The day has finally arrived for the buzzed-about Bezos (Empire Maker) to kick off his career for Bob Baffert and the powerful ownership conglomerate nicknamed The Avengers. The $400,000 KEESEP yearling has been working so well at Santa Anita that he was bet down to 26-1 in the GI Kentucky Derby future pool that closed Jan. 24 without having yet made an afternoon appearance. His tab includes a :59.40 (1/39) gate breeze Jan. 21 in which he bested graded-placed older stablemate Speed Pass (Bodemeister) by some five lengths (XBTV Video). The bay is a half to MSP Fortunate Girl (Hard Spun) from the family of GSWs Palmeiro (Pleasant Tap), Dynaslew (Dynaformer) and 2019 GII Remsen S. winner Shotski (Blame).

Baffert has also entered Michael Lund's Tivoli Twirl (Twirling Candy). The bay was a $95,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling turned $375,000 OBS April juvenile after a :10 flat breeze. He's been working quickly at Santa Anita as well, and prepped for this with a :59.20 (1/64) solo five eighths last Sunday (XBTV Video). The bay is a half to MSW Saythreehailmary's (Repent) and SW Afleet Alexandra (Northern Afleet).

Three runners hit the board in their respective debuts, with Mr. Impossible (Munnings) the toughest-looking of that bunch on paper. The Simon Callaghan trainee earned an 81 Beyer Speed Figure when running second here Jan. 15 to Baffert 'TDN Rising Star' Concert Tour (Street Sense). He's out of graded-winning turfer Qaraaba (GB) (Shamardal), already the dam of GSW and GISP Californiagoldrush (Cape Blanco {Ire}) and last year's GII Zenyatta S. heroine Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo).

Twin Creeks homebred Law Professor (Constitution) is out of a MSW half-sister to pricey GISW Celestine (Scat Daddy).

TJCIS PPs

6th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, 3:10 p.m. ET

Favored on the morning line at 5-2 in this stacked field is Repole Stable's Iced Latte (Pioneerof the Nile). The $250,000 KEESEP yearling is out of fellow Todd Pletcher pupil Malibu Prayer (Malibu Moon), winner of the 2010 GI Ruffian H. for late owner/breeder Ned Evans. From a typically deep family, Malibu Prayer sold for $2 million in foal to Smart Strike during the blockbuster dispersal of Evans's stock at the 2011 Keeeneland November sale.

Peter Brant's Boston Post Road (Quality Road) was a $525,000 FTSAUG yearling bred on the same cross as her connections' GISW Dunbar Road (Quality Road). She's a full to MSW and GSP Top Quality and a granddaughter of GSW Sweet Fervor (Seeking the Gold) from the family of GSWs Concerto, Illusioned and Codified.

Brant's cousin Joe Allen also gets in on the action with $650,000 Keeneland September acquisition Red Hot and Blue (Candy Ride {Arg}). The rail-drawn Shug McGaughey pupil hails from the extended female family of McGaughey-trained Phipps standouts like Point of Entry, Pine Island and Pleasant Home.

Sabana Farm homebred Hitech Is Back (Outwork) is out of stakes winner Hitechnoweenie (Harlan's Holiday), making her a half to last year's local GIII Forward Gal S. and GII Davona Dale s. heroine Tonalist's Shape (Tonalist). Dream About Me (Medaglia d'Oro) was a $450,000 Saratoga yearling out of a daughter of GISW juvenile Mi Sueno (Pulpit) and granddaughter of GISW Madcap Escapade (Hennessy). TJCIS PPs

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What’s In a Name: Postnup

There is quite a lot of marriage material in the name and family of 3-year-old winning filly Postnup (f, 3, Declaration of War–I'm Engaged, by Broken Vow).

Is the proposal of a “postnup” somehow related to a declaration of war? Hopefully not. According to Google a “postnup” is “a legally binding contract–entered during the marriage, as opposed to a prenup–that spells out who gets what portion of specified assets and how liabilities are shared in the event of a divorce.” So it is more like a treaty, and treaties, among nations, often come after a cease-fire and a bit of conflict.

In any case, matrimonial mythology is scattered liberally in the female line of Postnup, just like petals or rice at a wedding: mother I'm Engaged is by Broken Vow out of Engaging (out of Starlet Storm!), while Broken Vow himself is out of Wedding Vow. It all conjures images of people left (or not) at the altar, and also powerful old memories of legendary stallion Blushing Groom, who was famously out of Runaway Bride, herself by Wild Risk and out of Aimee ('loved') – and I rest my case.

Engaging name for this brave filly–pun intended.

8th-Fair Grounds, $50,000, Msw, 2-4, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:55.59, fm, 1 3/4 lengths.
POSTNUP (f, 3, Declaration of War–I'm Engaged, by Broken Vow) O-Belladonna Racing, LLC; B-Greenspring Mares LLC (MD); T-Cherie DeVaux.

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Smiley Sobotka Makes ’21 Debut in Sam Davis

Albaugh Family Stables' Smiley Sobotka (Brody's Cause), last seen finishing second behind Keepmeinmind (Laoban) in the Nov. 28 GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., makes his sophomore debut in the 1 1/16-mile GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs Saturday. The chestnut colt tuned up for his return to the races with a four-furlong drill in :46.81 (2/118) at Gulfstream Park last Saturday.

Michael Shanley's Nova Rags (Union Rags) makes a return trip to Tampa following his win in the seven-furlong Pasco S. last time out Jan. 16. The Bill Mott trainee, a maiden winner first-out at Belmont last October, was fourth in the Nov. 8 GIII Nashua S. in the finale of his two-race juvenile campaign.

Mott also saddles Candy Man Rocket (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the Davis. The dark bay colt romped to a 9 1/4-length maiden win going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park Jan. 9.

“Both of our horses have been training well, and we're anxiously awaiting the outcome to see if we have horses good enough to go on and come back for the [GII Lambholm South] Tampa Bay Derby [Mar. 6],” Mott said Friday from his South Florida base. “It's a big test for both horses, and we have no great expectations. Candy Man Rocket hasn't been beyond 6 1/2 furlongs and Nova Rags hasn't raced around two turns yet, so they need to be tested to find out how far they want to go.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out a pair of runners in the Davis. St Elias Stables homebred Known Agenda (Curlin) makes his first start since finishing third in the GIII Remsen S. last December, while Donegal Racing's Millean (Blame) graduated versus $50,000 maiden claimers at Gulfstream Jan. 10.

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Capo Kane Back for More in Withers

Bing Cherry Racing and Leonard Liberto's Capo Kane (Street Sense), a romping 6 1/4-length winner of the one-mile Jerome S. at Aqueduct Jan. 1, will look to add a furlong and a graded race to his resume in the GIII Withers S. at Aqueduct Saturday. Trained by Harold Wyner, the bay colt was runner-up in his seven-furlong debut at Parx Oct. 28. He graduated by a front-running 4 1/2 lengths going one mile and 70 yards at Parx Nov. 25 and had everything his own way when loose on the lead in the Jerome last time out.

Chad Brown sends out Klaravich Stable's Risk Taking (Medaglia d'Oro). Off the board sprinting over the main track at Belmont and over the Aqueduct lawn to open his career last fall, the bay colt graduated over track and trip Dec. 13.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out a pair of maiden winners in the Withers. Repole Stables, St Elias Stables and Michael Tabor's Overtook (Curlin), a $1-million KEESEP yearling, was a two-length winner while shedding blinkers in a one-mile special weight at Aqueduct in his third start Dec. 20.

“I think he's learning,” Pletcher said of the son of Grade I winner Got Lucky (A.P. Indy). “He's gained some confidence with the experience and we felt like the blinkers needed to come off. He got a nice hot pace to run at which helped. He's an improving horse who is bred to get better with more distance and more time. We've seen him making progress throughout the fall and winter. This is a big step up, but hopefully he's up for it.”

Pletcher also saddles Donegal Racing's Donegal Bay (Uncle Mo). The bay gelding opened his career with a sixth-place effort going 6 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga last August and was last seen romping to a front-running 4 1/4-length maiden score going one mile at Gulfstream Dec. 12.

“I think it was the additional time, having a start under his belt as well as having some good works leading into that,” Pletcher said of that graduation effort. “He also got a better start, which a lot of horses do in their second race. He has a pretty high-cruising speed. Pedigree-wise, he's bred to go that far. It's a big step up from a maiden race, but we're hoping for a big run.”

Donegal Bay has been prepping for his stakes debut at Pletcher's winter Florida base in Palm Beach Downs where he worked four furlongs in :49 flat (1/16) last Friday.

“It's a bit of a tricky race,” Donegal Racing's Jerry Crawford said. “This is the time of year where some horses get better and some don't, and he needs to get better on Saturday if he can turn himself into a contender. Obviously, there's a fair amount of front-end speed and they'll be asked to go a mile and an eighth at the same time. Donegal Racing has always been treated exceptionally well in New York and have had some good success up there.”

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