Cazadero Sparkles in Churchill Downs Debut

Stonestreet Stables homebred Cazadero was successful in his May 29 debut at Churchill Downs, outrunning a field of 10 other 2-year-olds in a five-furlong maiden special weight.

The Street Sense  colt is out of 2006 Prioress Breeders' Cup Stakes (G1) runner-up Wild Gams, who was the New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year in 2006 and 2008. She has six other runners and five other winners, including grade 3-placed Almost Famous and stakes winner Mt. Brave. She also has a 2020 colt by Good Magic .

Cazadero, trained by Steve Asmussen, popped out of the gate on the lead with Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard, but the favored Knicks Front challenged the colt immediately and momentarily took the lead. Cazadero led at every point of call after that, however, and with Knicks Front just a head behind to his outside, he finished a quarter-mile in :22.12 and three-eighths in :45.24.

Coming into the stretch, Knicks Front began to fall back and Cazadero kept going, opening an 8 3/4-length margin at the wire. He completed the distance in :57.65. Gypsy King closed for second, and Medicine Tail, a Kantharos  half brother to grade 2 winner O'Prado Again, got up for third.

#4 Cazadero demolishes the field in Race 2 at @ChurchillDowns for Asmussen under @RSantana_Jr pic.twitter.com/GK21sWk4HA

— TwinSpires (@TwinSpires) May 29, 2020

Cazadero's next start could be the June 27 Bashford Manor Stakes (G3), a six-furlong juvenile test at Churchill Downs.