Five Keeneland Grads Get Off the Mark in Maiden Tests

This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are grade/group winners, or have dams that are grade/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners in particular who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.

Saratoga

Stonestreet Stables' Cantata added to the finishing touches of an exciting week of 2-year-old races when she lived up to her $950,000 price tag in her first start.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, the Medaglia d'Oro  filly demolished a field of five other fillies Aug. 16 in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga Race Course, running off to a 10 1/4-length score under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr.

Cantata settled in third in Sunday's race, as Stone Town led the field through early fractions of :22.92 and :46.62. On the turn, Cantata inched up on the leaders from the outside and once she was asked to make her move she opened up easily, drawing off in the stretch and geared down at the wire to finish in a final time of 1:18.12 over a fast track.

Bred by Doug and Felicia Branham, Cantata is the second foal out of the stakes-winning Flatter  mare Stoweshoe, a full sister to grade 1 winner Taris. Cantata sold for her six-figure price tag at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale where she was consigned by Eaton Sales.

Ellis Park

Two juvenile fillies from the same Keeneland sale made impressive debuts Aug. 15 at Ellis Park.

The first came in Race 5, a five-furlong test that ran a field of 10. Louis Wright's Inject, a Frosted  half sister to 2017 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) winner Tapwrit , made short work of the contest and pulled clear to win by six lengths.

Trained by Stanley Hough and ridden by jockey Julien Leparoux, Inject gave the leader, Quick Munny, about a 1 1/2-length advantage as a half-mile went in :45.54, but soon after she closed that gap and began to open up on the would-be runner up, finishing in :57.67 over the fast track.

The impressive score gave Frosted his first winner as a freshman sire. Inject is his 12th runner to date.

Bred by My Meadowview in Kentucky, Inject is out of the productive Successful Appeal mare Appealing Zophie, who won the 2006 Spinaway Stakes (G1) and has been especially productive in the breeding shed with six winners from eight foals to race. She is also the dam of 2018 Del Mar Derby (G2T) winner Ride a Comet. A yearling full sister to Tapwrit and a 2020 colt by Justify  are also among her progeny.

Agent Hunter Rankin went to $390,000 for Inject when she was consigned by Denali Stud to the Keeneland September sale.

In the eighth race, Winchester Place Thoroughbreds' Lady Goldstart scored the narrowest of victories, taking the five-furlong maiden test by a nose over Decade.

The Ian Wilkes trainee pressed the pace just a head behind Decade throughout much of the race under jockey Chris Landeros, as fractions went in :22.75 and :45.76 for a half-mile. The Upstart  filly was a half-length in arrears in the stretch but fought back valiantly for the hard-earned win.

Lady Goldstart made it four winners from four starters for her dam, grade 3 winner Gold Edge (by Eddington). She was bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones. Winchester Place bought the filly from Jones' Airdrie Stud consignment to last year's Keeneland September sale.

Del Mar

Two more juveniles earned their stripes Saturday at Del Mar.

In Race 5, Jon and Sarah Kelly's Caisson ran a similar race to Lady Goldstart, biding his time in second before fighting to the wire to score in a one-mile turf contest by a nose

Trained by Richard Mandella and ridden to victory by Flavien Prat, Caisson was making his second start after finishing fourth over the same course and distance July 25.

The son of War Front  was purchased by Jon Kelly for $340,000 from Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency at the Keeneland September sale. Bred by Rhinestone Bloodstock, he is the second foal out of the E. P. Taylor Stakes Presented by HPIBet (G1T) winner Curvy, a British-bred Galileo mare who also won the Ribbesdale Stakes (G2) and placed third in the Darley Irish Oaks (G1) before racing in the United States.

Later in Race 8, Forest Caraway kept the Keeneland sales graduate streak going with a score in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden test that featured the Bob Baffert-trained Illumination, a $900,000 yearling purchase.

Trained by Peter Miller for Phoenix Thoroughbreds, Forest Caraway raced in fourth under Ricardo Gonzalaz as a quarter-mile went in :21:43 and third as a half went in :44.97, set by Mandragora Seeker. The favored Illumination held second, but Forest Caraway closed down the stretch as the leader faltered. She finished 2 1/4 lengths in front in a final time of 1:04.22 on a fast track. Illumination finished second.

The Bodemeister  filly, out of the Yes It's True mare Thin Disguise, went through the auction ring twice, selling for $70,000 as a weanling during the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. She later failed to meet her reserve at the Keeneland September sale on a final bid of $27,000. Denali Stud consigned her in both sales.

Others

Two other juveniles of note broke through the maiden ranks—Sky Proposal won Saturday at Monmouth Park and Niagara Charlie broke his maiden Aug. 13 at Indiana Grand.

Screen Door Stables' Sky Proposal won by a neck in her second effort, taking a 5 1/2-furlong test on a fast track. The Liam's Map  filly, trained by Kelly Breen and ridden by Paco Lopez, was third in her July 4 debut at the New Jersey track.

Bred in Florida, Sky Proposal is out of the stakes-placed Montbrook mare Siren Cove, who is a grade 3 producer.

Owner/trainer Randy Klopp and Joe Shaw's Niagara Charlie won in his fourth start, all at Indiana Grand, putting 1 1/4 lengths between himself and runner-up Big Union in a one-mile turf event under jockey Deshawn Parker.

Bred in Kentucky, the Cinco Charlie  gelding is out of the grade 2-winning Langfuhr mare The Niagara Queen.