Half Brothers to Include Betty, Sadler's Joy Win Debuts
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Photo: Coady Photography
Gagetown wins his debut at Churchill Downs
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.
Churchill
Rupp Racing's Gagetown was one of two colts of note to win his debut this week, taking a Nov. 13 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs for trainer Brad Cox. The Exaggerator half brother to grade 1 winner Include Betty won the six-furlong race by two lengths.
Ridden by Florent Geroux, Gagetown settled in fourth as the first quarter-mile went in :21.94 and a half-mile went in :45.71. Racing two wide on the turn, he set down for a drive as he entered the lane and finished the distance in 1:10.33 on a fast track.
Bred by SF Bloodstock in Kentucky, the colt is out of the Eltish mare Betty's Solutions, who, in addition to her grade 1 star, also produced grade 1-placed Blonde Fog and Francesca d'Gorgio, the dam of group 1-placed Amazonas.
Gagetown sold to Brookstone Farm as a weanling for $170,000 when Pope McLean consigned him to the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. He later went through the ring as a yearling and again at 2, but went unsold in both instances.
His win made him one of freshman sire Exaggerator's top three earners to date.
Aqueduct
Woodslane Farm's homebred Wolfie's Dynaghost was the other maiden of note to win on debut, taking a seven-furlong maiden test by 1 1/2 lengths the following day at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Wolfie's Dynaghost wins first time out at Aqueduct Racetrack
Trained by Thomas Albertrani and ridden to victory by Junior Alvarado, the juvenile son of Ghostzapper raced behind the pace in third and was coaxed by Alvarado around the turn before rallying to take command. He finished in 1:24.52 on a good track.
Bred in Kentucky, Wolfie's Dynaghost is a half brother to grade 1 winner Sadler's Joy, who has earned $2,648,160 and last raced Oct. 3, placing third in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1T). Sadler's Joy, a son of Kitten's Joy , is also campaigned by Woodslane and trained by Albertrani. Out of the Dynaformer mare Dynaire, Wolfie's Dynaghost is also a half brother to stakes-placed Dyna Passer and Lunaire.