Affable Monarch, Adversity New Winners for Arrogate

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.

Arrogate Offspring

This week two 2-year-olds by the late Arrogate , a colt and a filly, were among those who impressed in their maiden victories Sept. 6.

Colts Neck Stables homebred Affable Monarch  demolished a field of six other 2-year-olds in a six-furlong test at Monmouth Park in his first start.

Ridden by Tomas Mejia, the Jorge Duarte Jr. trainee was seventh and last as a quarter-mile went in :22.23 and moved up to fifth as a half-mile was timed in :45.93. Affable Monarch rallied along the rail and held a half-length lead coming into the stretch. He continued to pull away from the field to win by 6 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:11.20 on a fast track.

The colt, out of the grade 3-winning Dynaformer mare Social Queen, is a half brother to grade 1 winner Force the Pass  (by Speightstown).

Arrogate's daughter Adversity  won her second start the same day, taking a 5 1/2-length maiden race for New York-breds at Saratoga Race Course.

Ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., the filly raced in third after brushing the gate, moved into second as a half-mile went in :46.72, and then opened a clear lead in the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:06.19 on a sealed, sloppy track.

Trained by Mark Casse for D. J. Stable, Adversity finished seventh in her first start, a race plagued by horses bumping and drifting ahead of her.

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Adversity is out of the dual grade 1 winner Artemis Agrotera (Roman Ruler).

Gulfstream Romp

Al Rashid Stables' Spuntacular  decided the third time was a charm when the Hard Spun colt took the lead shortly after the start and then proceeded to romp to an eight-length victory Sept. 11 at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Juan Carlos Avila, Spuntacular had finished second in his July 3 debut and then third Aug. 6, but with Edgar Prado again at the reins for the colt's third start there were no challengers to be had. Spuntacular posted fractions of :22.58, :46.13, and :58.51 before driving on to win in 1:11.62 on the fast track.

Bred by Hardacre Farm in Florida, Spuntacular is out of the Pomeroy mare Pomeroys Pistol, who is also the dam of grade 2 winner Thousand Words  .

Earlier in the day at Gulfstream, Fast N Steady  also won in his third start, taking an about 7 1/2-furlong maiden turf test by a half-length. The son of Fast Anna, trained by Javier Gonzalez for owner John Minchello, is out of the group 2-winning First American mare Doppia Vendetta.

Past Week

With Maiden Watch on hiatus for the week of Sept. 1, there were several notable winners that went unannounced. Trainer Todd Pletcher unleashed Annapolis  on the Saratoga turf course and the War Front   colt rallied to a 4 1/2-length score Sept. 4.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Annapolis raced near the back of the 10-horse field in the 1 1/16-mile maiden race. Still fifth as six furlongs went in 1:14.16, Annapolis ran down the front-runners on the turn, held a half-length lead in upper stretch, and then pulled away to win in a final time of 1:43.47 on the firm course.

Bred by his owner Bass Racing, Annapolis is out of the Unbridled's Song mare My Miss Sophia, who won the 2014 Gazelle Stakes (G2) and was runner up in that year's Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Later that day on the opposite coast, Speedway Stables' Corniche , a colt the owners paid $1.5 million for as a 2-year-old in training, won his first start. The colt wired a 5 1/2-furlong maiden test at Del Mar for trainer Bob Baffert.

The Quality Road   colt, ridden by Mike Smith, led all the way to defeat nine other 2-year-olds by 4 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:03.01 on a fast track.

Bred by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings, Corniche is out of the Najran mare Wasted Tears, a multiple graded stakes winner who finished her racing career with 12 wins in 22 starts that included a runner-up finish in the 2010 Matriarch Stakes (G1T). Corniche was purchased from the de Meric consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.