Ted Noffey the clear one to beat in Breeders' Futurity
With juveniles taking center stage at Keeneland on Saturday, Ted Noffey is certainly the headliner in the Grade 1, $650,000 Breeders’ Futurity going 1 1/16 miles.
Coming off a romp in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga, Ted Noffey, named for Spendthrift manager Ned Toffey, is set as the 4-5 morning-line favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez. In the Hopeful, Ted Noffey stalked the pace before opening up to win by 8 1/2 lengths.
“I just showed him the whip and he got onto the bridle a little sooner than I wanted to, but you could tell once he got there, he was going to win it,” Velazquez said after the Hopeful. “He’s learned from the race before to this one, he learned a lot – I see him waiting a little down the lane, so I kind of had to keep his mind on running, but other than that, very well done.”
By top sire Into Mischief and out of the dam Streak of Luck, who was graded stakes-placed on turf, Ted Noffey should have no problem stretching out from post 6.
Ted Noffey is expected to get a stiff test from a fellow Saratoga graded stakes winner in Ewing, who won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special after an impressive maiden win. Ewing, trained by Mark Casse, led all the way in the 6 1/2-furlong Saratoga Special. Jose Ortiz retains the mount from post 7 at 9-2 on the morning line.
Big Dom is set as the 4-1 second choice on the morning line, coming off a maiden romp for trainer Tom Amoss, who enjoyed a stellar Saratoga meet with his juveniles. Amoss will also send out favorite It’s Our Time in Saturday’s Grade 1 Champagne at Aqueduct. Big Dom tracked a tepid pace on debut, ultimately getting up by a neck. Irad Ortiz Jr. takes over for his brother Jose from post 2.
With those three likely to set a solid pace, Litmus Test could be the beneficiary, coming from just off that pace. Trained by Bob Baffert, Litmus Test won on debut but then ran fourth in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, behind star stablemate Brant. Flavien Prat is booked to ride and Baffert has excellent numbers stretching, making the 8-1 morning-line price look awfully intriguing.
Spice Runner is also a graded stakes winner, taking the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs last out. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Spice Runner took that one-mile event from midpack, getting up by a head at the wire. Tyler Gaffalione gets aboard from post 4 at 12-1 on the morning line.
Blackout Time, a recent maiden winner for trainer Kenny McPeek, is likely to come down from his 10-1 morning-line odds. At Ellis Park in early August, Blackout Time raced near the lead and won by almost 10 lengths.
Diciassette, winner of the Proud Man at Gulfstream Park last out, completes the field.
The Breeders' Futurity is a "Win and You're In" race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31 at Del Mar, as well as a Kentucky Derby points race, offering points to the top five finishers.
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An avid horse racing fan and bettor, Michael Smith has developed a career in horse racing media as an editor and writer. A regular at Saratoga Race Course, Michael mainly covers New York racing but follows various other racing across the country and world.