All eyes will be on the Eclipse Award Champion two-year-old colt FIERCENESS, who makes his sophomore debut on Feb. 3 in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. An early Kentucky Derby favourite and owner of a huge 105 Beyer Speed Figure from his romp in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita last year, Fierceness is one of eight entrants in the Holy Bull, a 1 1/16 mile race. The colt is 3-to-5 in the morning line odds and he is trained by Todd Pletcher for Repole Stable.
(bet365-Canada has a handicapping feature on Canadian Thoroughbred here.)
There are several other three-year-old stakes races on Saturday across the U.S. as it is less than 100 days until the 150th Derby.
In New York, the Withers Stakes (G3) has a field of nine and Oaklawn’s Southwest Stakes, a Grade 3 worth a staggering $800,000, has 12 entrants and at Santa Anita, the Robert B. Lewis (G3) has nine in the field.
Gulfstream, Oaklawn and Santa Anita have a number of stakes races on their cards.
Canadian racing fans and pedigree buffs will be interested in watching SPEED RUNNER in the Withers for Whisper Hill Farm, LLC. The son of Gun Runner – Speed Succeeds is a half-brother to Ontario stallion Souper Speedy.
Withers preview from NYRA media:
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented by a pair of contenders in Speed Runner and Khanate as he looks to secure his fourth win in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers, a nine-furlong test for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Withers, a prep race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, will award the top-five finishers 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points, respectively, towards the prestigious Grade 1 test on May 4 at Churchill Downs.
Pletcher previously won the Withers with Harlem Rocker [2008], Revolutionary [2013] and Far From Over [2015]. Revolutionary followed up his Withers score with a win in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby before closing from deep to finish third to the victorious Orb in that year’s Kentucky Derby.
Whisper Hill Farm’s Kentucky homebred Speed Runner has made both of his career starts in maiden special weights at the Big A, finishing a good third on debut in October in a seven-furlong sprint won by Billal, who will feature in Saturday’s Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream Park.
The Gun Runner chestnut stretched out to nine furlongs on December 8 and utilized a prominent trip under returning rider Jose Lezcano to post a neck win over Malarchuk with Withers rival Society Man a further 4 1/4-lengths back in third.
“He’s always been a forward-training colt. I thought he ran respectably in his debut which was probably a little short of his ideal distance,” Pletcher said. “He seemed to make a move forward going a mile and an eighth in his second start. We felt like after stretching out around two turns, it just made sense to wait for the Withers. He’s trained well and he needs to continue to improve like all of them do at this stage.”
Speed Runner will exit the inside post under Lezcano.
“I think he has tactical speed. Jose can play it off the break from the rail and see where he is,” Pletcher said.
Speed Runner, a half-brother to Grade 1-winner Brilliant Speed and graded stakes-placed Souper Speedy, is out of the Gone West mare Speed Succeeds, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner and Canadian Champion mare Serenading and multiple graded stakes-placed Handpainted. His third dam, Passing Mood – a daughter of Canadian Hall of Famer Cool Mood – produced 1997 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes-winner Touch Gold and Canadian Triple Crown winner With Approval.
Southwest Stakes preview
From the first crop of Solomini, Wynstock is among the favorites for the $800,000 G3-Southwest Stakes for three-year-olds Saturday at Oaklawn, a 1 1/16-mile race postponed one week because of winter weather. The Southwest is Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Derby points race, a series that continues with the $1.25 million G2-Rebel Stakes Feb. 24 and $1.5 million G1-Arkansas Derby March 30.
Solomini, in 2018, ran second in the Rebel and third in the Arkansas Derby for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. Baffert also trains Wynstock, a New York-bred who makes his three-year-old debut and first start outside of California in the Southwest. Baffert has won the Southwest two consecutive years and a record six times overall.
“He reminds me a little bit of Solomini,” Baffert said Monday afternoon. “Sort of lazy in the mornings, if you watch him train. He just does what he has to do, but he’s a big, strong colt. He’s bigger than Solomini. He’s a bigger, stronger colt than his sire.”
Wynstock was purchased last April for $700,000 – almost 10 times higher than Solomini’s 2024 stud fee – at the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. Wynstock zipped an eighth of a mile in :9 4/5 in his under-tack preview workout, which Baffert said contributed to the colt’s hefty sales price. Solomini stands for $7,500 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
“At the time, taking a big chance on a freshman sire,” Baffert said. “You never know what they’re going to do, but the Solominis seem like they’re running well. He looks good. He’s doing well and he’s got a lot of speed.”
Wynstock hasn’t started since a half-length victory in the $200,000 G2-Los Alamitos Futurity at 1 1/16 miles Dec. 16. Wynstock, unbeaten in two starts around two turns, is an anomaly because Baffert’s horses traditionally flourish in sprint races to begin their careers.
Wynstock, however, flopped as the favorite in his first two career starts, both at 6 ½ furlongs. But in his next start, and two-turn debut, Wynstock broke his maiden by 7 ½ front-running lengths at one-mile Oct. 15 at Santa Anita. Wynstock then outdueled more heralded stablemates Coach Prime and Wine Me Up in the Los Alamitos Futurity. Wynstock went off 13-1 in both victories.
“He was working well and we knew he had talent, but for some reason when I ran him short, he never showed anything,” Baffert said. “They outfooted him away from there. I’ve had horses like that and then once I stretch them out, they’re different. He’s a different animal. I remember Real Quiet (Baffert’s 1998 Kentucky Derby winner). I think his first five races, I ran him short. As soon as I stretched him out, then it was different. Some horses are that way. Stretched him (Wynstock) out and he was a different horse. We’re just taking it step by step. It’s going to be a good test for him. He’s going to ship. See how he handles that. He’s got to break well. I know there’s always speed in the race.”
Wynstock (the 4-1 second choice on the morning line) is scheduled to break from post 5 under Kyle Frey, who is two-for-two on the colt. Baffert trains Wynstock for Los Alamitos executives Ed Allred and Jack Liebau.
Baffert won the Southwest in 2010 (Conveyance), both divisions in 2012 (Castaway and Secret Circle), 2013 (Super Ninety Nine), 2022 (Newgrange) and 2023 (Arabian Knight). Conveyance marked Baffert’s first Oaklawn starter since 2001. He’s also won the Rebel a record eight times, Arkansas Derby four times and the Smarty Jones Stakes, Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby points race, once.
Overall, Baffert has won a staggering 43 percent his career starts at Oaklawn (38 of 88), with his horses collecting 30 stakes victories and bankrolling $10,703,593 in purses. He has a 46-percent strike rate (19 of 41) in what is now Oaklawn’s four-race series of Kentucky Derby prep races.
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