By J. Keeler Johnson ("Keelerman") Twitter: @J_Keelerman
It's that time of year
again! With the Breeders' Cup complete, our attention can turn to the 2025
Kentucky Derby (G1), which is about six months away.
I've been watching out for up-and-coming
Derby contenders who haven't joined the stakes ranks yet. Here are five maiden
winners worth following as the 2024-25 Road to the Kentucky Derby heats up:
Disco Time
Juddmonte... Brad Cox... Florent
Geroux... the connections behind 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Mandaloun are back
with Disco Time, a promising son of Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) runner-up Not
This Time.
While most bettors were
focused on the Breeders' Cup Friday action at Del Mar, Disco Time was winning
his debut in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs. Never
more than a length behind fractions of :23.01 and :46.68, Disco Time finished
up nicely when called up, taking over and clocking his final furlong in :12.59
to win by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:23.88.
Disco Time has upside and
can make some noise on the Road to the Kentucky Derby this winter.
Keewaydin
Keewaydin debuted on Aug. 24
in an incredibly deep six-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga. He
finished third by a head and a nose to future Champagne (G1) runner-up Tip Top
Thomas and subsequent maiden winner Rookie Card. Coming home three lengths
behind Keewaydin in fourth place was future Street Sense (G3) winner
Sovereignty, while others in the field included next-out maiden winner C K
Wonder.
Unsurprisingly, Keewaydin
had little difficulty winning his second start in a seven-furlong maiden
special weight at Aqueduct. After vying for command through quick fractions of
:22.67 and :45.70, he kicked clear and sprinted his final three furlongs in a
strong :36.39 to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Volt, who in turn pulled 10 lengths
clear of the rest.
Keewaydin reached the finish
line in a snappy 1:22.09. The Chad Brown-trained youngster is bred like a
sprinter/miler, but there's clearly significant talent here.
Mitty's Griddy
I'll be the first to concede
that Mitty's Griddy benefited from a favorable pace setup when rallying to win
his debut sprinting six furlongs at Churchill Downs. The early fractions were
hot—:21.35 and :44.48—and the pace decelerated down the homestretch with a
final furlong in :13.29.
But in closing from dead
last, a dozen lengths off the pace, Mitty's Griddy clocked seriously fast
closing fractions. He was 10 lengths behind with a quarter-mile remaining and 6
3/4 lengths back with a furlong left to run. To close those margins, Mitty's
Griddy ran his final quarter-mile in :23.58 per the Equibase GPS result chart.
A son of champion sprinter
Mitole out of a mare by Songandaprayer, Mitty's Griddy is bred to excel over
short distances. But the finishing kick he displayed on debut bodes well for
the chances of this Cox trainee stretching out in distance.
Praetor
Praetor might be a 1-for-2
maiden winner, but he's already proven he can hold his own against Road to the
Kentucky Derby-caliber competition.
Purchased for $725,000 as a
yearling, Praetor debuted in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Aug. 3 at
Saratoga. He got bumped and pinched at the start, dropping back to last place
by a clear margin. Yet he fought his way back into contention down the
homestretch and finished third behind runaway winner Ferocious, who has since
placed in the Hopeful (G1) and Breeders' Futurity (G1).
Praetor subsequently led
from start to finish to win a one-mile maiden special weight at Aqueduct. His
lead was shrinking down the homestretch, going from 3 1/2 lengths at the eighth
pole to a neck at the wire. But don't judge him harshly: the fast-closing
runner-up, Sovereignty, returned to win the Street Sense (G3) in his next
start.
Praetor reached the finish
line in the quick time of 1:36.14, earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure. The
beautifully bred son of Into Mischief out of a Curlin mare has a pedigree
combining speed with stamina, and success over classic distances should be
within reach. Perhaps Praetor can give trainer Chad Brown a Kentucky Derby win
after the near-miss of Sierra Leone this year.
Uncaged
Uncaged, a $450,000 yearling
acquisition, has only run once and hasn't posted a timed worked since
scratching from last month's Champagne (G1). But if this Todd Pletcher-trained
juvenile gets back to action in time for the Road to the Kentucky Derby, he
could be a force to reckon with.
A stoutly bred son of Curlin
out of a mare by Pioneerof the Nile, Uncaged is bred to relish racing 1 1/8
miles or farther. So it was noteworthy to see him win his debut sprinting a
mere six furlongs at Saratoga. Overlooked as the fifth choice among seven
starters in a maiden special weight, Uncaged settled midfield through splits of
:22.12 and :45.33, then launched a wide charge to take command and score by 1
3/4 lengths in 1:10.55.
The best is surely still to
come from Uncaged, who figures to improve with distance and maturity. I'm
excited for his future.
Now it's your turn! Which
up-and-coming Kentucky Derby contenders do you have your eyes on?
*****
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as "Keelerman") is a writer, videographer, voice actor, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite.
