Juvenile Two-Three Head Strong KJC

[Wandering Eyes]

Though Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) proved best as a heavy favorite in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, a handful of longshots followed him home, and two of those, the second and third finishers, return in a competitive renewal of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. Saturday at Churchill Downs.

KRA Stud Farm’s Knicks Go (Paynter) shocked the racing world when wiring the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at 70-1 Oct. 6 at Keeneland, but the gray proved that effort was no fluke in the Breeders’ Cup. Pressing and making the first move into a fast pace, which sapped second choice and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Complexity (Maclean’s Music) to the tune of a 20 1/4-length defeat, Knicks Go led to deep stretch of the Juvenile before ultimately finding the presumptive 2-year-old male champion a bit too much to handle while holding second at over 40-1. The $87,000 Keeneland September buy earned a field-best 90 Beyer for the effort.

One length behind Knicks Go at the finish was Tommie Lewis, David Bernsen and Magdalena Racing’s Signalman (General Quarters). Bought for $32,000 as a Fasig-Tipton October yearling, the bay was second in the local slop on debut May 17 and graduated Sept. 1 at Saratoga before running second to Knicks Go in the Breeders’ Futurity. Well out of it early in the Breeders’ Cup, he put together a strong late run to fill the trifecta at more than 67-1.

Todd Pletcher ships in with the potent one-two punch of Red Oak Stable’s King for a Day (Uncle Mo) and Robert LaPenta, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Dixiana Farms’ Current (Curlin). The former was third to the aforementioned Complexity on debut Sept. 3 at Saratoga before graduating impressively after dueling on a hot pace Oct. 4 at Belmont. The latter makes his main-track debut out of a seventh-place run in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. One start earlier, the $725,000 KEESEP pickup uncorked a big late rally to capture the GIII Bourbon S. Oct. 7 at Keeneland.

Dunph (Temple City) gets the acid test for trainer Mike Maker. A dominant victor debuting Sept. 15 at Penn National for Joseph Besecker and trainer Timothy Kreiser, the dark bay was subsequently bought into by Three Diamonds Farm and paid quick dividends, cruising by 7 3/4 lengths in the Spendthrift Juvenile Stallion S. locally Oct. 28.

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