In Sharper Focus: Clause

[Wandering Eyes]

The highly regarded ‘TDN Rising Star’ Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) isn’t the only promising 3-year-old debut winner to carry the famed green-and-pink silks of Juddmonte Farms this winter at Gulfstream Park.

Clause (f, 3, Speightstown–Red Herring, by Empire Maker) stamped herself as another one to watch from Prince Khalid Abdullah’s operation with an eye-catching, come-from-behind win going a two-turn mile over the lawn in Hallandale Saturday. Trained by Chad Brown, the bay earned a very strong 82 Beyer Speed Figure.

“In fairness to Chad, he has said for quite a long time that she always trained like a nice filly,” Juddmonte Farm’s U.S. manager Garrett O’Rourke said. “There seemed to be some fillies with form in the race. She got a lovely, patient ride [from Irad Ortiz Jr.], and when he did pull her out, it was nice to see the kick that she produced. Hopefully, there’s something nice there in the future from her.”

Clause’s dam Red Herring–a half-sister to Phoenix Tower (Chester House), GSW & MG1SP, $653,182–won two of four career starts, including a first-level allowance over the Woodbine synthetic for Brown’s late mentor, the great Bobby Frankel. This is the extended female family of 2003 G1 French Oaks heroine Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat).

The 13-year-old Red Herring is also represented by the 2-year-old colt Redshank (Speightstown), who is currently in training in France with Andre Fabre. Red Herring was bred to Flintshire (GB) for the 2019 season and is expected to foal within the next two-three weeks, per O’Rourke.

Juddmonte, of course, has enjoyed success with the WinStar Farm stallion Speightstown before, capturing the 2013 GI Hollywood Derby with Seek Again.

“Bobby Frankel was very sick when we had Red Herring and Brian Lynch saddled her for Bobby and won a couple of races up in Woodbine with her,” O’Rourke said. “She was a lovely looking mare that just was that little bit one-paced. I always felt like she was very close to being a really nice filly. Using Speightstown was purposely done just to try and inject a little bit of real zip in there.”

The aforementioned Hidden Scroll, hammered down to 7-1 in last weekend’s GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager off the heels of a jaw-dropping, double-digit debut romp in the slop for Hall of Famer Bill Mott Jan. 26, could go next in the GII Xpressbet.com GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park Mar. 2.

“That’s where Bill is looking without it being a 100% commitment,” O’Rourke said. “If we’re to have any thoughts of going to the Derby–I think the future book price is a little bit crazy given that he’s only run one race–we’ll give him the opportunity as long as the horse is giving the signs that he’s ready for it.”

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