Study Guide: 2023 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes
Mar 02, 2023
Tiz the Bomb winning the 2022 John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway Park (Photo by Coady Photography/Turfway Park)
By J. Keeler Johnson
The $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial S. at Turfway Park hasn't been a Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier for long, but it's already proven productive. The 1 1/16-mile race joined the series in 2021, and the following year Rich Strike became the first John Battaglia participant to win the Kentucky Derby (G1), springing an 80-1 upset after finishing fourth in the John Battaglia.
Saturday's renewal of the John Battaglia awards Kentucky Derby qualification points to the top five finishers on a 20-8-6-4-2 basis, a prize sufficiently lucrative to draw 14 entries.
Let's check out the field:
| Total 3 start(s) |
Top Speed Rating: (76) when winning his debut at Kentucky Downs. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $98,899 |
| Place: 0 | |
| Show: 0 |
| Owner: Rebecca Hillen and Stonecrest Farm | Sire: Good Samaritan |
| Breeder: Scott Pierce and Debbie Pierce | Dam: Shoe Queen |
| Trainer: Brendan Walsh | Color: Chestnut |
| Jockey: Jane Elliot |
Good Heart was a flashy debut winner over the Kentucky Downs turf course, but he subsequently ran last in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) on dirt and sixth in a turf allowance at Churchill Downs. He’ll need improvement to challenge in his sophomore debut.
| Total 2 start(s) |
Top Speed Rating: (83) when winning a Turfway allowance optional claimer. |
| Wins: 2 | Total Earnings: $83,437 |
| Place: 0 | |
| Show: 0 |
| Owner: Gary and Mary West | Sire: Tapit |
| Breeder: Gary and Mary West | Dam: Made Great Again |
| Trainer: Brad Cox | Color: Gray/roan |
| Jockey: Fernando De La Cruz |
Aristocracy is unbeaten in two starts for high-percentage trainer Brad Cox, most notably rallying to victory in a $50,000 allowance optional claimer racing one mile at Turfway last month. His proven affinity for the Turfway Tapeta is appealing, and Aristocracy is bred to improve with maturity, stamping the gray colt as a viable win threat in the John Battaglia.
| Total 3 start(s) |
Top Speed Rating: (88) when finishing second in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $56,600 |
| Place: 1 | |
| Show: 1 |
| Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan | Sire: Twirling Candy |
| Breeder: Dividing Ridge Farm | Dam: My Surfer Girl |
| Trainer: Brendan Walsh | Color: Gray/roan |
| Jockey: Joseph Ramos |
Gilmore already has experience on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, finishing second in the El Camino Real Derby over the Tapeta track at Golden Gate Fields. He's never run outside of California, but Gilmore brings sharp Brisnet Speed ratings to the table and can't be dismissed from win consideration.
| Total 2 start(s) |
Top Speed Rating: (83) when winning the Turfway Prevue S. at Turfway. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $91,400 |
| Place: 1 | |
| Show: 0 |
| Owner: Andrew N. Warren and Rania Warren | Sire: Uncle Mo |
| Breeder: CHC | Dam: Daveron |
| Trainer: Ben Colebrook | Color: Bay |
| Jockey: Luan Machado |
A maiden winner sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs at Turfway, Scoobie Quando followed up with a runner-up finish in a $50,000 allowance optional claimer racing one mile. Scoobie Quando weakend down the homestretch to finish 2 1/2 lengths behind the winner, but he made an early move into a respectable pace and may have upside for improvement in his second try running long.
| Total 15 start(s) |
Top Speed Rating: (86) when finishing fourth in the Ed Brown S. at Churchill Downs. |
| Wins: 0 | Total Earnings: $137,019 |
| Place: 2 | |
| Show: 4 |
| Owner: Tommy C. Short and Robert Heyer | Sire: Tale of Verve |
| Breeder: C. F. Farms | Dam: Not Java |
| Trainer: Tommy Short | Color: Bay |
| Jockey: Orlando Mojica |
Accident closed a lot of ground to finish second by a neck in a one-mile maiden special weight at Turfway last month, but his 0-for-15 lifetime record includes five defeats at the stakes level. Accident likely needs a step forward to challenge against Road to the Kentucky Derby competition.
| Total 4 start(s) |
Top Speed Rating: (85) when finishing second in the Leonatus S. at Turfway Park. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $57,160 |
| Place: 1 | |
| Show: 1 |
| Owner: WinStar Farm and Siena Farm | Sire: More Than Ready |
| Breeder: WinStar Farm | Dam: Top Quality |
| Trainer: Brad Cox | Color: Bay |
| Jockey: Chris Landeros |
The second Brad Cox trainee in the John Battaglia field is American Speed, whose first try at Turfway produced a runner-up finish in the one-mile Leonatus S. The fact American Speed has already proven his worth against stakes competition is appealing, so don't count this well-bred son of More Than Ready out of win consideration.
| Total 4 start(s) |
Top Speed Rating: (84) when winning a Gulfstream Park allowance optional claimer. |
| Wins: 2 | Total Earnings: $52,340 |
| Place: 0 | |
| Show: 0 |
| Owner: M Racing Group | Sire: Street Sense |
| Breeder: Rigney Racing | Dam: Nickel |
| Trainer: Mark Casse | Color: Bay |
| Jockey: Brian Hernandez |
Eyes On the King may have faltered when stepping into stakes company for the Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream, finishing last of 11. But that was on dirt, and his lone start on Tapeta yielded victory in a $75,000 allowance optional claimer over Gulfstream's Tapeta track. Returning to Tapeta can help Eyes On the King rebound, and the addition of blinkers is another potentially positive change.
| Total 6 start(s) | Top Speed Rating: (88) when breaking his maiden at Turfway. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $117,650 |
| Place: 3 | |
| Show: 2 |
| Owner: D. J. Stable | Sire: Constitution |
| Breeder: Three Diamonds Farm and Buckalot | Dam: In Jail |
| Trainer: Mark Casse | Color: Bay |
| Jockey: Rafael Hernandez |
Never out of the trifecta in six starts, Miranda Rights has competed strongly at Turfway, most recently finishing a head behind Scoobie Quando in a $50,000 allowance optional claimer. His form isn't as flashy as that of the John Battaglia favorites, but Miranda Rights is progressing in the right direction and may be capable of snagging a top-five finish.
| Total 3 start(s) | Top Speed Rating: (84) when winning a Churchill Downs maiden special weight. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $62,770 |
| Place: 0 | |
| Show: 1 |
| Owner: Randy Jill Gootzeit | Sire: Frosted |
| Breeder: Dr. Hiram C. Polk and Dr. Susan Galandiuk | Dam: Happy Motoring |
| Trainer: Joe Lejzerowicz | Color: Gray/roan |
| Jockey: Gerard Melancon |
Can Freezing Point handle Tapeta? He's yet to compete over the surface, but Freezing Point beat a next-out winner by 4 3/4 lengths in a one-mile maiden special weight at Churchill Downs last fall, so we know he has talent. Freezing Point is a John Battaglia wildcard who could finish almost anywhere in this competitive field, depending on how he takes to Tapeta.
| Total 3 start(s) | Top Speed Rating: (86) when finishing first in a Turfway allowance optional claimer. |
| Wins: 2 | Total Earnings: $120,400 |
| Place: 0 | |
| Show: 0 |
| Owner: OXO Equine | Sire: Mastery |
| Breeder: Lee McMillin and Eric Buckley | Dam: Go Go Dana |
| Trainer: Paulo Lobo | Color: Bay |
| Jockey: Gerardo Corrales |
Bromley is 2-for-2 sprinting, most notably winning a $50,000 allowance optional claimer at Turfway. But stepping up in class and distance for the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds saw Bromley finished fifth by a wide margin, so he has questions to answer while sticking to similar conditions for the John Battaglia.
| Total 2 start(s) | Top Speed Rating: (85) when winning his debut at Woodbine. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $50,832 |
| Place: 0 | |
| Show: 0 |
| Owner: Robert V. LaPenta, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, and Madaket Stables | Sire: Nyquist |
| Breeder: Anderson Farms Ont. and Rod Ferguson Farms | Dam: Fragrance |
| Trainer: Kevin Attard | Color: Bay |
| Jockey: Walter Rodriguez |
Moon Landing showed an affinity for Tapeta when trouncing a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Woodbine last fall by 4 1/2 lengths. A subsequent fourth-place finish in a $75,000 allowance optional claimer over the Gulfstream grass wasn't as sharp, but returning to Tapeta at Turfway may trigger a rebound.
| Total 8 start(s) | Top Speed Rating: (94) when finishing third in the Pulpit S. at Gulfstream Park. |
| Wins: 2 | Total Earnings: $153,165 |
| Place: 0 | |
| Show: 2 |
| Owner: Tami Bobo and Lugamo Racing Stable | Sire: Tapit |
| Breeder: Tapit Syndicate and Clencrest Farm | Dam: Part the Seas |
| Trainer: Antonio Sano | Color: Gray/roan |
| Jockey: Sonny Leon |
Congruent has been facing tough competition, winning the Laurel Futurity and competing in five consecutive stakes. Most recently sixth in the Kitten's Joy (G3) on turf at Gulfstream, Congruent has never run over a synthetic track, but he has the form lines and Brisnet Speed ratings to challenge while switching surfaces for the John Battaglia.
| Total 8 start(s) | Top Speed Rating: (85) when finishing third in the Leonatus S. at Turfway. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $50,663 |
| Place: 1 | |
| Show: 1 |
| Owner: BBN Racing | Sire: Midshipman |
| Breeder: Machmer Hall and Dan Walters | Dam: Alana B. |
| Trainer: Victoria Oliver | Color: Chestnut |
| Jockey: Declan Cannon |
The first of two also-eligible entrants is Ironsides, who finished a nose behind American Speed when third in the Leonatus S. at Turfway. Ironsides has shown an affinity for this track, but needs a scratch in order to compete. If he does draw in, he'll start from an outside post, potentially compromising his chances.
| Total 3 start(s) | Top Speed Rating: (86) when breaking his maiden at Turfway. |
| Wins: 1 | Total Earnings: $46,610 |
| Place: 0 | |
| Show: 0 |
| Owner: Cypress Creek Equine | Sire: Ransom the Moon |
| Breeder: Calumet Farm | Dam: Marsali |
| Trainer: William Walden | Color: Bay |
| Jockey: Jack Gilligan |
The second also-eligible entrant is Clear the Air, who impressively broke his maiden sprinting six furlongs at Turfway on Jan. 6. But stretching out over one mile for a $50,000 allowance optional claimer saw Clear the Air finish fourth (1 1/4 lengths behinbd Scoobie Quando and Miranda Rights), so he'll need improvement to turn the tables if he's able to start in the John Battaglia.
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