Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Clairiere’s brother Courting wins

One of the most expensive yearlings sold at a North American auction in recent years has emerged as a possible 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) contender.

His name is Courting. Last year, Whisper Hill Farm acquired the beautifully bred colt for $5 million. Since the Great Recession, only one North American yearling has brought a higher price.

Earning back that $5 million price tag won’t be easy. But at Aqueduct on Sunday, Courting secured his maiden victory in a manner sufficiently eye-catching to top this week’s edition of Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch.

Courting

Courting’s hefty purchase price is owed in large part to his sensational pedigree. The chestnut colt is a son of two-time Horse of the Year and elite sire Curlin out of Cavorting, a daughter of champion Bernardini.

Cavorting won three Grade 1 races over distances from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, and her previous foals include Silverbulletday S. winner La Crete, the multiple graded stakes-placed Judge Miller, and four-time Grade 1 winner Clairiere. The latter is a daughter of Curlin, so Courting is her full brother.

Under the care of two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, Courting debuted on Sept. 27 in a one-mile maiden special weight at Aqueduct. He raced off the pace before gaining ground down the lane to finish fourth, beaten only 2 1/4 lengths by Igniter, who was our Top Maiden Winner of the Week for Sept. 22-28.

Courting’s second start on Sunday came over the same track and class level, and his improvement was substantial. Showing newfound early speed, Courting battled for command through splits of :24.11, :47.94, and 1:12.08 before accelerating his final two furlongs in :11.90 and :12.05 to pull away and beat three rivals by 2 1/2 lengths, stopping the clock in 1:36.03.

Even accounting for the fact that the Aqueduct main track played fast over the weekend, this was an impressive performance from Courting. It’s difficult for two-year-olds to accelerate at the end of a dirt route race, so Courting’s final quarter-mile in :23.95 is a sign of talent and bodes well for his chances of success on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Talk to Me Jimmy

An hour and a half after Courting broke his maiden, Talk to Me Jimmy recorded a faster final time in a one-mile maiden special weight for New York-breds. However, the son of Modernist achieved his sharp time in a very different manner.

For Talk to Me Jimmy—who sold for only $31,000 as a yearling—early speed is the name of the game. Coming off a third-place debut on Sept. 26, the Rudy Rodriguez trainee dashed to the front through quick fractions of :22.95, :46.09, and 1:10.11. By running nearly two seconds faster than Courting through the opening six furlongs, Talk to Me Jimmy was able to record a fast winning time (1:35.33) even as he decelerated his final two furlongs in :12.34 and :12.88.

Talk to Me Jimmy’s deceleration is understandable given the early fractions he set. Even still, he drew off down the homestretch to dominate seven rivals by 5 1/2 lengths, suggesting a stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby could be in his future.

Into the Beast

At Churchill Downs, the host track of the Kentucky Derby, the third time was the charm for Into the Beast. After finishing fifth in his first two starts, he found the competition more manageable in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Friday, charging from about five lengths behind splits of :22.61 and :45.63 to score by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:10.65.

Into the Beast is a son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief, who has sired a record-equaling three winners of the Kentucky Derby. Having secured a breakthrough maiden victory, perhaps Into the Beast can develop into a Kentucky Derby contender for trainer Dale Romans.

Mesquite

About an hour after Into the Beast visited the winner’s circle, Mesquite caught eyes with a stretch-running triumph in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Churchill Downs.

The son of Belmont (G1) winner Union Rags wasn’t in any hurry during the early stages of the two-turn route, trailing early while dropping as many as 9 3/4 lengths behind :23.60 and :47.49 pace fractions. But then he unleashed a wide rally around the far turn, gobbling up ground to reach contention. He took over the lead at the furlong marker and edged clear of a fellow closer to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:45.21.

This was a nice step forward off Mesquite’s non-threatening sixth-place debut in a deep six-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland. He seemed to appreciate stretching out around two turns for trainer Cherie DeVaux, which bodes well for his Road to the Kentucky Derby potential.

Mister Punch

Can Mister Punch develop from a claimer into a Kentucky Derby contender? It’s not out of the question.

The $350,000 yearling acquisition failed to factor when debuting in a maiden special weight on turf at Kentucky Downs, finishing eighth. But when he switched to dirt for a 1 1/16-mile $100,000 maiden claimer on Wednesday at Churchill Downs, he ran a much-improved race, tracking splits of :23.95 and :47.66 in third place before taking over to romp by 4 3/4 lengths in 1:44.59.

As a son of Into Mischief, Mister Punch could well develop into a Kentucky Derby type for trainer Brad Cox, who saddled Into Mischief’s son Mandaloun to win the 2021 Kentucky Derby via disqualification.

Captivator

On Saturday at Del Mar, trainer John Sadler sent out second-time starter Captivator to crush a six-furlong $62,500 maiden optional claimer.

Coming off a runner-up finish in his debut at the same class level, Captivator took a huge step forward in his second start. Despite breaking a step slowly, he recovered to set fractions of :22.19 and :44.90, widening his advantage all the way to win by 10 1/4 lengths in 1:09.93.

As a son of Charlatan out of a mare by Medaglia d’Oro, Captivator has the potential to improve with maturity. A bright future may await.

Hometown Bound

We’ll wrap with a mention of Hometown Bound. Purchased for $350,000 as a two-year-old in training, the Jorge Duarte Jr. trainee proved clearly best when debuting in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Saturday at Laurel Park, racing second behind splits of :22.20 and :45.93 before passing the pacesetter to win by three lengths.

Hometown Bound hit the finish line in 1:11.27, beating the time of 1:11.87 required by Road to the Kentucky Derby alumnus Balboa to win the James F. Lewis III S. on the same card.

As a son of champion male sprinter Mitole out of a mare by The Factor, Hometown Bound is bred for speed. But his talent is undeniable, and it’s too early to write him out of the Kentucky Derby picture.

Top maiden winner of the week: Courting

Honorable mention: Talk to Me Jimmy