Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Igniter, Provenance improve

A trio of Kentucky Derby (G1)-winning trainers sent out noteworthy two-year-old maiden winners last week.

Provenance

Out west at Santa Anita, Spendthrift Farm homebred Provenance cut back in distance to record a comfortable maiden special weight win for six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert.

Third in his debut racing one mile at Del Mar, Provenance found six furlongs more suitable on Saturday at Santa Anita. Favored at 2-5, the son of perennial leading sire Into Mischief set fractions of :22.64 and :45.40 before kicking on to win by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:10.40.

Provenance’s dam is Monomoy Girl, winner of the 2018 Kentucky Oaks (G1) and two editions of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). Combined with the fact that Into Mischief is the sire of three Kentucky Derby winners, it’s safe to say Provenance is bred for success on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. With a confidence-boosting maiden win under his belt, Provenance should now be ready to stretch back out in distance.

Igniter

Arguably the strongest performance of the week came from Igniter, who hails from the barn of Rick Dutrow Jr., who trained Big Brown to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby.

Igniter showed some ability when finishing third in his Aug. 9 debut sprinting six furlongs at Saratoga. Stretching out over one mile at Aqueduct last Saturday yielded the improvement necessary to win second-time out. Igniter was never more than half a length behind fractions of :23.32, :46.19, and 1:10.39 before taking over in the homestretch to prevail by one length in 1:35.69.

Although Igniter is a son of talented sprinter Volatile, his dam is Malibu Prayer, winner of the 1 1/8-mile Ruffian H. (G1) and a daughter of Malibu Moon, the sire of 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb. The bottom half of Igniter’s pedigree thus offers potential for success stretching out around two turns on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Gaming Wizard

Not to be outdone, Kenny McPeek—the trainer of 2024 Kentucky Derby conqueror Mystik Dan—saddled Gaming Wizard to a blowout maiden win on Friday at Aqueduct.

Gaming Wizard debuted on Aug. 30 at Saratoga in a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden special weight for New York-breds. That race featured a slow early/fast late pace that saw the top three finishers run 1-2-3 all the way around the track, so Gaming Wizard did well to close from 10th place and finish fourth.

Gaming Wizard completely changed tactics when making his second start in a one-mile, off-the-turf maiden special weight for New York-breds. This time, the son of champion two-year-old male Game Winner set quick fractions of :22.80, :45.51, and 1:11.20 before powering clear to dominate by 13 1/2 lengths in 1:37.23. It’s safe to say Gaming Wizard has found a home racing on dirt.

Bravaro

The Sunday card at Aqueduct also yielded a notable winner as Bravaro won his debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight for New York-breds.

The Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee settled within 2 1/4 lengths of :21.11 and :45.66 splits before taking over in the final furlong to score by one length in 1:10.13.

Bravaro twice failed to meet his reserve when offered for sale at auction, but now the son of Upstart has banked $44,000 in earnings, with more likely to come.

Freaky Neeks

Freaky Neeks, who sold for only $9,000 as a two-year-old in training, is worth considerably more than that after graduating in a seven-furlong maiden special weight on Friday at Gulfstream Park.

Coming off a distant fourth-place finish in his debut, Freaky Neeks moved forward nicely in his second start for trainer Frank Regalbuto. The gelded son of Modernist set splits of :23.25 and :46.43, then edged away to beat five rivals by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:23.63.

Two maiden winners at Churchill Downs, the host track of the Kentucky Derby, are also worth highlighting.

Politics

Politics failed to factor when debuting over one mile on turf at Kentucky Downs, racing off the pace on his way to seventh place. Switching to 1 1/16 miles on dirt at Churchill Downs last Saturday helped the Michael McCarthy-trained son of Tacitus spring an 11-1 upset.

Facing five rivals in a maiden special weight for horses who brought a final bid of $65,000 or less at their most recent auction, Politics rated as many as 2 1/2 lengths behind slow splits of :24.37, :49.92, and 1:15.13 before rallying to beat the pacesetter by a head in 1:46.33.

Tripp’s Promise

Tripp’s Promise, a son of 2018 Kentucky Derby participant Promises Fulfilled, showed grit to debut victorious in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on Friday at Churchill.

Trained (like his sire) by Dale Romans, Tripp’s Promise started at 7-1 against 11 rivals and outran expectations. He dropped as many as four lengths behind a :22.40 and :45.84 pace before gobbling up ground in the final furlong to prevail by a neck in 1:18.17.

Top maiden winner of the week: Igniter

Honorable mention: Provenance