Pedigree clues for 2025 Royal Palm Juvenile contests

Saturday marks just the third running of Gulfstream Park’s Royal Palm Juvenile S. and its fillies’ counterpart, but each turf dash has had an impact at Royal Ascot already. 

George Weaver swept their inaugural runnings in 2023, and his filly Crimson Advocate posted a mild upset of the Queen Mary (G2) at the Royal meeting. Although Royal Palm Juvenile winner No Nay Mets was unable to follow up himself when ninth in the Norfolk (G2), he returned to form stateside with a couple of stakes romps. 

Last year, the Jose D’Angelo-trained Gabaldon made a successful debut in the Royal Palm Juvenile, and the gray nearly wired the Windsor Castle S. in his British adventure. In the fillies’ version of the Royal Palm, Bullet similarly fired in her unveiling for Mark Casse. She did not make the transatlantic voyage, but she carried her form north to Woodbine. 

Interestingly, Royal Ascot devotee Wesley Ward has yet to capture a Royal Palm. He will try again to pick up the perks on offer here. 

The winners of both Royal Palm Juvenile contests will receive an automatic entry to a Royal Ascot two-year-old race of their choosing, along with a $25,000 travel allowance. Given the five-furlong distance of the Royal Palm Juvenile events, it stands to reason that connections have preferred to target races over the same trip at the Royal meeting – the Queen Mary, Windsor Castle, and Norfolk. Youngsters theoretically could try six furlongs in the Coventry (G2), or even seven in the Chesham S., and fillies have an additional option of stepping up in the six-furlong Albany (G3).

First-time starters have won both editions of the Royal Palm Juvenile, as well as last year’s fillies’ division. While Crimson Advocate was the only winner with prior experience, she was third in her Keeneland debut on dirt. She benefited from the addition of blinkers and a surface switch to break her maiden in this spot.

With plenty of debuting juveniles across both stakes on Saturday, pedigree could be key, along with connections. Let’s hunt for clues!

Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies

Saffie Joseph Jr. has a fascinating Irish-bred for Stonestreet Stables in Kitty Cleo. Purchased for about $162,400 as a yearling at Goffs, she is by Cotai Glory, whose high-profile U.S. runners include recent Jenny Wiley (G1) near-misser Excellent Truth. Kitty Cleo’s very productive family includes classy sprinters such as Galeota, Justineo, Burnt Sugar, Brown Sugar, as well as top miler Charyn. 

Todd Pletcher sends out a half-sister to champion Fierceness, Nonna’s Love, who was third in her Keeneland premiere. Considering that her sire is dazzling European sprinter Caravaggio, the Repole Stable homebred is entitled to move up on turf.

Amo Racing USA’s Bibi Dahl, a $1.35 million Keeneland September yearling, makes her debut for Jorge Delgado. The American Pharoah filly is a full sister to Forbidden Kingdom, the hero of the 2022 San Felipe (G2) and San Vicente (G2), who added the 2023 Joe Hernandez (G2) on turf.

Patrick Biancone has two fillies from the first crop of the classy Leinster, himself a half-brother to two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) champion Stormy Liberal. Ironically, Keeneland debut winner Lennilu is out of a half-sister to Belmont course record-setting millionaire Disco Partner, second in Leinster’s course-record Troy (G3) at Saratoga, and the third-placer in both of Stormy Liberal’s Breeders’ Cups. Stablemate Emerald Ember has loads of speed on her dam’s side with Uncaptured as her broodmare sire and Bring the Heat as the sire of her granddam. 

Weaver relies on debutante Royal Testament, a daughter of successful sire Midshipman from the family of Canadian Hall of Fame sprinter Pink Lloyd. The Ward runner, Keeneland debut romper Satisfied Mind, is by the versatile First Samurai. Her dam, by Quality Road, is a half-sister to stakes-winning and multiple Grade 3-placed turf router Trend. 

Bohemian is a well-bred representative from the first crop of dual champion Essential Quality, but as her non-threatening fifth at Keeneland implies, she’s presumably better over a longer distance. Indeed, her dam is a daughter of Kitten’s Joy and Grade 1-winning millionaire Rutherienne. 

Casse is double-handed with Le Sunshine and Divinely Inspired (the second also-eligible). Le Sunshine is by the obscure Tapit stallion Tathqeef, but she is a half-sister to two stakes-placed juveniles. Divinely Inspired has a router’s pedigree as a daughter of Constitution and Parx Oaks winner Eighth Wonder (by Pioneerof the Nile).

Luis Mendez likewise has one filly in the main body of the field, Rumpus in Paradise, and the also-eligible Just a Little Bit. Rumpus in Paradise is by the little-known Rumpus Cat (a son of Street Sense and Sweet Catomine) from the further family of Grade 1 scorer Win Win Win. Just a Little Bit figures to want more ground as a daughter of Stanford and a Lemon Drop Kid mare from the family of Catching Freedom and Bishops Bay. 

Authentic Guitar is by Authentic, the 2020 Kentucky Derby champion, out of the multiple stakes-winning turf sprinter Lead Guitar, by Maclean’s Music. Strada del Sogno is by Street Boss and out of a three-quarter sister to Grade 3-placed Cover Version. 

Royal Palm Juvenile

Irish-bred I Think I Can, sourced for about $119,100 at Arqana in August, launches his career for the Repole/Pletcher tandem. By the outstanding international sire Lope de Vega, he is out of the stakes-placed American Lady, a Starspangledbanner mare whose dam is in turn by the fine speed influence Showcasing. 

Given how fast Complexity was off the block with his first juveniles last year, it’s worth noting that his Cadenced is set to debut in this spot. The Casse pupil is out of a Street Cry mare from the further family of turf stars Paradise Creek, Forbidden Apple, Wild Event, Bobby’s Kitten, et al.

Biancone has another Leinster in Squire, who just edged Mendez’s Beers On Me in a 4 1/2-furlong maiden on the Gulfstream dirt. (Note that Squire’s stablemate, the Leinster filly Tully Road, reportedly will be scratched.) Squire is out of a mare by Lucky Pulpit (sire of California Chrome) without much black-type up front, but further back, one finds $3 million-earner Concern and Grade 1 star Klimt. Beers On Me is by Catalina Cruiser, and his dam, the stakes-placed Sidney’s Candy mare Silver Sidney, is herself a half-sister to 2014 Sanford (G3) winner Big Trouble.

Weaver debuts the Mendelssohn colt Sandal’s Song. His dam, Sandal, is a daughter of Munnings and Grade 1-placed stakes winner Flip Flop, which makes her a three-quarter sister to two-time Bernard Baruch H. (G2) victor Qurbaan and Dubai Carnival regular Qareeb. 

Win Win Win has three sons in the main body of the overflow field. Fear, one of a quartet for D’Angelo, sports noteworthy form in light of his third at Keeneland to Victoria’s Shances. The runner-up, Maximus Prime, came back to miss narrowly in the Kentucky Juvenile S. The David Braddy-trained Chasing My Dream, a $180,000 OBS March juvenile, is out of a Kitten’s Joy mare. Nolan Ramsey's firster Win N Juice is a half-brother to Grade 3-placed turf juvenile Courteous. Their dam, as a daughter of Vindication and Grade 3 heroine Statuette, is a three-quarter sister to Irish highweight juvenile Tomahawk.

Unlike Fear, D’Angelo’s other entrants have yet to race. Ciborio, from the first crop of multiple Grade 1-winning miler Raging Bull, is out of the well-related Mount Nelson mare Lady Macha. She is a full sister to Australian stakes victor Bartholomeu Dias, a three-quarter sister to multiple Group 3 vixen Purr Along, and a half-sister to useful turf sprinter Laulne. D’Angelo is responsible for both also-eligibles. The Mitole colt Skipping Stars (out of a mare by The Factor) should draw in with the defection of Tully Road. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Hotter Than Dem get in as well. He’s a son of Volatile and a Tapit mare from the black-type factory that is the “Bertie” family, whose most recent advertisement is Brilliant Berti. 

Mendez unveils Arkadelphia, a gelding from the first crop of Halladay, a War Front stallion who scored his signature win in the 2020 Fourstardave H. (G1) at Saratoga. Arkadelphia’s dam, the City Zip mare Chili Petin, was a sharp debut winner and 2019 Royal Ascot participant for Ward! Granddam Cat’s Claw is a stamina-laden Waya S. winner closely related to turf kingpin Point of Entry. If his dam’s influence is paramount, rather than the rest of his pedigree, this trip would be just right for him. 

Ward sounded more cautious than optimistic in his comments to track publicity regarding his homebred, Fuzzy Stare. By Ward’s Hootenanny, he’s out of a Lonhro descendant of champion turf mare Soaring Softly.