South Sea the pick in inaugural Spendthrift Stallion at Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs opens Sunday with the first of two Stars of Tomorrow programs exclusively for 2-year-olds. The 10-race card features the inaugural $300,000 Spendthrift Stallion Stakes, which drew a full field of 14 juveniles sired by Spendthrift Farm stallions.

I like #5 South Sea (5-1) in the 7-furlong Spendthrift Stallion, which be run as the 9^th race.

Trainer Bill Mott doesn’t rush his horses and South Sea debuted at Saratoga with a respectable fourth in a July 23 maiden special weight event. The runner-up that afternoon, Royal Copy, came back to easily break his maiden before finishing a neck second in the Hopeful (G1), but South Sea needed an additional start before breaking through with a good-looking victory at Belmont Park on October 8, rallying to win going away by a length.

South Sea recorded an 88 BRIS Speed rating, the second-best last-out number in Sunday’s field, as well as a commendable 96 Late Pace number.

Joel Rosario will be in to ride the promising son of Into Mischief and there appears to be plenty of pace entered, with more than half the field exiting front-running efforts. South Sea drew favorably in post 5 for a stalk-and-pounce trip.