By Steve Sherack
In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.
Father Ted (Practical Joke) split a pair of highly regarded Bob Baffert-trained runners to finish a strong second in his 2-year-old unveiling on Santa Anita's opening day program Dec. 26.
A bit chilly on the board at 8-1 for trainer Mark Glatt, Father Ted broke like a shot, but was quickly outfooted to race in fifth as three of them lined up–led narrowly by a three-deep San Saba (Justify)–through an opening quarter in a sharp :21.99.
Still racing in that same position with plenty to do leaving the quarter pole behind, Father Ted began to launch in the stretch, but favored Madaket Road (Quality Road), a debut second in the GIII Bob Hope Stakes, got the jump and enjoyed first run on the dueling leaders.
Madaket Road stormed to the front in deep stretch and dug down gamely to cross the wire a half-length ahead of Father Ted, who blitzed home in a field-best :12.33. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to the aforementioned first-time starter and second-choice San Saba in third.
The final time for six furlongs was 1:09.97.
Madaket Road received an 86 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, two points higher than Father Ted.
“We were super impressed with his debut,” Glatt said. “He had trained pretty forwardly. I knew that it was probably a little too short for him and it turned out to be. But you want to see a young horse like that finishing at the end. I don't think it was a soft group by any stretch of the imagination.”
MADAKET ROAD ($3.80) closed like a pro when @JJHernandezS19 asked him in the 2nd at @santaanitapark. @BobBaffert trains the two-year-old colt by Quality Road (@LanesEndFarms).
Get in on the next: https://t.co/7I3M5l53AE pic.twitter.com/6tGRDBPGxa
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) December 26, 2024
What's up next for the newly turned 3-year-old?
“Our second condition book (at Santa Anita) was just released and I expect him to get right back in,” Glatt said. “I don't know yet if we'll sprint him one more time before we stretch him out. I think sometimes you can jump into a two turn a little too quickly. He may benefit from sprinting one more time before we do stretch him out. I think we're leaning that way right now and I'm sure there's gotta be a race, hopefully an elongated sprint of some kind going 6 1/2 or seven furlongs.”
Glatt added, “We'll see how he does in start number two.”
The Muir Hut Stables colorbearer, a $150,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $475,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic breezer (:10 1/5), was bred in Ontario by Robert Marzilli and is the first foal out of the 10-year-old Uncle Mo mare Cry Uncle.
A five-time winner and $450,000 Keeneland September graduate, Cry Uncle was claimed by Zilli Racing Stables for just $10,000 at Woodbine in the summer of 2020 and she concluded her racing career later that fall.
Father Ted is bred on the same Practical Joke x Indian Charlie cross as top sprinter Skelly (MGSW & GISP, $1,777,163).
The 'Second Chances' Honor Roll is headed by Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin), fellow two-time Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) and GISWs A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo), Honor A. P. (Honor Code), Locked (Gun Runner), Paradise Woods (Union Rags) and Speaker's Corner (Street Sense).
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