Horses to Watch: 3-year-olds shine on dirt and turf

In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future.

New to the watch list

Eagles Flight

As a son of two-time horse of the year Curlin out of Feathered, the dam of undefeated horse of the hear Flightline, Eagles Flight brought high expectations to his Monday debut at Santa Anita. And the 3-year-old colt delivered.

Eagles Flight endured a bumping start and settled in seventh position early on, three lengths behind an opening quarter-mile in 21.96 seconds. But he cut that margin in half through a 44.95-second half-mile, and down the homestretch he charged relentlessly to win by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:10.07 seconds.

The runner-up pulled 5 1/2 lengths clear of the rest, so it’s safe to say Eagles Flight was dominant. His pedigree suggests he’ll shine while stretching out around two turns, so a bright future appears to be on the horizon for this John Sadler trainee.

Legend of Time

Legend of Time overcame tricky circumstances to win the Pennine Ridge (G2) at Belmont at the Big A. The 9-10 favorite rated in last place behind modest fractions of 23.67, 48.76 and 1:12.98 set by White Palomino and could have been compromised as a result. The pace accelerated sharply through the final three furlongs, but Legend of Time nevertheless launched a last-to-first rally between rivals to get up and beat White Palomino by a head in 1:47.73.

This was impressive on several levels. Legend of Time had to wait for racing room, but still ran his final three furlongs in about 34.25 seconds, an excellent fraction. And he delivered this performance just three weeks after finishing fifth in the American Turf (G2) at Churchill Downs, his U.S. debut. Legend of Time moved forward nicely in his second stateside start and may do so again with an unencumbered trip in the upcoming Belmont Derby (G1).

Worth another try

Sweet Rebecca

I’m a little surprised that Sweet Rebecca failed to win the Wonder Again (G2) at Belmont at the Big A. I’m definitely surprised that she failed to hit the board, finishing fifth by 4 1/4 lengths as the 3-4 favorite. But Sweet Rebecca raced closer to the early pace than usual, positioning herself in second place through half a mile in 46.91 seconds and six furlongs in 1:11.41. Perhaps the change in running style tripped her up; in any case, her first two starts were impressive enough that I’ll give her a chance to rebound next time.

Touchuponastar

Louisiana-bred standout Touchuponastar nearly nabbed his first graded stakes win in the Steve Sexton Mile (G3) at Lone Star Park, but after pressing and setting fractions of 24.37, 47.52 and 1:11.74, he succumbed in the final strides to finish second by a neck against last-to-first winner Heroic Move. This was a gallant try from Touchuponastar, who now h now finished second in all three of his graded-stakes appearances. Surely he’ll win one eventually?

Off the watch list

Judge Miller

Impressive allowance winner Judge Miller suffered his second straight defeat at the graded-stakes level when finishing third by 4 1/2 lengths in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) at Santa Anita. It’s possible the 1 1/4-mile distance stretched the limits of Judge Miller’s stamina, even though he has the pedigree to shine over classic distances. But it’s also possible he isn’t quite up to winning at the graded-stakes level right now, which is why I’m dropping him from my watch list until further notice.

Here is my complete, updated list of Horses to Watch.