Horses to Watch: 2 talented 3-year-olds return for the fall

Photo:

Tere Poplin / Eclipse Sportswire

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.

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Saturday

Belmont at the Big A, race 1: At long last, Locked is back in the entries. The chestnut son of Gun Runner ranked among the best 2-year-olds of 2023, but hasn’t run in nearly a year.

Locked caught my eye in his debut sprinting six furlongs at Saratoga, when he overcame a troubled start to rally from far back and finish third by 3 1/2 lengths. He was gobbling up ground late against a quality field that included the future Grade 1-placed colts Just Steel and Be You.

Locked improved dramatically when stretching out over one mile for his second start, running his final two furlongs in the terrific times of 11.99 seconds and 11.95 seconds to win a Saratoga maiden special weight by 7 1/4 lengths over future Jerome winner Drum Roll Please, with eventual Wood Memorial (G2) winner Resilience farther back in sixth place.

Next up was the 1 1/16-mile Breeders’ Futurity (G1), in which Locked overcame a wide trip to rally and defeat the talented colt The Wine Steward by half a length. Then in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Locked seemed to struggle while racing in kickback early on, but rallied well once in the clear to finish third behind champion Fierceness and future Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Muth.

Unfortunately, Locked’s Kentucky Derby aspirations were derailed by a knee injury. But he returned to serious training in August and has posted a couple of bullet five-furlong workouts over the Saratoga training track in recent weeks, suggesting he’s ready to pick up where he left off. He’s entered in a seven-furlong $62,500 allowance optional claimer at Belmont at the Big A this Saturday, and while the distance might be shorter than ideal, it looks like a nice easy spot for Locked to get back on track.

Keeneland, race 7: Locked is also entered in the Perryville (G3) at Keeneland, but this seven-furlong sprint has come up with a surprisingly deep field, so don’t be surprised if Locked opts to remain home in New York for his comeback run.

One of the other talented horses entered in the Perryville is Knightsbridge, a Godolphin homebred unbeaten and unchallenged in two starts for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The son of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist debuted in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs last fall and left no doubt about his superiority, settling a couple lengths off the early pace before taking over to dominate by 10 1/2 lengths. By running his final furlong in a swift 12.30 seconds, Knightsbridge reached the finish line in 1:22.96.

Knightsbridge made his second start in a $75,000 allowance optional claimer racing one mile at Gulfstream Park. This time he dashed to the lead and carved out a quick pace on his way to victory by nine lengths over Sea Streak, who has since won the Long Branch and Charles Hesse III Handicap.

Unfortunately, Knightsbridge hasn’t run since; he disappeared from the work tab following an April 27 breeze at Churchill Downs and didn’t record another timed workout until Aug. 31. But he’s posted seven uninterrupted workouts in preparation for the Perryville and can’t be dismissed as a win threat if he brings his A game off the layoff. Knightsbridge clearly has an abundance of talent, and a strong showing in the Perryville could set him up for a big winter campaign.