The (Next to) Last Foal*
... of the great racemare (and equally great broodmare) Personal Ensign makes his debut in the fourth at Belmont this afternoon. Listed at 8-1 on the morning line and showing three April works, Baronial, a 3-year-old Kingmambo colt, attempts six furlongs over the Widener turf** for trainer Shug McGaughey. He's an unlikely winner today -- McGaughey takes time with his blueblood stock, and the field includes Bedford Arch, who finished third in his March debut at Gulfstream, as well as 4-year-old Forest of Dreams, returning from a lengthy layoff for trainer Jimmy Jerkens, and the live Just a Warning from Frank Alexander's barn -- but could be one for the watch list, being a 3/4 brother to G1 winners Miner's Mark and and Traditionally.
* I mistakenly called Baronial the last foal, but according to Wikipedia, Personal Ensign's final foal is a 2006 Forest Wildcat colt1. She was pensioned in September of that year.
** That is, if races don't come off the turf2 and the horse isn't scratched. There's a lot of rain in NYC this morning.
1 Alan reports in the comments that Pedigree Query lists the 2006 colt as dead. Poor baby. So, beautifully bred Baronial is the last foal of his champion dam to race.
2 And so the races are, unsurprisingly, given the weather. Only two scratches in race four, but race seven is gutted.
Posted by JC, May 9, 2008 08:15 AM
Comments
Posted by alan, May 9, 2008 02:38 PM
Oh, that is too bad ...
Also, I should check Pedigree Query more often. It's a good resource.
Posted by Jessica, May 9, 2008 02:47 PM
Jess - Sorry to make you add another footnote....but, according to Pedigree Query, the 2006 Forest Wildcat foal died. :-( Somebody call PETA! :-)