Horses to Watch: Follow these 5 turf stars this summer

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

Moira

Moira has been on my watch list in the past, and I feel she’s worth picking back up after her strong runner-up finish in the 1 1/8-mile Diana (G1) at Saratoga.

Unraced since finishing third by 1 1/4 lengths in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Moira ran well under challenging circumstances in the Diana. Settling 3 1/2 lengths behind slow fractions of 24.26, 49.49 and 1:13.76 didn’t do her any favors, but down the homestretch Moira rallied resiliently to finish only three-quarters of a length behind gate-to-wire winner Whitebeam.

Moira ran her final furlong in about 11.11 seconds, an excellent fraction. With this comeback effort under her belt, Moira appears poised for another strong campaign. Perhaps this is the year she’ll secure her first Grade 1 win.

Recent watch list winners

Apollo Ten

Getting back on turf made the difference for Apollo Ten. After finishing second in the Tom Ridge on Tapeta, the 3-year-old Christophe Clement trainee took to the Monmouth Park lawn for the 5 1/2-furlong My Frenchman and led all the way to secure his third win from four grass starts.

Apollo Ten set fractions of 22.21 and 44.90 seconds before finishing up nicely (fifth furlong in 11.56 seconds, final sixteenth in 6.07 seconds) to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:02.53. This was a nice effort he can build upon.

Carl Spackler

Carl Spackler bounced back to form in the Kelso (G3) at Saratoga, tracking fractions of 24.47, 48.92 and 1:12.18 in second place before taking over to win the one-mile turf test by half a length. He ran his final two furlongs in about 11.05 and 11.41 seconds to complete the race in 1:34.72, in the process securing his third graded win from four starts at Saratoga.

Worth another try

Chili Flag

Chili Flag didn’t have much chance to win the Diana (G1), not after dropping half a dozen lengths behind the slow early fractions of 24.26, 49.49 and 1:13.76. Even though Chili Flag ran her final three furlongs in about 34.13 seconds, she could only gain a little ground to finish ninth by 4 1/2 lengths. A better pace setup next time can help Chili Flag rebound.

Didia

Didia finished fourth in the Diana, beaten only 1 1/4 lengths after saving ground behind gate-to-wire winner Whitebeam. Didia might have been better served by launching a challenge around the far turn, but that option wasn’t available since she was boxed in along the rail. I think this was a deceptively good try given the slow early/fast late pace scenario.

Off the watch list

Fandom

Fandom ran reasonably well in a fast edition of the Quick Call (G3) at Saratoga, finishing third by 3 3/4 lengths against the multiple Grade and Group 1-placed filly Star of Mystery. But I do wonder if, for the time being at least, ungraded stakes might be the ceiling for Fandom’s potential as far as victories go.

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