Intricate Spirit aced his Breeders’ Cup test in the Grade 3 Futurity at Aqueduct on Friday, earning a “Win and You’re In” berth for the Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1).
The fleet Complexity colt showed a new dimension in ceding the early lead to Longshoreman, as jockey Joel Rosario was just biding his time and Intricate Spirit came with his challenge in the stretch and kept on going to win by 1 3/4 lengths.
“The instructions were to break well and go forward and he [Rosario] decided to call an audible and he was probably right,” trainer Miguel Clement said. “They were going very fast early on – 43 and change, which you don’t see that often on this turf course.”
Miguel’s late father, Christophe, acquired Intricate Spirit at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale on behalf of West Point, Madaket Stables and Kenneth and Gail Betz. The colt prevailed going 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga in his debut on August 1. The Juvenile Turf Sprint will be contested at five furlongs on Friday, October 31 at Del Mar.
“I don’t think that [cutting back to five furlongs] will be an issue with the amount of speed he showed today and also on debut,” Miguel said. “He has a tremendous amount of speed, so just let him roll. He’s versatile and Joel will be able to do whatever he wants with him.”
West Point had another 2-year-old score for the second time about an hour later on Friday when Liberation prevailed at 2-to-5 odds in a Cal-bred allowance at Santa Anita. Juan Hernandez guided the Omaha Beach filly, who hit the board in a pair of stakes this summer at Del Mar for trainer John Sadler.
