LOS ALAMITOS FUTURITY | PURSE: $500,000 | 2-YEAR-OLDS | GRADE 1 | 1-1/16 MILES
Odds-on choice Dortmund remained unbeaten by a slim margin as he nipped Firing Line and Mr. Z by a head in a nail-biting finish to the first-ever $500,000 Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 20 at the Orange County, Calif. track.
Unbeaten Dortmund heads into his 3-year-old season as a leading Triple Crown contender after scoring in his first stakes try, completing the 1-1/16-mile distance in a track-record 1:40.86.
Only five juveniles were entered in the Los Alamitos Futurity, which was run for the first time after originating at Hollywood Park in 1981 as the Hollywood Futurity and later, the CashCall Futurity. Yet the small field produced a spine-tingling race.
Dortmund, the 3-5 favorite, tracked Firing Line and Mr. Z through fast fractions and needed every inch of the long Los Alamitos stretch to defeat those two on the line in a fabulous finish. Firing Line was second, with Mr. Z third.
The lanky chestnut colt was ridden to victory by Martin Garcia for trainer Bob Baffert and owner Kaleem Shah.
The son of 2008 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and Preakness winner Big Brown out of the Tale of the Cat mare Our Josephina was bred in Kentucky by Emilie Gerlinde Fojan. He is now 3-for-3 in his career.
Baffert, who won his record seventh Futurity at the track where he used to dominate as a Quarter Horse conditioner, said, "I asked Martin did you know you won? He said, 'Yes,' and I said, 'Why didn't you give me a fist pump to let me know?' I thought he won, but I wasn't sure. It was so close.
"I knew it was going to be those three [Dortmund, Firing Line, and Mr. Z]. They're all really good horses. He's such a big horse. I wasn't sure how he was going to handle the turns here. He broke well and [Garcia] got him into his own rhythm. He reminds me of Point Given. He's got a good mind, but he's still filling out and he's still learning.''
Despite his inexperience, Dortmund is a highly regarded colt, so much so that he was made the individual favorite at 9-1 in the first 2015 Kentucky Derby Future Wager off only two starts. His prior win, by 7-3/4 lengths over a mile in an allowance/optional claiming race at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, stamped his potential.
In Mr. Z he was hooking a much more experienced colt with four graded stakes-placings already for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, while Firing Line was an overpowering maiden winner in his second start Nov. 30 at Del Mar. Both challengers were well fancied as well at respective odds of 5-2 and 3-1.
Dortmund, leaving from post 3, broke with the other two, who were on his outside, but dropped about three lengths off them for Garcia while racing well off the rail as they made their way to the clubhouse turn. There was little separating the leaders with Mr. Z maintaining a head advantage for Mike Smith to the inside of Firing Line, ridden by Rafael Bejarano.
The quarter mile fractions were sizzling for 2-year-olds at the distance (:21.98 seconds, :45.29 seconds, and 1:09.64), and as they approached the quarter pole Mr. Z began to separate a bit from Firing Line.
But Firing Line, in his first try beyond 6-1/2 furlongs, came back as they squared away for the drive and those two were head-and-head coming down the lane. In upper stretch, it appeared that the leggy Dortmund might not be able to factor with his two rivals. Under strong encouragement from Garcia, however, he reached even terms on the outside in deep stretch and was able to get the bob over a game Firing Line, who finished a nose in front of Mr. Z.
"That was the first time he went two turns and usually he's right there [on the lead], but today they broke really fast," Garcia said. "I was pretty comfortable. I knew what I had underneath. Two months ago, he was pretty quiet. He was a baby when he first ran; it was a big difference."
Under equal weights of 121 pounds, Dortmund paid $3.20, $2.40, and $2.10. Firing Line, at $3.40 and $2.10 to place, completed a $7.80 exacta, while the trifecta was $12.20 with Mr. Z, who paid $2.10 to show.
"[Mr. Z] was lugging out in the stretch and bumped us a couple of times," Bejarano said of his trip aboard Firing Line. "I think it cost us the race."
Bench Warrant and No Problem finished well back in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Dortmund was a $140,000 buy this spring at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale by Donato Lanni, agent, from the consignment of Breaking Point Farm, which purchased the colt for $90,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale.
His sire, Eclipse Award 3-year-old champion Big Brown, is to stand in New York's Dutchess Views Farm after previously shuttling between Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky and Vinery Australia. Dortmund's dam, Our Josephina, was a graded stakes-placed performer who earned more than $190,000. She has produced four winners from five starters, with Dortmund her first stakes victor.
Named for a German soccer team, Dortmund began his career with a 4-3/4-length triumph over maidens Oct. 25 at Santa Anita Park. He has now banked $359,400.