Photo:

Jon Putman / 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.

Results

Friday

Santa Anita, race 8. Maysam, a 3-year-old filly from the barn of Bob Baffert, is new to my watch list after winning her debut in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight.

The daughter of champion juvenile Game Winner vied for command through splits of 21.91 and 45.15 seconds, then pulled away down the homestretch to defeat a strung-out field by six lengths in 1:17.88. A jump into stakes company could be on the horizon for this $500,000 auction acquisition.

Saturday

Oaklawn, race 4. In his best performance since returning from a 16 1/2-month layoff in November, watch list member Bishops Bay trounced a 1 1/16-mile $62,500 allowance optional claimer at Oaklawn. Favored at 1-2, the son of Uncle Mo dueled through fractions of 24.20, 48.54 and 1:13.32 before pulling away down the homestretch to score by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:45.13. A return to the graded stakes ranks is likely ahead for the 2023 Ohio Derby (G3) and Peter Pan (G3) runner-up.

Oaklawn, race 6. Getting away from Grade 1 winner Saudi Crown allowed watch list member Kinetic to pick up his first stakes win in the 1 1/8-mile General MacArthur, in the process bringing his record in route races to 4-for-5. The Godolphin homebred 4-year-old tracked splits of 23.97, 48.49 and 1:13.23 in second place, then took over in a driving finish to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.57.

Oaklawn, race 10. Three watch-list members participated in the Grade 3, 1 1/16-mile Southwest on the road to the Kentucky Derby, and results were mixed.

I was impressed by the performance of Sandman, who ran well under adverse circumstances. He broke very poorly and lost a few lengths in the opening strides, ultimately settling in last place for the first half-mile. But from there, Sandman unleashed a prolonged rally to get up and finish second by one length, so I’ll view his performance in a positive light and keep Sandman on my watch list.

I’ll also give another chance to Patch Adams, even though he disappointed with a fourth-place finish as the 4-5 favorite. Making his route debut, Patch Adams appeared to stumble slightly leaving the starting gate, after which he got squeezed back between rivals. Despite dropping back to seventh place, a complete departure from the pace-pressing tactics of his maiden win, Patch Adams made a meaningful rally around the far turn and down the homestretch before flattening out to finish 2 1/2 lengths behind the winner. With a sharper start next time, I believe Patch Adams can rebound.

I will, however, drop Gaming from my watch list. The Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner had a tough time, enduring a bumping start from post 1 before checking multiple times, once severely, heading into the first turn. But his eighth-place finish by 16 3/4 lengths marked a third straight defeat at the graded-stakes level, so I’ll want to see Gaming bounce back to winning form before returning him to my watch list.

Gulfstream Park, race 13. Although watch list member Locked was beaten to second place by 6 1/4 lengths in the Pegasus World Cup (G1), I thought he ran an excellent race under challenging circumstances.

Starting from post 10, Locked had his head turned when the gates opened, causing him to break in last place with a short run to the first turn. He wound up racing about a half-dozen lengths off the pace in eighth place while seemingly struggling in the dirt kickback, similar to his performance in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

But like in the Juvenile, Locked never gave up. He launched a sustained rally around the far turn and really picked up once in the clear, charging home just in time to secure runner-up honors behind 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio. Even in defeat, Locked earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form, so if Locked can stay out of kickback in future starts, I think he’ll win his share of graded stakes this year.

Sunday

Oaklawn, race 9. Handsome Pants ran below expectations when making his 3-year-old debut as the 4-5 favorite in a 1 1/16-mile $200,000 allowance optional claimer at Oaklawn. After pressing the pace in second place, he tired to finish fourth by 8 3/4 lengths, which marked his second straight defeat. I’ll remove Handsome Pants from my watch list.

2025 watch list record

In 2025, horses on my watch list have a record of 22: 7-5-3 for a 32 percent win rate and a 68 percent in-the-money rate.

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