Photo:

NYRA / Coglianese Photo

In this biweekly series, racing analyst J. 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

Aqueduct, race 7: Colloquial showed promise when making his debut in a five-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct last June. After settling in third place behind quick fractions, he accelerated his final furlong in a blazing 11.47 seconds per the Equibase GPS result chart to gain five lengths and finish second by a nose against Mentee. The latter reached the finish line in 56.97 seconds (breaking the track record) and later won the Futurity (G3).

Now 3 years old, Colloquial ran even better when making his second start in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct last Friday. Shrugging off a nearly eight-month layoff, Colloquial rated in fifth place behind an opening quarter-mile in 22.89 seconds, advanced to second through half a mile in 46.61 seconds and then clocked his final five-sixteenths of a mile in 30.26 seconds per the GPS chart to win easing up by seven lengths.

Colloquial’s winning time of 1:16.89 yielded a massive 106 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form. If he can maintain that level of form in future starts, this George Weaver-trained son of Vekoma is bound to find success at the graded stakes level. Unsurprisingly, I’m adding Colloquial to my watch list.

Saturday

Oaklawn, race 3: Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas doesn’t often saddle winning first-time starters, and his lightly raced horses frequently improve as they gain experience.

That’s why I’m adding Lukas’s 4-year-old filly Nuit Magique to my watch list. The daughter of Arrogate sold for $1 million as a 2-year-old in training, but her work tab was spotty until late in 2024, when she settled into a rhythm at Oaklawn.

After capping off her training regimen with a bullet half-mile in 47.80 seconds last Monday, Nuit Magique debuted with an eye-catching victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Oaklawn. She settled two lengths behind an opening quarter-mile in 21.68 seconds, then unleashed a strong challenge and burst clear down the homestretch to dominate by eight lengths in 1:10.50.

If Nuit Magique follows the pattern of past Lukas trainees and improves with experience, she can develop into a stakes horse.

Tampa Bay Downs, race 6: Watch list member Nic’s Style delivered on her 3-5 odds in the six-furlong Minaret, though she had to work harder than bettors expected. After settling in fifth place behind splits of 21.88 and 44.71 seconds, the 5-year-old mare found herself 3 1/2 lengths behind pacesetter Dazzling Blue. But Nic’s Style steadily decreased the deficit and got up in time to win by a nose in 1:09.16, boosting her career record to six wins from seven starts.