Photo:

Benoit Photo / Del Mar

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

Saturday

Del Mar, race 2: Acquired for $435,000 as a yearling, Romanesque earned back a portion of his purchase price when winning his debut in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar. And from all appearances, the Bob Baffert-trained juvenile has upside to earn a lot more money.

Facing five rivals, Romanesque showed speed from the start, pressing and dueling for command with stablemate Rodriguez through fractions of 22.27 and 45.30 seconds. Down the homestretch, Romanesque gradually edged away to prevail by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:15.91 while Rodriguez pulled 9 1/2 lengths clear of the rest.

Romanesque earned a respectable 84 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form. Don’t be surprised if this son of Practical Joke tackles a stakes in the near future.

Del Mar, race 8: Ultra Power suffered his second straight defeat when finishing fourth by 7 1/4 lengths in the 1 1/8-mile Native Diver (G3), so I’ll drop him from my watch list.

In contrast, Skinner is new to my watch list after launching a determined rally from last place to win the Native Diver by one length in the respectable time of 1:48.95. This marked Skinner’s second start back from a nearly one-year layoff; on Nov. 1, he closed to finish second in a 6 1/2-furlong $40,000 allowance optional claimer at Del Mar.

Stretching out around two turns for the Native Diver suited Skinner just fine, which isn’t surprising. As a 3-year-old last year, he recorded top-three finishes in the Native Diver, Santa Anita Derby (G1) and San Felipe (G2) while racing around two turns. I can envision Skinner developing into a serious contender for the 2025 Santa Anita Handicap (G1), hence his addition to my watch list.

Entries

Thursday

Fair Grounds, race 9: Montalcino is lightly raced, but he’s already made a habit of defeating good horses. He debuted on Sept. 1 in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga, where he pressed the pace on his way to victory over Masmak, who has returned to win his next two starts, and next-out maiden winner Hurricane Nelson.

Then on Oct. 4, Montalcino set fractions of 21.61 and 43.79 seconds on his way to wiring a seven-furlong allowance at Keeneland by six lengths over Banned for Life, who returned to win a Churchill Downs allowance.

Montalcino will take his next step up the class ladder in the six-furlong Thanksgiving Classic at Fair Grounds. He’s facing a large and competitive field, but victory is within reach if Montalcino brings his A game. It helps that he’s retaining the services of jockey Jose Ortiz, who has compiled a stellar 6-for-15 (40 percent) record to start the Fair Grounds meet.