Photo:

Casey Laughter – Eclipse Sportswire – edited composite

One indicator of a very nice horse is the ability to run well over anything. Kentucky Derby 2025 prospect First Resort is well on his way to displaying that admirable ability. He’ll look to add to his multi-surface reputation Saturday as the headliner in the 43rd running of the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial.

Having already proven he can handle both fast and muddy dirt as well as turf, the son of Uncle Mo will take his game to the synthetic surface at Turfway Park against a full field of 3-year-old males in the Derby points race.

Derby prep: First Resort faces full field in Battaglia.

Trained by Eoin Harty, the bay colt won two of his four starts with earnings of $338,671 as a juvenile. He ran well in all four running at a different distance each time.

The Godolphin homebred began his racing career with a good-looking maiden score going 5 1/2 furlongs in the mud at Ellis Park on July 5. He would move right up into graded-stakes company next out.

Shipped to New York, he finished a solid second to another talented son of Uncle Mo, Showcase, in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special at 6 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 10. In that race First Resort battled through fast fractions of 21.85 and 44.78 seconds before succumbing to the impressive winner. Like his debut victory he displayed toughness to the wire after plenty of early pressure.

Harty also trained the dam of First Resort. Fair Maiden was the Grade 1-winning daughter of Street Boss. She ran in big races on both the turf and the dirt, so it was no surprise when First Resort took to the turf for his third career start.

He got off to a rough start in the Summer Stakes (G1) at Woodbine and was much farther back early. He also had to deal with traffic along the way and ultimately settled for a fourth-place finish, beaten by just over three lengths. It may not look like anything special on paper, but stretched to a mile on a new surface, it was another good effort for First Resort.

For the third straight race First Resort was not heavily backed by the bettors for his fourth and final start as a 2-year-old, but it would be in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs where he would announce himself as a real horse to watch for the Kentucky Derby.

Making his two-turn debut and facing solid competition like Jonathan’s Way and Tiztastic, First Resort made it look rather easy. After stalking an easy early pace, the 6-1 shot took over turning into the stretch and cruised home an easy 2 1/4-length winner in the qualifying points race for the 2025 run for the roses.

In a key race that produced future Kentucky Derby winners Real Quiet and Super Saver in the past, First Resort was a convincing winner.

The Battaglia is not one of the big-name Derby preps. Therefore it would seem like an odd place to begin the second season for a hot Kentucky Derby prospect. But Turfway Park is where Harty has stabled his horses during the winter.

Despite the inconsistent weather in Kentucky, it is also where First Resort has prepared for his sophomore debut.

He missed a little chunk of training time due to the conditions, but he has come back with three recent works over the Tapeta surface at Turfway Park, including a sharp 59.4-second bullet Monday.

In the 1 1/16-mile test Saturday, First Resort will race for the first time over a synthetic surface, but it is still one with which he is familiar. In the Battaglia he also will face a number of interesting young colts and geldings. None will come into the test with the accomplishments of the likely favorite.

It will be familiar territory for the talented colt to be running on a new surface. He has done that every step of the way so far.

Proven to be game at different tracks and on different distance, as well as being proven against graded-stakes competition at the host of the Kentucky Derby, you would think First Resort would be talked about as a top contender for the first Saturday in May. But that is not the case.

Bred to be a good one, First Resort continues to fly just under the radar reserved for the most respected Kentucky Derby prospects. A win in the Battaglia on Saturday is not likely to change that fact, either.

Hard Spun and Two Phil’s came close, and Animal Kingdom and Rich Strike became Kentucky Derby winners. Can First Resort become the next one to run big at the Kentucky Derby after prepping over a synthetic surface at Turfway Park?