The PROFITABLE RECORD Special

This week’s Washington, D.C. feature race is named in honor of Profitable Record, a precocious stakes winner who had most of his successes come early in his career. It’s fitting, therefore, that this race is for two-year-olds. They’ll run 6.5 furlongs on the firm turf for a purse of $30,000.

1 – Good Thing (9/2) broke his maiden in just his second start and could mature into a very nice colt. Saturday, he’ll try turf for the first time, but as a son of the versatile Good Reward, it shouldn’t be an issue for him – he may even relish the surface switch. Still, he’ll need to move up significantly on grass to challenge Trung Thu.

2 – Trung Thu (2/1) dazzled in his only lifetime start, winning on the turf with a speed figure that would make him competitive against horses a year older. Unless Good Thing or Happy People have a pronounced preference for the grass, he’ll be close to unbeatable if he runs like he did in the Maiden Special Weight. As the fastest horse in the race and the only one with a previous turf start, he really should be the favorite here, but the computer-generated odds are too high because he’s modestly bred compared to Super Brave. He’s already an excellent advertisement for his sire Master Command and dam-sire Kayf Tara (GB).

3 – At first glance, Happy People (AUS) (9/1) looks to be in over his head. He’s unraced and is probably a bargain baby, so the chances that he would jump up and win are slim indeed. Nevertheless, placing him here makes a lot of sense. Owner/trainer Perdido2 knows he/she can face four horses here instead of fourteen in a Maiden Special Weight. And despite the inauspicious stable name, Happy People will find his way home with a share of the purse and automatic breeding points no matter how he fares today.

4 – Super Brave (3/5) had some pretty impressive credentials before he even raced. He’s a son of the Sim’s top sire Awesome Again and trained by one of the Sim’s most successful conditioners. Better yet, he’s already displayed plenty of talent where it counts: the track. Like Good Thing, the unknown is how he will fare on the turf. Without a big improvement, it’ll be hard for him to beat Trung Thu.