The (Next to) Last Foal*
… of the great racemare (and equally great broodmare) Personal Ensign makes his debut in the fourth at Belmont this afternoon. Listed at 8-1 on the morning line and showing three April works, Baronial, a 3-year-old Kingmambo colt, attempts six furlongs over the Widener turf** for trainer Shug McGaughey. He’s an unlikely winner today — McGaughey takes time with his blueblood stock, and the field includes Bedford Arch, who finished third in his March debut at Gulfstream, as well as 4-year-old Forest of Dreams, returning from a lengthy layoff for trainer Jimmy Jerkens, and the live Just a Warning from Frank Alexander’s barn — but could be one for the watch list, being a 3/4 brother to G1 winners Miner’s Mark and and Traditionally.
*I mistakenly called Baronial the last foal, but according to Wikipedia, Personal Ensign’s final foal is a 2006 Forest Wildcat colt1. She was pensioned in September of that year.
**That is, if races don’t come off the turf2 and the horse isn’t scratched. There’s a lot of rain in New York City this morning.
1Alan reports in the comments that Pedigree Query lists the 2006 colt as dead. So, beautifully bred Baronial is the last foal of his champion dam to race.
2And so the races are, unsurprisingly, given the weather. Only two scratches in race four, but race seven is gutted.
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