Shoemaker Mile (G1) star Johannes will stretch out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time in Sunday’s $250,000 Eddie Read (G2) at Del Mar. If the Tim Yakteen runner can pass his distance test against defending champion Gold Phoenix and 2022 victor Master Piece, he’ll solidify his status as the West Coast’s leading turf performer.
Johannes has been nearly unbeatable since switching to turf. Sporting a 5-for-6 mark on the surface, the Nyquist colt sustained his only loss when a sneaky fifth in the 2023 American Turf (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day. He didn’t reappear for 11 months, but immediately regained the winning thread in the April 4 American (G3). Earning his first Grade 1 trophy in the Shoemaker, Johannes advertised his Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) potential. Umberto Rispoli reunites with the exciting four-year-old, who drew the outside post 9.
Bob Baffert’s Du Jour, a late-running third in the Shoemaker, figures to secure somewhat better early position with the rider switch to Juan Hernandez. Victorious in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) at Santa Anita two starts back, the Temple City gelding steps back up in trip for the first time since his sophomore days. Judging by his score in the 2021 American Turf at 1 1/16 miles, his third in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby (G1), and his fourth in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Derby (G1), Du Jour can be effective at 1 1/8 miles.
No such projections are required for the past Eddie Read winners, both arriving in top form.
Gold Phoenix, who topped a superfecta for trainer Phil D’Amato in last year’s edition, cuts back in trip after taking the 1 1/4-mile Charles Whittingham (G2). D’Amato has two other prime contenders in Balnikhov, the 2023 runner-up, and Easter. Balnikhov relished the soft going at Pimlico when upsetting the Dinner Party (G3) on Preakness Day, while Easter adds blinkers in the wake of his sixth in the Shoemaker. Easter had previously been on a roll, with three straight stakes and a second in the Kilroe.
Master Piece, who stormed home for Michael McCarthy in this race two years ago, has had a couple of trainer changes in the interim while shifting to the East Coast. The Chilean import, now with Rick Dutrow, just dethroned Godolphin’s Ottoman Fleet in the Fort Marcy (G2). Ottoman Fleet has since boosted the form by winning a pair of graded stakes at Churchill Downs. Master Piece keeps Dylan Davis aboard as he returns to the seaside track, where he also finished a close second in back-to-back runnings of the Del Mar H. (G2) in 2021-22.
McCarthy is back with another contender in There Goes Harvard, a solid fourth in the Shoemaker off a nearly 15-month layoff. The son of Will Take Charge scored his signature win in the 2022 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1), but he’s inherited the surface versatility of his family.
Balladeer, who wired last fall’s John Henry Turf Championship (G2), looms as the likely pacesetter. The George Papaprodromou pupil shortens up after tiring in his past three, including a fifth in the Whittingham last out. Also exiting the Whittingham is seventh-placer Dicey Mo Chara, who likely needed that race off the bench. Winless since the 2022 San Gabriel, Dicey Mo Chara was a fairly consistent bridesmaid until his eighth in last summer’s Eddie Read, when he headed to the sidelines.
