In the form of her life this season, R. Larry Johnson’s homebred Future Is Now racked up her fourth stakes victory in Sunday’s $303,244 Franklin (G2) at Keeneland. Moreover, the Michael Trombetta trainee established a new stakes record by blitzing 5 1/2 furlongs on the firm turf course in 1:01.47.
Future Is Now went off at a generous 6.88-1 (paying $15.76), with bettors hammering Godolphin’s Star of Mystery into 0.88-1 favoritism. But Star of Mystery found herself outpaced early on the inside and dropped back near the rear of the field. As a result, she had too much ground to make up and checked in a belated second.
In contrast, Future Is Now flashed high speed from the gate and enabled regular rider Paco Lopez to bag the perfect position. Nestled in a ground-saving second, she tracked Stone Silent through an opening quarter in :21.17. Fellow stalker Pipsy flanked Future Is Now but could not hold that position turning for home, and the seam opened up by the half in :43.79.
Future Is Now took off in pursuit, collared Stone Silent in midstretch, and forged clear. The Great Notion filly crossed the wire three-quarters of a length to the good of Star of Mystery. In the process, she lowered the old stakes mark of 1:01.72 set by Chris’s Thunder in 2000.
Lopez said that Trombetta outlined the “plan for the race,” and Future Is Now was ready to execute it.
“The filly was so great today. She was very comfortable during the race. She was perfect,” Lopez noted. “After a little breather, I asked her, and she passed between the horses, no problem at all, and she gave me a big kick.”
Star of Mystery did well to maneuver through traffic to grab the runner-up spot. It remains to be seen if the Charlie Appleby sophomore would advance to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) off this effort.
“She broke well,” jockey Flavien Prat reported, “but I just wasn’t fast enough. We got covered up. I found myself a bit too far (back) and had to make up that ground. When you come from behind, you have some (traffic). I never ever stopped riding. I mean she had a run all the way down the lane, but I had to pick a spot after spot.”
Pandora’s Gift was another half-length away in third, edging Stone Silent, who was herself a head up on the slow-starting Frost at Dawn. Next came Kairyu, Pipsy, Roses for Debra, Accomplished Girl, Awesome Treat, Elm Drive, and Dontlookbackatall. B G Warrior, Beauty of the Sea, Bling, and Twirling Queen were scratched.
Future Is Now can lay claim to the “now horse” label, having won four of her last five. Her sequence began in the May 17 The Very One S. at Pimlico, followed by her first graded coup in the Intercontinental (G2) as a 10-1 shot at Saratoga. Third by a grand total of a half-length in the Caress (G3), she rebounded in the Aug. 23 Smart N Fancy S. in her latest at the Spa.
The Franklin enhanced her overall record to 14-7-1-1, $601,160, including a close second in the March 10 Captiva Island S. at Gulfstream Park. Future Is Now was also fifth versus males in the April 20 King T. Leatherbury S. at Laurel.
The Maryland-bred is a half-sister to current stakes-winning sophomore Call Another Play, who was third in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2). Their dam, the Bernardini mare Past As Prelude, is herself a half to Grade 3-winning sire Street Magician. This is the further family of Belmont (G1) and Haskell (G1) runner-up Mindframe.
