Horses to Watch: Follow these in stakes at Saratoga and Colonial

Carl Spackler showed promise in his first two starts against maiden special weight competition at Gulfstream Park, finishing second by a head against future Belmont Derby (G1) winner Far Bridge before breaking his own maiden by 8 3/4 lengths. Carl Spackler subsequently faltered in a remarkably tough edition of the American Turf (G2), finishing eighth, but he enters Friday’s eighth race at Saratoga, the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2, post time 5:08 p.m. EDT) off sharp workouts over the Saratoga training track turf course and figures to fire a competitive shot.

Catnip

Catnip ran strongly in the 1 3/8-mile United Nations (G1) last time out, tracking the pace from second place and leading in midstretch before settling for second place by 1 1/2 lengths. The 4-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy has tactical speed and has improved by leaps and bounds since being gelded, so cutting back to 1 1/4 miles for Saturday’s 10th race at Colonial Downs, the Arlington Million (G1, post time 6:40 p.m.) might be all Catnip needs to snatch his first Grade 1 win.

Didia

Didia ran a big race in the New York (G1) at Belmont Park two months ago, rallying from as many as four lengths behind a slow pace to finish second by three-quarters of a length against a gate-to-wire winner. Her performance was flattered when third-place finisher McKulick returned to win the Glens Falls (G2). Didia had previously won seven consecutive races (including half a dozen stakes) and looms as a formidable win threat in Saturday’s ninth race at Colonial Downs, the Beverly D. (G1, post time 5:55 p.m.). Don’t forget, Didia went 2-for-2 at Colonial Downs last year.

Edified

A half-brother to La Brea (G1) winner Constellation, Edified was much the best in his debut sprinting six furlongs against maiden special weight competition at Ellis Park, tracking the pace before seizing command to score by 3 1/2 lengths. Conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Edified looms as a logical win threat while stepping up against a tough field in Saturday’s eighth race at Saratoga, the Saratoga Special (G2, post time 5:06 p.m.).

Haul

Another viable Saratoga Special win threat is Haul, who employed pace-pressing tactics to trounce a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Belmont Park last month by three lengths. This Todd Pletcher trainee made a nice visual impression and is slated to be ridden by four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., so don’t count him out of the mix.

Love Reigns

Winner of the 2022 Bolton Landing at Saratoga as a juvenile, Love Reigns is returning to the Spa for Saturday’s seventh race at Saratoga, the Galway (post time 4:30 p.m.). Sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on turf should be perfect for Love Reigns, who kicked off 2023 with a powerful stretch-running victory in the 5 1/2-furlong Limestone over the Keeneland lawn.

Rhyme Schemes

The 4-5 morning line favorite to win the Saratoga Special is Rhyme Schemes, who finished sixth in his debut at Churchill Downs before obliterating a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Ellis Park by 9 1/2 lengths. That victory yielded a 93 Brisnet Speed rating (easily the highest number in the Saratoga Special field), and the performance was flattered when third-place finisher Pass the Hat and sixth-place runner Timberlake returned to win maiden special weights at Ellis. If Rhyme Schemes brings his A-game to Saratoga, it’s going to take a big effort to beat him.

Which horses do you have your eyes on?

In this biweekly series, racing analyst J. Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future.